Wild Turkey 13 YO Distiller’s Reserve (Austin Nichols)

BourbonReviewsAmerican WhiskeyWild Turkey

Nov 28

Written By David Levine

Wild Turkey 13YO Distiller's Reserve.JPG

Wild Turkey 13 YO Distiller’s Reserve (Austin Nichols)

KY Straight Bourbon

13 YO

45.5% ABV/91 Proof

Eye: Amber verging on maple syrup. Medium rims and slow droplet legs.

Nose: Cinnamon custard, baking spices, dried plums, hint of maple syrup smokiness.

Palate: Very complex - all at once I get cinnamon grahams, red and stone fruits, maple candy, and artificial grape. Touch of oak dryness and bitterness in the background. Mouthfeel is thinner than I feel it should be and isn’t coating until it hits the back palate. Not too much heat overall.

Finish: Opens a touch more heat and oak tannins.

Overall: Tasty and complex, though the tannins verge on being too strong. For a dusty Turkey the profile is more like a modern Four Roses to me. Delicious either way!

Rating: 7.4

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)