Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Bourbon

Rich and spicy. Would buy if I stumbled across it again

Big cinnamon flavor, but finishes well

01/07/09 bottling. Nose shows wild turkey rust, spice, pistachio and oatmeal cookie. Mouthfeel is so oily. Flavor is incredible. This finishes so long with rust and spice. If there’s a weak point, it’s the initial entry on the palate, but this doesn’t even matter because it’s explodes on the mid and into the finish.

Bottled 2015. Opened 1-15–2018. After being open for a year the flavor has taken a sharp decline. Hot Cinnamon and dill have taken over and the combination is off-putting. I really enjoyed this last year but Im afraid I’ve let it sit too long. The spice and ethanol ratio is unbalanced and kind of awful.

Kentucky Spirit is essentially a single barrel expression of their fantastic 101 bourbon, although with a bit more age behind it. Had a quick taste of Kentucky Spirit at the LLS, so without a full dram to critique in a Glencairn this taste will be less detailed than I like. Hard to get a nose on this out of a plastic cup but what I could get was traditional Wild Turkey bourbon with extra helping of spice, vanilla caramels, toasted wood back end. A bit more robust and full than 101. On the palate I was immediately hit with a nice sweetness and strong cinnamon spice. I love Wild Turkey products and am used to their signature cinnamon burn, especially in 101 which is a favorite of mine. The Kentucky Spirit really amps up the cinnamon spice though, almost like a spicy cinnamon candy. After that initial wave of strong tingly cinnamon spice, you get a bit deeper vanillas, brown sugars, and caramels than you get in 101, although unmistakably Wild Turkey bourbon at its core. On the back end you retain that nice toasty wood barrel that also makes Turkey bourbon so fine. KS finishes fairly long and you retain the caramel and toasted brown sugars all mixed with more toasted oak. Alright by me! Overall KS is darn tasty Turkey bourbon, but aren't they all! At around $60 for a bottle I honestly think you can do a bit better with the $45 bottle of Rare Breed at higher proof cask strength. Or save even more $ and grab the Russell's Reserve 10 year. It's rich, deep and just as tasty at half the cost of KS, albeit a lower proof and you lose the high cinnamon kick. I'll probably eventually grab a bottle of KS down the road to really pick apart all the nuances but I think with Rare Breed being cheaper and arguably better, it makes for a hard sell on this one. I feel like KS should settle in the $40 to $45 range. Cheers!