Wild Turkey Master's Keep Decades

Whisk(e)y: Wild Turkey Decades – Master’s Keep The crème de la crème. I’ve been itching to sample this for quite some time now. In fact, it’s been a year since my last dram of this. The bottle has some good weight to it. The cork is comprised of a copper engraved top attached to the cork. The front and left side of the bottle has the turkey blown into it. This has wonderful detail and is a great display piece during and after the contents are emptied. When pouring this beauty into your glass it flows like water and seems quite thin for 52% ABV. If you’re new or not aware of why it’s called “Decades”, this is because the contents are different aged barrels ranging from 10 to 17 year bourbons. Alright – let’s get down to brass tax! Nose: Right off the bat you can get a slight sense of corn and cinnamon / brown sugar. One thing I can’t pin point is the faint floral note. Could be mint leaf / grass. There is also a smell of toasted nuts...likely the oak barrel since it is aged with multiple blends of different maturations. Palate: First sip and swirling it around you get pronounced brown sugar. Leather comes into play as well. Very, very, very few drams can perfect this and I dig what the Russell’s did here. Cinnamon follows along with a peppery spice. This definitely does not feel like 52% ABV. I personally find the finish quite short, but enjoyable. The front of the tongue feels the peppery heat and the taste buds get to dance around with the body of Decades. Overall: Is it good? Yes! Is it worth the price? Too much subjectivity – but if you live in an area where you cannot access this and will nurse it – get it! Any Wild Turkey fan will enjoy this, however, if you have never tried any WT products before or haven’t sampled a variety of what they have to offer I wouldn’t recommend buying this. Decades I find is more polished and slightly complex. If you know the different tasting notes this would be something worth trying. If you are one to not care for picking notes out, I would then recommend sticking to Rare Breed or 101. I would restock this one personally. Damn good sauce! #WildTurkeyDecades #OMG #WildTurkey #JimBeam #WhistlePig #ElijahCraig #Blantons #Bookers #EagleRare #WoodfordReserve #BuffaloTrace #Kentucky #Scotch #TheDalmore #Aberlour #TheBalvenie #Glenmorangie #Aultmore12 #HighlandPark #Nikka #Laphroaig #TheMacallan #Whisky #Whiskey #Bourbon #Rye #abvcrew #WhiskyReviews #IdrinkAndiKnowThings #FollowMeOnFacebook

Nose: The density and richness here are higher than the proof would suggest, though there's no "burn" or challenge to accompany it. Classic charred oak, vanilla, and salted caramel here. All the baking spices you'd want are here, too. Roasted nuts, fresh ripe fruits, and dark chocolate. There's a level of craft and refinement on display that I really appreciate. An amazing expression of a bourbon that even my Islay-exclusive girlfriend beingwas able to appreciate. There's a buttermilk biscuit quality, as well, complete with salted butter brushed on top. Maple bacon. On top of it all is a delicate layer of orange oil and sweet flowers. Palate: The theme from the nose carries over, though here things lean more into the drier side. There's still the classic trio of oak, vanilla, and brown sugar, but the brown sugar has stepped back to allow the oak to reveal itself a little more. Orange peel and pith. Freshly ground cinnamon, clove, and anise, with a thread of sublte mint buried in there. The bite here is oak-driven instead of ethanol and it works. This is a rare exception where I'm not left disappointed over the proof - this seems to be exactly where it should be. A touch of tart cherry, too, along with a little fresh, unfiltered apple juice. This hits the entire palate and is very well balanced. Medium heavy mouthfeel. Finish: Oak, char, leather, and tobacco. Sweet oranges, apple pie, and bubblegum. Lactones come up next, along with a little mint and fennel. And then we ride out on a medium long finish, with the cinnamon and oak trading focus back and forth. Other notes: With these notes, this probably sounds like most other bourbons. The difference here is the level of quality on display. Kind of like comparing pre-ground spices to ones you've freshly ground yourself. It's the same essence, just better and fuller. I can easily suggest this to anybody that enjoys the Wild Turkey profile - I have yet to be disappointed by a single thing they make and this is no exception. However, the cost here is worth a mention - if you're not sure whether or not you should take the plunge, I might hold off. Though if you're looking for that once-a-year special purchase to have on the rare special occasion, this could easily fit the bill and should fit the bill for most bourbon drinkers. Cheers!

For me the Master’s Keep series is one of the most recognizable groups of whiskeys out there. With the exception of Forged Oak, no other whiskey I’ve ever had could possibly sneak in to this flavor group. So as my third tasted entry in that group, to an extent I knew what to expect. Nose is heavy on caramel. Fainter scents are citrus, oak, and a mustiness that is universally present in the Master’s Keep group. It’s a great nose. The first flavor I get is the caramel and citrus from the nose. Lemon, specifically. That fades away to a heavy hit of that mustiness that I get in all Russell’s Reserve and Master’s Keep products. It’s not my favorite flavor out there, but it’s not as harsh here as it is in RR. I could also call it part leather, part brine. Finish is gentle in feel but spicy in flavor. I really like that, despite the fact that spicy finishes aren’t my favorite. It’s just interesting: there’s cinnamon and pepper, but it doesn’t feel as hot as you’d expect. That is elegant. This doesn’t have room in my heart to be a favorite, but I respect the hell out of all the Master’s Keeps, this one included. My opinion, if these are in your price range, you should always give them a shot because they’re always expertly made and interesting. Revival is a true favorite of mine, 17 year remains one of the most complex bourbons I’ve ever had, and this one is the spicy one. All good in their own right, all deserve a chance.

Decades. I'm not sure which batch this is, i'm under the impression there were two and I also get the impression one was seen as the better and older option. Nose - had to really give this one some time, it's overwhelming when you first pour it. You can already nose how thick the whisky is, it comes in at 104 proof but the nose has the body of something closer to 120. I get rich caramel, citrus notes, cherry, some aged oak and then some younger more unfinished oak notes. Taste - I get that vanilla, leather, cherry oak that I often get with older whisky. I'm actually amazed at how much this bottle seems to change each time I go back, each time it comes off a bit older than the last. There's some sour notes, some fruity notes, and it finishes with a big puff of well behaved oak. Really good stuff, but I have to ask myself is it better than Rare Breed or Kentucky Spirit? That's where this one somewhat drops off for me a bit. I'm really not sure it is. Really nice bourbon and I'm going 3 stars. If you're ok with the 130, get it. If you're not, get rare breed and you won't be getting all that different a bourbon. Wild Turkey spoils us with just outstanding lower priced bourbons, but as a result their higher end stuff really doesn't punch any higher.

The nose is a bit lighter and tarter with more rye than expected. The palate has a spicy richness with a tart rye presence and a bitter underlying flavor that is fine but not amazing. There are notes of young red fruit that give way to slightly more syrupy cherry. There might be a little leather, but it could be rye mixing with coffee and rich vanilla mixed with maybe some dark chocolate. Overall, this is a very good drink with some nice complexity that I could easily sip, but it's no Master's Keep Revival. The real seller here is the nice floral richness that comes out. Instead of tasting like mineral, the floral flavor is elevated, sort of how Bushmill's 21 elevates apricot (though the result here isn't as amazing). It's sweeter and tastes less mature than Master's Keep Revival. It's very good, but not amazing. The richness is tasty and appealing due to its rarity. The rich cherry syrup and floral notes with the more chocolate and coffee flavors is quite nice. I still prefer the revival and wish that this had less of that light rye tartness, but this very good. Aside from the light tartness, the complexity is balance is very good and the complexity is a nice level of interesting with layers without being overwhelming and confused.

Nose: bigtime leather, tobacco, oak, cherries, fuji apple, a lil grassy, cinnamon, nutmeg...it's bright, spicy, and slightly funky ....hardly any alcohol fumes to speak of. Taste: More leather and tobacco, and a bit of funk...vanilla, charred oak, cinnamon, cherries, herbal, maple, almond skins...very rustic...it's a lot hotter on the palette than the nose. Slightly oily mouthfeel. Finish: More leather, charred oak, vanilla, herbal, touch of mint, quite spicy...allspice-like...medium-long length Empty Glencairn aroma: Extremely funky...reminiscent of that brettanomyces band-aidy smell alond with maple syrup and oak. Admittedly, I am more of a Scotch dude than a bourbon guy but this is right up my wheelhouse. I tend to enjoy most WT products and this is the best of them that I have had the pleasure of having so far. I'd even venture to say that it's definitely one of the best bourbons I have ever had. It's quite rustic with a touch of funk without being overly sweet like a lot of bourbons can get. It's a masterfully made whiskey. Too bad it's so damn expensive. Is it worth it? That's for you to decide.