Background

I’ll keep this quick because I know I’m a pretty notorious (unsolicited!) Jack Rose shill… but huge credit to them for the wild number of offerings they’ve rolled out for Bourbon Heritage month. They’ve done deep dive distillery tastings on Buffalo Trace, Old Forester, and now Wild Turkey alongside “classes” on maturation and corn’s importance. Here we are with Wild Turkey, and a lineup headlined by Russell’s Reserve 15 and Master’s Keep Triumph, two whiskeys I’ve yet to review but am excited to do so. First up, though, is a trio of single barrels. Unto the reviews!

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit 2022 (NAS, 101 Proof)

and…

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit - Jack Rose “The Wildcard” (NAS, 101 Proof)

Overall: I previously reviewed both of these Kentucky Spirits at a prior Jack Rose Turkey Tasting. While I understand the off the shelf Kentucky is a single barrel offering and therefore some variance is expected, the experience was similar enough that I feel comfortable sticking with my original score and review. What’s fun though is that, without checking my past notes, this go around I wrote down the same “candy apple” note on the Jack Rose Wildcard. I quite liked this pick the first time and felt similarly at this tasting!

Russell’s Reserve Allview Liquors 2023 Pick (9 Years, 110 Proof)

Nose: Caramel vanilla swirl and a dash of orange citrus. Reads fairly classic, though, somewhat obviously, punchier than the two Kentucky Spirits. Certainly an inviting nose.

Palate: Leather and brown sugar. Star anise and black licorice. It’s a little thin, a little medicinal and it’s interesting to see that the nose doesn’t really carry over much to the palate.

Finish: Menthol-y and minty, again in that medicinal sense. It’s paired a bit with a medicinal cherry. Thin mint cookies but with the volume turned up on the mint.

Good to Very Good (5.5/10)

Overall: Pretty good but not necessarily my favorite Russell’s pick. I do earnestly believe this is preferential more than anything, as I see the appeal for someone who likes a more off profile pick. It’s just a bit too medicinal for me without providing quite enough sweeter notes as a counterbalance.  

Russell’s Reserve 15 Year (15 Years, 117.2 Proof)

Nose: Dark and stormy. Molasses, overripe berries. Honestly it's a rich fruit cake with big dark sugars and baked fruit notes. This is a mouthwatering introduction.

Palate: Oh my… rich, dark chocolate ganache. Cranberry compote layered with cinnamon and layers of rich oak. Leather and tobacco. It’s a beautifully harmonious blend of everything I want in a whiskey. There’s an obvious age to it, presenting as the chocolate/oak/leather notes, and it’s effortlessly intermingled with dark fruits and spices.

Finish: That rich, leathery texture hangs on the palate alongside an exceptionally fun cola note. But wait, there's more! Layers of baking spice notes with elegant dark cherry wood.

Perfect (10/10)

Overall: "Send this to Russia and Ukraine. The middle east. This could end wars." - Bill Thomas. I can’t really improve on that. Phenomenal.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep: Triumph (10 Years, 104 Proof)

Nose: Applesauce, complete with the requisite cinnamon. It's a little lighter, eloquent, but also a bit muted.

Palate: More of that applesauce note, it's nice and approachable. Fairly sweet, this is a Motts applesauce note, not some Farmer's Market organic stuff. Bits of cinnamon sugar.

Finish: A little short, but minty and with more of that cinnamon sugar. There’s a kind of vague sweetness, and that apple throughline persists.

Rating… N/A

Overall: We drank this right after the 15, and it just doesn’t hold a candle in the aftermath. Is a non score a cop out? Probably. But it feels unfair to score this with dances of Russell’s 15 still on the tongue. My gut reaction is that I would not buy it for the price. It's a nice whiskey, but I just think the rye market is so competitive it's hard to make sense of this. I will seek to revisit this and score it formally.