This bottling of Wild Turkey has been aged for at least six years before coming out of the barrel at 109 proof. The whiskey is only diluted slightly before bottling at 101 proof with plenty of pep.
The nose is quite subdued, yet there remains a beautiful toffeyed sweetness. Notes of toasty oak and melted vanilla ice cream, a touch of zesty citrus and butterscotch. The palate is full and rich with notes of cigar box sweetness, pepper, caramel, or ‘carmel’ should I say? Notes of honey on granary toast with a little melted butter. The finish is long and rich with spice and toast notes.
This is just fine for a bourbon under $30 ($27 at my BevMo). It's smooth, a bit sweet (though not saccharine like some under 30 picks), and easy to drink despite its proof (50.5%) but the taste is a little underwhelming. There's nothing offensive about 101, but I also can't find anything distinctive about it to recommend. Probably a great introductory bet for someone who says they don't like the taste/harshness of bourbon as it has a subdued flavor and practically no aftertaste or bite. A good budget choice for easy-drinking (though it will sneak up on you with that alcohol level!), but perhaps not something you'd recommend to a connoisseur. At the price point it's a good bargain, but it does lack a range of flavor. Don't drink this with ice as the complexity and flavor of 101 is already so subtle that you'll end up drinking bourbon flavored water. Pour it room temperature.
This is the only Bourbon I drink. OK, that's not quite true...I'll drink other bourbons; but only if WT101° is unavailable. For me there is nothing better.
Very good bourbon. It's a balanced bourbon that holds up to just about anything and can handle a few drops of water, which brings out a little more pepper while diminishing the alcohol kick a little bit. Excellent trade-off.
5 Stars for value and no-nonsense. My first bottle so far and this is definitely gonna be my staple bourbon - For me its comparable to bulleit (presumably due to high rye) but theres something a little more special here... On the palate you are immediately slammed with the high-proof kick however, it's well rounded and I hardly notice ethanol taste over the rye spice - it's quite well composed, warming and perfectly sippable neat! Following this kick there's a slow descent to sweetness, which develops a gorgeous mouthwatering tingly spice accompanied by aromas of almost funky ripe banana and tutti-frutti... Very pleased with this one!
It's all you need ; a fine bourbon w/o the dainty price tag
