![]() Wild Turkey Rare breed was the second barrel proof bourbon on the modern market and first introduced by Jimmy Russell in 1991 in response to his friend and fellow Master Distiller Booker Noe releasing his barrel proof bourbon, Bookers. ![]() I had heard of the brand before this encounter (probably picked up from a book or my endless reading on the internet) but I had never seen a bottle and for around €30 who was I to say no? That bottle was both my introduction to and the whiskey that converted me to bourbon, and it has remained my favourite bourbon of all time ever since. Looking back was a bottle of 101 proof bourbon with a retro depiction of a turkey on the label and a proud 8 year old age statement. As I scanned the minimal selection of standard bottles such as Famous Grouse, Teachers, and Vat 69, a very dusty bottle that was pushed to the far edge of the bottom shelf caught my eye. On that particular day I was looking for an excuse to get out of the rain and so was scoping out any unusual Scottish blends and malts that were available from a run-of-the-mill supermarket in the town I was living in. At this point I had transitioned from being a Jack and Coke guy in college to appreciating the Scotch whiskies my father and grandfather drank, and had even visited Edinburgh with my then-girlfriend (now wife) to explore Scottish whisky further. It was 2013 and at the time I had just finished working as a bar man in a restaurant that had closed down, was looking for a job, and on the side was teaching myself about whiskies from around the world to up-skill my bar knowledge. I still remember the day I bought my first bottle of Wild Turkey. Since then the brand has seen continued growth internationally and to date has 11 permanent releases and several annual and once off releases of both their bourbon and rye whiskey including their very popular 81 and 101 proof variants of bourbon and rye, their American Honey Liqueur, the newly introduced Longbranch bourbon, Russell’s Reserve Bourbon and rye, Kentucky Spirit bourbon, and Master’s Keep series.īefore I get into this review I wanted to get into my personal history with Wild Turkey a little so you guys understand why I’m such a big fan of their whiskey. After several more decades of ownership changes, distillery name changes, a bourbon glut, and Jimmy’s son Eddie joining the distillery and progressing through the ranks, in 2011 the new Wild Turkey Distillery began operations on Wild Turkey Hill. In 1967 Jimmy was promoted to Master Distiller at the then J.T.S Brown and sons Distillery, so when the distillery was purchased by Austin Nicholls in 1972 he became the first Master Distiller of Wild Turkey bourbon. (later becoming the J.T.S Brown and sons Distillery) was the sole producer of bourbon for the brand and in the same year hired future bourbon rockstar James ‘Jimmy’ Russell as a still room worker. Since 1954 the Anderson County Distilling Co. (which later became the J.T.S Brown and sons Distillery). as their in-house brand and Wild Turkey came from many distilleries over the years including the Ripy Brother’s Distillery (via Schenley Distillers), and the Anderson County Distilling Co. Originally the whiskey was sourced and sold by the Austin Nicholls Co. The following year they asked him to bring some more of ‘that wild turkey whiskey’ and the brand was born. According to Wild Turkey, the brand was so named after then-Austin Nicholls president Thomas McCarthy took some friends out on a turkey hunt and brought with him some sourced 101 proof 8 year old bourbon. Coming from a long history of distillation pedigree that began with Irish immigrant brothers James and John Ripy, the Wild Turkey brand wasn’t introduced until 1942 and has followed the same recipe since 1869. Sitting atop Wild Turkey Hill in Lawrenceburg, KY, the Wild Turkey Distillery produces one of the most iconic bourbon whiskey brands ever made.
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