Tastes

Tasted neat. Nose- dried cherries and freah apples, rye, vanilla, carmel and a hint of lemon. Palate-it may sound strange, but it tasted to me like rye, carmel, dried fruit and nuts all covered in chocolate! I kept getting that chocolate hit all through the glass. This is an amazing pour. Pricey, but very, very complex and delicious.

Neat Color—very light, almost golden hay colored Nose—subdued. Carmel, clove, vanilla, oak Palate—very smooth, mild, vanilla crème, baking spices, This score pains me, mostly because there is nothing wrong with this bourbon EXCEPT it’s been cut to 80 proof. I would really like to taste it at 100 proof or some of Lawrenceburg’s other offerings bottled at higher proof. This bottle has no off-flavors, no bitterness, and it’s super smooth, but it’s lacking punch everywhere and costs way too much. I really think this is some good whiskey stock, just leave it at a higher proof and it may warrant the cost.

I rate this a 3.75 because it’s so pleasant and easy sipping. It won’t hit you in the face with flavor nor is it powerful on the nose, but it is delicious and has plenty of complexity for a daily drinker. As a person who normally prefers higher proof bourbons, I was pleasantly surprised with this 90 proof offering, especially for $35. This one is a bit more refined than your average sub $40 bottle. Also, this bourbon really benefits from a glencairn glass as the nose is much more prominent than in a rocks glass. Nose- Candy corn, honey, peach, bready Palate- brown sugar, oak, peoper, peach, clove, nutmeg, peanut brittle, Incredibly smooth, no heat.

Nose— sweet, soft, crème brûlée, dried fruits, toasted oak, butterscotch, vanilla Palate— oak, baking spices, warm, sweet, With small cube really brings out the dried fruit & vanilla components in the nose and the vanilla & baking spices in the palate. Maybe the beat descriptors for this bourbon are soft, sweet and warm. Lots of baking spices, vanilla and butterscotch with some hints of dried fruit, oak other sweet and apicy flavors. Very nice pour.

Nose—vanilla, oak, alcohol, cherries, caramel, Palate—cherry, vanilla, oak, spice, caramel This pour really shocked me. I love Rare Breed but strangely I have not tried Wild Turkey 101 until now. Like Rare Breed this one sort of hits in my flavor wheelhouse. It’s not as good as Rare Breed, but at about half the price it’s a ridiculously good bargain. It’s got everything you expect in a bourbon with the vanilla, caramel, oak flavors, so nothing really surprising, but it does it respectably well at a good price. This would be great as a sipper, but you don’t have to feel guilty mixing it because it doesn’t cost a fortune. Impressive.

Neat: Nose: oak, cinnamon, alcohol, spice, vanilla, banana, orange peel Palate: cinnamon, spice, toasted wood, burnt sugar, cloves, Short finish With a cube Nose: more sugar, vanilla, oak, spice, Palate: oak, vanilla, sugar, watered down I am not getting the hype with this one. It’s good, and I enjoy it, but I have been seeing glowing reviews of this online and for $65 it’s not nearly as good in my mind as the Russell Reserve 10 yr single barrell I just tried at the same price. The finish is very short. The flavors are good but it seems to lack clarity. Sort of muddy. I don’t think it’s twice as good as regular Woodford Reserve but it is twice the price.

Neat: Nose: vanilla, warm baking spices, sugar, Carmel, dill Palate: Carmel, oak, vanilla, rich and full, With a cube Nose: dill & herbs come out, sugar, vanilla, Carmel Palate: sweet, Carmel, powdered sugar, vanilla, oak, rich and full still This is a great bourbon. Everything I like is present. The extra proof is what the regular Russell 10 year needed. The big question for me is: is it significantly different and better than Wild Turkey Rare Breed, which comes from the same distillery? I love Rare Breed and it’s quite a bit less expensive than this Russell. I’ll have to taste them side by side to know.

Neat Nose: toasted sugar, Carmel, cherries, honey, vanilla creme, apples Palate: oak, dried cherries, orange peel, Honey, apples, vanilla With a cube Nose: honey, apple, toasted oak, leather, a tiny hint of dill, apple, vanilla Palate: Carmel, honey, burnt Orange, vanilla, dried cherries, orange peel, nice hit of spice, SUPER SMOOTH! I love this pour.

Neat Nose: oak, leather, dried fruit, toasted sugar, nutmeg, honey Palate: sweet, full, rich, honey, vanilla custard, oak, Graham cracker, leather With a cube Nose: dried fruit comes forward, water seems to sweeten the nose with more sugar and nutmeg coming through. Palate: sweeter on the tongue too, honey and burnt sugar seem prominent. Leather and oak still making a presence. Really solid and incredible bang for the buck.

Neat: Nose-vanilla, oak, dried cherries, Carmel, Palate-oak, vanilla, cereal, mint, With 1 cube: Nose-the cube really brings out the sugar, vanilla, oak and Carmel still strong Palate-vanilla, apple, carmel, baking spices, banana. I really enjoyed this pour and for the price it’s hard to beat.