Brian’s Wild Turkey 101 Review
written on 06-December-2019
WILD TURKEY 101 REVIEW:
Wild Turkey 101 is likely one of everyone’s first bourbons and is a good gateway bourbon due to its low cost. It is not going to WOW anyone, not with aromas, taste or finish, but it is readily available and I’m sure is a standby for many a penny pinching soul. That said, there are many other better bourbons for just a few dollars more if one just “sips” around.
WILD TURKEY 101 VITAL STATS:
Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Wild Turkey / Austin, Nichols Distilling Co
Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel entry proof: 114
Age: nas (said to be a blend of 6, 7 & 8 year bourbons)
ABV: 50.5% (101 Proof)
Price: $23.95 USD in Idaho
https://wildturkeybourbon.com/
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
For the evaluation, I shared the juice neat from whiskey glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
NOSE:
Wild Turkey 101 greets the nose with pleasant bourbon aromas and has a dry, dusty grain component. As the dram is drawn down, fresh citrus along with powdered ginger and white pepper can be coaxed from the juice. Any sweetness comes in as a hint of vanilla, simple syrup and faint caramel. Prolonged nosing can reveal a fresh light oak aroma, but it fades in and out. This is a simple and gentle pour even though it is 101 proof.
PALATE:
The initial sips of Wild Turkey 101 are watery, not in feel but in flavor. Like on the nose it is dry and the initial bite quickly fades to warm dusty grain. There is a dark but indiscernable fruit leather aftertaste; maybe of dates or stale raisins; there is just not enough flavor there to discern. The spices come in as black pepper and rye and as on the nose, the sweet is simple syrup and warm caramel. This is a gentle bourbon with only a faint leather aftertaste, a few hazelnuts and a hazy seasoned old oak barrel flavor to entertain the mouth.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Wild Turkey 101 is well blended but plain. In the mouth it is creamy and when swished, chewed and violently worked in the mouth with the tongue it can be sinus clearing, but otherwise it is a gentle sip. In the glass, a nice evenly spaced inverted crown forms then gives up thin clinging legs to drop back into the russet colored pool.
FINISH:
As each swallow is downed, the warmth lingers, and the flavors quickly fade away. What remains in the medium finish is pepper, a little dusty grain, leather, seasoned old oak and the sensation of fresh citrus. The empty glass has faint aromas of charred oak barrels but even those fade quickly.
MY RATING: 84/100
Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
But it won’t be a must have in the bunker.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 84/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Wild Turkey.
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