Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Bourbon

I've gotten in to Wild Turkey products recently, particularly the 101, Rare Breed, and Russell's 10 and Russell's SiB bourbon offerings which are pretty great across the board. Some of these offerings are among my favorites in entire categories, like best budget drinker (101), best single barrel (Russell's SiB) and best priced barrel proof (Rare Breed). All are easily obtainable. And then there is Kentucky Spirit, which is something of an odd . . turkey. It predates almost all of these offerings except for the 101. It was released about 10 years after Blanton's and believe is only the second single barrel broadly released to the market. It's also apparently on the upper end of age (~8 years per barrel) as opposed to the 6-8 year barrels comprising 101. It's bottled at the same 101 proof as good old WT 101. So I started to get fascinated by this bottle because the 101 is so good to start with, and this is an older single barrel variant? Sounds really great! My bottle is not a store pick, just regular. On the nose it is heavy caramel and vanilla, plus a little oak spice. I don't get a lot of cinnamon or cherry like I do on other turkeys. On the palate, similar notes of caramel and vanilla and spice continue, and there is an uptick of oak spice on the finish. It's nice and better put together than Wild Turkey 101, but honestly I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between this, WT 101 or a watered down Rare Breed. The profile is not similar to Russell's SiB or Russell's 10, both of which have much stronger cinnamon, orange and maple honey. And therein lies the problem. The whisky world and most importantly other superior Wild Turkey offerings have largely eclipsed this bottle. WT 101 may be superior to certain single barrel offerings of Kentucky Spirit, and you can get WT 101 for as low as $18. Kentucky Spirit is $65. $65! Over 3 times as much! Are you kidding? Rare Breed is also much more impressive, consistent and much stronger at 116 proof, and it's only $45. Russell's SiB is $55, so $10 less, 110 proof and infinitely better in my opinion. And a Russell's SiB store pick is the same price, which is a joke because those are some of the best bottles in bourbon. I can't justify paying anywhere close to this for Kentucky Spirit, and it's not because it's bad. It's because all the other prime Turkeys are better and cheaper! Kentucky Spirit has outlived its usefulness and its time to address the issue. There are a bunch of options that would be exciting for consumers (pick some or all): - Give an 8, 10 or even 12 year age statement. - Don't chill filter it. - Offer it at true barrel proof - Lower the price to $35 so it slots between Russell's 10 and Rare Breed. Any or all of these moves would justify the current price and offer something different to the consumer other than a single barrel. Ordinarily I don't let price and value affect a review so much, but the price and value discrepancy here are so glaring it becomes the whole story. Hopefully they make an adjustment because I think any of these changes would make this a great bottle and add something big to the portfolio. For now, it's just not special enough to warrant the huge increase over WT 101.

Definitely has a fuller nose than regular ol' WT101. I get nice spice and hints of citrus and sweetness. The palate is sweet with that familiar taste of caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon. It has that really nice Wild Turkey rye bourbon flavor with notes of leather and oak. The finish includes a nice brown sugar and cinnamon aftertaste. Its deeper, more flavorful, and more balanced than WT101. Definitely a step up in flavor and in tasting experience. Drink it neat or on ice. If you're a Wild Turkey fan looking for a bourbon for mixing cocktails, stick with WT101 and save this for a special occasion.

COVID has caused a great deal of disruption in so many areas of our lives. This barrel came our way as the result of a local restaurant’s closure. Coming in at just over 10 years old. The nose is very fruity, as it reminds me of a ripe pear poached with fall spices, like nutmeg. It is warm, spicy with toasty oak flavors, with a lovely, hint of pepper finish. I like it! ~ Chris

This is delicious bourbon. Almost no initial bite, buttery feel in the mouth but sweet into some heat and hug. Really good stuff. Close to Russel reserve single barrell