Wild Turkey 101 Review
When I decided to really dive into bourbon, the first place I went were books and podcasts. I didn’t want to jump in blindly, I wanted to hear “experts” and industry veterans talk about the products and I would decide from there where to start. For some reason, the few times I’d tried Wild Turkey before, it came off as pure fire to me - way too spicy to drink neat. But Wild Turkey 101 - or WT101 - is pretty universally loved by the bourbon community as a high-quality, go-to everyday bottle.
It took me a little while to appreciate the simple goodness the Russell’s created here - it’s won plenty of awards, and I’m sure they were all deserved, but the real prize here is a low-$20s bourbon with wide appeal that works well neat, in a cocktail, over ice, really however you like it.
Wild Turkey 101: Specs
Classification: American Bourbon
Origin: Wild Turkey Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 101 (50.5% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: N/A
Wild Turkey 101 Price: $20-25 (MSRP)
Wild Turkey 101: Tasting Notes
Eye: Light honey, thin rims and thick legs.
Nose: Grain spice up front, lots of corn. Creme brûlée, sweet vanilla sugar after the first sniff and with a little air.
Palate: Mouthfilling and spicy, drying, too. Spice builds pleasantly sip by sip. Some woodiness creeps up. Not as overpoweringly spicy as I expected, perhaps, just a good balanced oak and cinnamon spice instead. Mouthfeel is oily but drying, not creamy.
Finish: Long, vanilla-forward, and spicy.
Overall: I like this a lot better than lower proof Wild Turkey products, and can see why it’s a go-to for many in the bourbon community. A great entry point for Wild Turkey.
Final Rating: 6.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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