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Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit

Wild Turkey 101 Single Barrel # 73

2 586

@VictorReview by @Victor

29th Oct 2013

0

  • Nose
    23
  • Taste
    21
  • Finish
    20
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    86

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Wild Turkey's Kentucky Spirit is the Single Barrel version of its 101 proof/50.5% ABV bourbon. The reviewed bottle from barrel # 73 was bottled on April 16, 2009. The reviewed bottle has been open for 3 years and is 95% full, and preserved with inert gas for the previous year

Nose: mellow deep sweet maple, natural caramel, rye baking spices of cinnamon/cassia, nutmeg, and cloves, floral perfume of roses and carnations. This is a very aesthetically pleasing nose

Taste: the palate flavours are in this case not as robust as are the flavours in the nose. This particular barrel is pleasant but lacks punch and "oomph". This is quite decent, but rather understated, and that is the reason this bottle sat 95% full for three years in my cabinet. A typical bottle of vatted standard Wild Turkey 101 has more pizzazz than does this single barrel # 73 product

Finish: a very decent, but somewhat lacklustre continuation of an OK palate

Balance: this is the 50.5% ABV Bourbon analogue to the mildest Speyside malt you have ever encountered. I was profoundly disappointed when I first opened this bottle, because it showed me nothing new or exciting from Wild Turkey, which is a distillery which I otherwise like quite a lot. This whiskey is nicely balanced, for sure, but there just isn't enough excitement here to want to drink this often. 50.5% ABV bourbon should not be a shrinking violet. This barrel # 73 is. I have to think that other Single Barrels of Wild Turkey, aka Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, are more potent than this one is

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5 comments

@CanadianNinja
CanadianNinja commented

I appreciate this review Victor. I've considered picking this one up a couple of times, but after reading this I'm more inclined to sample a glass before I do...

With regard to Wild Turkey however, I'm very impressed with my bottle of Russell's Reserve Single Barrel which I opened a couple weeks ago. A very nice bourbon it has proven to be indeed.

10 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@CanadianNinja, yes I would take a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed any day over this particular bottle of Kentucky Spirit. The Russell's Reserve Bourbons and Ryes are also both very nice. And Wild Turkey 101 Rye (if they ever release any more of it) is my favourite "everyday" rye.

10 years ago 1Who liked this?

Lifewaterforce commented

Was intrigued to try this but, i think my next purchase is going to be their standard rye 101, as you said, the Rare Breed, although i've tasted many bourbons since, still ranks in my top 5. At the time it cost me just under 30 bucks when i visited a friend in the states, crazy value! I thought it was discontinued but apparently you can still get it, anyone know if it's still good or "as good"?

10 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@Lifewaterforce, yes, Rare Breed remains great value for money. I haven't sampled a recent bottle of it to comment on it further.

10 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Lifewaterforce I reviewed my first bottle of Rare Breed somewhere on Connosr, and I’ve bought two more bottles since then. Each has been as good as the last and the variations have been minimal.

@Victor thanks for the review. In my limited experience, Single Barrel offerings are a “luck of the draw” ordeal. Except perhaps Four Roses Single Barrel, which always seems to be terrific.

5 years ago 0

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