Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

Aug 13

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye was one of my most-anticipated releases for 2020. I love the Rare Breed Bourbon (the modern version especially, but the WT-01-99 and 112.8 proof versions are also solid pours). It’s a pour I don’t necessarily drink often, but every time I do I’m reminded how good it is and question why I don’t drink it more.

Then again, Wild Turkey doesn’t have a long or particularly stellar legacy of ryes - Jimmy and Eddie are more bourbon-centric for sure (I mean, you don’t become the Buddha of Bourbon by making rye, right?). The limited release ryes that Wild Turkey has released in recent years have been hit-or-miss for me, though they usually command a few hundred a bottle on secondary. None have been outright bad, just not as good as the bourbon.

This will be the first permanent rye product from Wild Turkey, coming in at barrel proof and non chill filtered all the way. At $60, it’s a bit more than the Rare Breed Bourbon ($40-$45), but well within the range of super-premium ryes on the market if not a little below them. Price isn’t an official part of my scoring system, but I do take it into consideration when comparing product-to-product.

Ultimately, this is a very good rye. Not spectacular, but definitely nothing to scoff at. I think another few tweaks here and there would elevate this a bit more, but as-is you’ll get a great sipper with enough heft to stand out in a cocktail.

I’d call this the quintessential bourbon drinker’s rye. It’s barely legal (51% rye) with a very high corn content (37%), and the corn sweetness comes out at every turn. The Wild Turkey caramel corn is there, as are some of the fruitier flavors found in the bourbon (toned down, of course). As heritage distiller ryes go, this is a great first step from the Russells, and whether or not they make tweaks down the road I’d be happy to have this on my bar right now.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye: Specs

Classification: Rye

Origin: Wild Turkey Distillery

Mashbill: 51% Rye, 37% Corn, 12% Malted Barley

Proof: 112.2 (56.1% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Kentucky

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye Price: $60

Official Website

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Light amber.

Nose: Grainy, not in a bad way. Light nose, smells a little husky, darker than a corn or malt or even a rye. There’s a sorghum quality here, and not knowing what buckwheat distillate should be like I can only imagine this is right.

Palate: Ok - that tastes like buckwheat. Kasha in liquid form with a nice toasted grain profile. Close to a rye in flavor if I had to choose a grain to compare, but less sweet and more full-bodied. Mouthfeel is rich and heavy, settling under the tongue firmly, but also remains lightly coating with a lovely warm, savory spice.

Finish: Medium-length, with the stronger buckwheat notes fading to the toasted grains. A few fruity notes at the end, indeterminate but there.

Overall: The true kasha flavor is most prominent on the palate, and it’s a cool flavor to get. The rest is a good to great bourbon, solid if not overly complex. This show is all about what buckwheat and kasha can be, and SoFL delivers that in spades. Can’t wait to see where this goes.

Final Rating: 6.8

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)