Wild Turkey 101 8-Year Bourbon

A few years ago, at Justins’ in Lexington, Kentucky, I saw an old bottle of Wild Turkey 101 from the early 1970s and wondered what it would have tasted like. Master Distillers have shared that some of the bourbons tasted better, even though mash bills and yeast strains have remained the same. Was it the stills? The thumpers? Non-GMO grains? The water? Or was it just, in many cases, older? Today, we’re checking out the newest addition to the Wild Turkey lineup - an 8-Year Wild Turkey 101.

That Wild Turkey Bourbon 

It was Thomas Ripy who built the first distillery - Old Hickory Distillery - on the grounds of what is now home to the Wild Turkey brand in 1891 Like many distillers, Ripy closed up during Prohibition, but was able to re-open following repeal. 

During the 1940s, the well-aged bourbon was sold to a host of non-producing distillers by Austin Nichols. He was keen to thieving some of the great bourbon he found in the warehouses and bringing along samples on turkey hunting excursions. His hunting partners enjoyed his picks and were soon requesting more of that “wild turkey bourbon”. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Tasting 

The finished product is displayed in the revamped Wild Turkey 101 bottle, featuring the embossed turkey along with an 8-year age statement. To find an 8-year age statement on a traditional bottle of Wild Turkey, you’d have to return to 1992.

The mash bill of the bourbons from Wild Turkey hasn't changed since their introduction - 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. The barrels used have been charred to a no. 4 char level. 

Eye: Dark amber with a web of legs displayed in the Glencarin glass. 

Nose: Luscious with notes of vanilla, caramel, gentle baking spices and oak. This is a nose full of angle-share laden rickhouse.

Palate: Sweet vanilla, caramel, oak and spice all well-balanced. 

Finish: Long, with vanilla and spice, leading to dry, charred oak. This was initially sweet, leading later to the drier note.

Overall: I truly enjoyed this bourbon and its 8-year age statement. Is it wildly different from the traditional Wild Turkey 101 (which is a blend of 6-8 year bourbons)? With the full aging of all the barrels used in the batch, the flavors were fuller and truly felt a little sweeter than traditional 101. 

MSRP is $45. As with others, such as Old Grand Dad 7-Year and Old Fitzgerald 7-Year, I’m hoping the trend of age statements will continue to return. The question of value remains … At $20 more than traditional Wild Turkey 101, is it worth it? I’d say yes. Though it’s approaching that of Russell’s Reserve and some other fine ones, like Knob Creek. Overall, though, this sip does not disappoint.