Wild Turkey 101 8 Year Bourbon

Wild Turkey 8 Year Old 101, the return of an all time classic. I've tried a lot of Wild Turkey over the years. The basic Wild Turkey 101 is in my opinion easily the best mass produced $20-ish bottle of whiskey available on the market. I like the 101 profile so much that I've tried many Kentucky Spirits, including Camp Nelson bottles, hoping for something that is significantly better than 101. And while those bottles are definitively better than standard 101, often with more pure caramel or maybe more spice given their single barrel profile, they are nowhere near 3 times as good as 101 at about $60 (I see them as high as $80 quite often, so sometimes 4X). Based on my experience with Kentucky Spirit, I didn't expect amazing things from this 8 year old 101 at merely 2X the price of 101 ($42). After all, 101 is supposedly between 6-8 years as stated on the bottle. So this is simply 8 year old 101? Basically a batched Kentucky Spirit? (KS is generally about 8-9 years old and 101 proof). I was in for a big surprise. This 8 Year Old 101 has possibly the perfect profile for my palate. It is significantly deeper, richer and more savory than regular 101. There is dark fruit, intense baking spice (people say it is nutmeg, which may be right), and other dark flavors like toffee. All of these come together throughout the nose, palate and finish to produce what may be my favorite bourbon of the last few years. I know this is blasphemy, but for me, this outdrinks the Wild Turkey 12 year. That one has all of these flavors, but it takes a turn towards a somewhat bitter oak influence from the extra years in barrel. I actually prefer this one, at a quarter of the price (WT 12 can be as much as $200 when you get done re-importing it from Japan). This 101 8 year doesn't seem to be blowing people away, and that is more than fine with me so long as they keep putting this on the shelf. It is also possible that they put all the best barrels into this initial batch to secure the launch and quality will decline in the future, so I'm backing these up. Just a note that the latest internet rumor is that recent 101 has declined in quality - this may be why. All the good stuff is going here. One final note - I see a lot of people saying to pass on this because you can get Rare Breed for $10-15 more. I think that is a bad comparison. First of all, in my market, Rare Breed is almost $20 more. Second, I don't always want something at a higher ABV. And last, I believe Kentucky Spirit is what this should be compared to in terms of ABV and aging, and that is $60 - $80. Your mileage may vary and I don't expect everyone to have my palate. But I want this product to succeed so that it remains out there, because this is a sweet spot bourbon for me.

Nose is full of spice and wood; fresh ground black pepper, mustard seed, musty oak, damp cellar, stale rainwater, tree bark, white sugar, and light cinnamon. Many unappealing notes. Palate is a complete nutmeg bomb. Add clove, powdered sugar, caramel, bitter oak chips, and a hint of flan. Some decent notes, but honestly the nutmeg overpowers everything. Finish offers somehow even MORE nutmeg and clove, cinnamon, tannic oak, chili pepper spice, furniture polish, and spearmint. It’s long but you wish it would end. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and chewy and the best part of this train wreck. W.T.F. Shockingly bad. WT101 is my go-to daily drinker, and nearly all the sweetness has been sucked out and replaced with tons of nutmeg. The 70th anniversary release was 8 years old and 101 proof and the profile was nothing like this. I can’t believe what I am tasting; as this is easily the worst WT expression I have ever had. At $44, it just made me angry as I’d much rather have regular old 101 at half the price. Huge disappointment.

Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: Wow! That's a helluva nose... woody/oaky, molasses, leather, orange creamsicle. I really hope the palate can follow through on this nose... Palate (drank with a large ice ball): Initial sips bring about oak, spiciness, and slight sweetness. Mild chest hug reminds you of the 100+ proof. Some nice things going on here. As per usual, I'm struggling to articulate specific flavors... but something akin to a "cherry" cordial — no! Bubble Gum! Like Topps Baseball cards stick bubble gum. As the ice slowly dissolves, a mellow holiday baking spice comes through. Finish: Medium with a nice "buttery" quality to it, along with the holiday spices from the diluted bottom of the glass. I think I'm also getting "black pepper". I might sometimes confuse "spicy" with "black pepper". Final Thoughts: Dig it! I really need to grab another bottle of both the Jimmy Russell 70th and the standard 101 to do a blind. But this is definitely an exceptional bottle. 4.25 stars!

Wild Turkey only has one bourbon mash bill - 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. This bottle is eight years old, and cost $44.99 at Total Wine. In the glass the color is dark copper. 𝗡𝗼𝘀𝗲: On the nose I got honey and apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, a little caramel, and a little vanilla. 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹: Smooth. 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲: On the palate there were cinnamon, brown sugar, a little oak, and butter. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵: The finish gave me a general spice, leading into honey and a hint of oak. The length is medium. 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: This is good bourbon. It seems to have a darker profile than my current bottle of regular 101 - more like the 101 used to be, before the quality bobbled in late 2024. This 8 year bourbon isn't dramatically better than the regular, but I think the price is fair for the quality. 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: My hick scale has eight levels with 1 at the bottom. This whisky gets a 6, Fine. That's equivalent to 3.75 stars, 75/100, or 7.5/10.

WT101 8 YR *APPEARANCE: Between 1.5 Auburn and 1.6 Mahogany with very slow moving legs. *NOSE: Dry Oak, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Burnt Sugar Cookie, Creme Brûlée. That expected Wild Turkey Barnyard Funk is there, but in a supporting and not starring role. *NEAT: Fall Spices galore. Lead by Clove and followed by Cinnamon, Anise, Nutmeg, and Allspice. Sweet notes of Vanilla and Maple. There is Orange Oil and Peppery Spice followed by a long coating finish featuring Clove and Oak Spice. Nice coating, layering mouthfeel. Big KYHug! This drinks every bit of its 101 proof. *SPLASH: Brings Orange Peel and Cedar to the Nose. The Palate gets a little sweeter. Less Clove, More Cinnamon. This is also great with a large cube of ice. *VERDICT: Very Good. Wish I had the regular 101 to Side by Side. WT has evolved over the last few years into a Clove Bomb and this dials that up to 11.

Nose: I don't have the best sniffer. Muted, slight ethanol, frosting, some orange peel, nothing offensive but nothing to really plant a flag on Palate: Orange peel and simple syrup. Almost drinks like a strong Old Fashioned with a heavy hand on the orange peel and simple syrup. Finish: A little leather and tobacco arrives on the finish. Second and subsequent sips blends the finish into the frint and mid palate. Overall a very good pour. A lot to like for me and what i want in a boutbon. Fruity, sweet, with complexity added at the end. Another great value from Wild Turkey which is typical for them except for some of their allocated stuff.