Wild Turkey 101 8 Year Bourbon

Wild Turkey 8 Year Old 101, the return of an all time classic. I've tried a lot of Wild Turkey over the years. The basic Wild Turkey 101 is in my opinion easily the best mass produced $20-ish bottle of whiskey available on the market. I like the 101 profile so much that I've tried many Kentucky Spirits, including Camp Nelson bottles, hoping for something that is significantly better than 101. And while those bottles are definitively better than standard 101, often with more pure caramel or maybe more spice given their single barrel profile, they are nowhere near 3 times as good as 101 at about $60 (I see them as high as $80 quite often, so sometimes 4X). Based on my experience with Kentucky Spirit, I didn't expect amazing things from this 8 year old 101 at merely 2X the price of 101 ($42). After all, 101 is supposedly between 6-8 years as stated on the bottle. So this is simply 8 year old 101? Basically a batched Kentucky Spirit? (KS is generally about 8-9 years old and 101 proof). I was in for a big surprise. This 8 Year Old 101 has possibly the perfect profile for my palate. It is significantly deeper, richer and more savory than regular 101. There is dark fruit, intense baking spice (people say it is nutmeg, which may be right), and other dark flavors like toffee. All of these come together throughout the nose, palate and finish to produce what may be my favorite bourbon of the last few years. I know this is blasphemy, but for me, this outdrinks the Wild Turkey 12 year. That one has all of these flavors, but it takes a turn towards a somewhat bitter oak influence from the extra years in barrel. I actually prefer this one, at a quarter of the price (WT 12 can be as much as $200 when you get done re-importing it from Japan). This 101 8 year doesn't seem to be blowing people away, and that is more than fine with me so long as they keep putting this on the shelf. It is also possible that they put all the best barrels into this initial batch to secure the launch and quality will decline in the future, so I'm backing these up. Just a note that the latest internet rumor is that recent 101 has declined in quality - this may be why. All the good stuff is going here. One final note - I see a lot of people saying to pass on this because you can get Rare Breed for $10-15 more. I think that is a bad comparison. First of all, in my market, Rare Breed is almost $20 more. Second, I don't always want something at a higher ABV. And last, I believe Kentucky Spirit is what this should be compared to in terms of ABV and aging, and that is $60 - $80. Your mileage may vary and I don't expect everyone to have my palate. But I want this product to succeed so that it remains out there, because this is a sweet spot bourbon for me.

Best of the 101s I’ve tasted

Compared to the normal 101 this is a ‘fuller’ drink. Its more oak and more cinnamon and cloves than classic 101 and it drinks a bit hotter. 101 is one of my go to pours and with that being said im not sure this is $20 bucks bettter then classic 101. The extra age just turns everything up a notch.

Spice on the nose. Nice combination of caramel, cinnamon, oak, a bit of maple on the palate. Then a nice long spicy oak finish. Another excellent offering from the Russells.

This is an easy drinker at a nice proof point. Not a single rough edge. Classic 101 nose amped up with more cinnamon, spice and red fruit. Nice cinnamon, chocolate, classic bourbon flavors on the palate with a spicy finish. A touch more rye forward. Very nice.

Nose: dried fruit, vanilla, Taste: little spice, sweet, oak, dried fruit

WT101 8 YR *APPEARANCE: Between 1.5 Auburn and 1.6 Mahogany with very slow moving legs. *NOSE: Dry Oak, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Burnt Sugar Cookie, Creme Brûlée. That expected Wild Turkey Barnyard Funk is there, but in a supporting and not starring role. *NEAT: Fall Spices galore. Lead by Clove and followed by Cinnamon, Anise, Nutmeg, and Allspice. Sweet notes of Vanilla and Maple. There is Orange Oil and Peppery Spice followed by a long coating finish featuring Clove and Oak Spice. Nice coating, layering mouthfeel. Big KYHug! This drinks every bit of its 101 proof. *SPLASH: Brings Orange Peel and Cedar to the Nose. The Palate gets a little sweeter. Less Clove, More Cinnamon. This is also great with a large cube of ice. *VERDICT: Very Good. Wish I had the regular 101 to Side by Side. WT has evolved over the last few years into a Clove Bomb and this dials that up to 11.

3.83, rounding up

Savory