Wild Turkey 101 12 Year Distiller's Reserve

My friends and I have an annual tradition of meeting up in Kentucky to try as many unicorn and dusty spirits as we possibly could handle for a few days. On the first night we stopped by Neat bourbon bar which specializes in antique pours for rather fair prices. There we started with several of Wild Turkey Masters Keeps and then decided to try this international exclusive 12 year that surprisingly tasted similar to dusty old Turkeys and turned out to be our group’s favorite out of the Turkey lineup. Further exploration continued into other rarities but the 12 year Turkey never seemed too far from competing with those dusty unicorns. Obtaining a bottle took some time as these birds migrated from Kentucky to international markets for around $60 a bottle but seemed to boomerang on back to retailers in the US for over $200. I’m not one to happily pay secondary prices, but my patience began to wane until I found a bottle for $150 and decided it was low enough to allow me to revisit this modern day bourbon with unique dusty flavors. The nose is bold and velvety rich starting with a mix of maple cream cheese frosting, old machine oil and dusty old mahogany armchair then limestone minerality, freshly lit cherry pipe tobacco and dark chocolate torte followed by caramel apple dumplings, charred blood orange and blackberry jam that transitions to mild baking spices and high end vintage leather jacket with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a velvety rich mouthfeel starting with maple syrup drenched flapjacks, dark chocolate ganache and moderately worn catchers mitt then a mild rye spice that quickly fades to old engine oil, freshly lit pipe tobacco and limestone minerality then blackberry pie, charred blood orange and caramelized cinnamon apples that transitions to moderate baking spices and polished mahogany with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long starting with moderate rye spices and dusty old mahogany armchair that fades to creamy sweet orchard and mildly tart berries along with maple syrup covered flapjacks then light limestone minerality and engine oil. Overall, this is an exceptional and unique bourbon that breaks away from the traditional bourbon profile of rich sweets, mild spices and slightly tannic oak that brings these olden day funky notes of machine oil and stone minerality that I rarely ever find outside of antique bourbons. If you’re a fan of Wild Turkey, this is a must have in your collection that allows for a taste of what dusty antique Turkey is without the need to pay the premium prices that they cost today. For me, this is the best whiskey I’ve tasted from modern day Wild Turkey that could possibly even compete against dusty antique versions and one I will happily pay $150 to add a few more to my collection to hopefully never be without a bottle.

First sniff? Big oak. Like walking into a rickhouse and immediately feeling confident in your life choices. Vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and some baking spice follow right behind. It smells old, in a good way. First sip is smooth and full. Toffee, vanilla, a little nuttiness, then that Wild Turkey spice kicks in with pepper and cinnamon. The oak is bold but not drying. Finish hangs around warm and cozy with some tobacco and dark caramel. This one can handle a real cigar. Padron 1964 Maduro is money. OpusX if you want more spice. Don’t pair this with anything weak. Bottom line: Wild Turkey 12 Year is bold, balanced, and dangerously easy to keep sipping. Pour slow… or don’t.

I believe this sample was sent over by the legendary @PBMichiganWolverine and I'm grateful to be able to try. The nose is cinnamon peanut brittle with a little dusty oak. Vanilla and cherry lurk in the background. The palate is surprisingly thin, but that's it's only low point for me, as it's full of flavor. What I get on the nose is repeated on the palate. There's a little oaky astringency going into the finish, but it's also carried out by the caramel sweet peanut brittle. I'm a Wild Turkey fan and prefer the Russell's Single Barrel among their regular offerings, but this is definitely a step up in experience.

Nose: cherry coke, cinnamon, caramel and oak. Vanilla. Later dark fruit/blackberry. Body: medium Palate: cherry coke, cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and dark fruit. Finish: really long. No Kentucky hug. Delicious barrel smoke Note: got many ounces of this from don just because he’s a nice guy. So pumped to try this. This is drank nest from a glencairn. This is really an exceptional dram. In the range of Boone county 13 year. Exceptional in that all the flavors come in waves and while the palate matches the nose each sip and nose doesn’t match exactly. The length is great.

Simply excellent. Take everything that you already enjoy about Wild Turkey 101 and round out the rough edges. I think I enjoy this more than I do than Russell's Reserve Single Barrels and that's saying something because those are always outrageously good. If you have the opportunity to buy a bottle direct from Japan due to visiting et cetera, -do not skip this one-. Don't know if it's worth typical full secondary, but for what I paid I'd probably do it again. I really enjoy having it.

Nose: spiced tea with an orange in it. Peach rings, good oak, maybe a touch floral, and some subtle rich vanilla. Palate: Citrus into spicy cinnamon, red fruit, cinnamon sugar, notable oak, a earthy turkey note. Finish: Long for the proof. Spice, Earthy citrus tea note, and vanilla. This is fantastic. Super complex and just coats the mouth. The finish last for days.