Wild Turkey Longbranch

Spicy, rich, touch heady (likely the corn) but mellows out nicely, earthy, touch of vanilla but not as much as I'd like, nutty, and a hint of floral notes.

Definitely love this one on the first taste. I enjoyed the standard Wild Turkey 101, but found it to be pretty strong with the proof. Everything about this whiskey is cool. the bottle is really unique looking, and high quality. The nose smells like Wild Turkey for sure, but not a ton of uniqueness going on in the nose. The taste is a really well done Kentucky Bourbon, but more mellow. Tasting notes are cinnamon, rye spice, vanilla, and even a little bit of a cream-soda type of sweetness to me. The follow through is pretty spicey and peppery to me, makes it interesting. I found this a little better when adding a bit of water into it, and with whiskey stones. I definitely want to taste this again, and have another Kentucky bourbon to compare it to and see if I can pick out what the mesquite smoking does to it. I think thatches one will for sure grow on me even more.

Nose: Inviting - oak, brown sugar, vanilla. Fruit punch. Touch of char/smoke. Maybe getting some tannin on the nose. Biscuits with butter, pound cake with icing. Citrus oil, baking spices. Dusty books, touch of leather. Palate: Cohesive with the nose, if a little "shuffled" - Oak, sugar, vanilla, and dusty corn. Bananas, apricots, fuyu persimmons. Baked goods take a back seat, though tannin comes forward. Smoke and wood - that mesquite pokes through a little, though not in an unappealing way. Relatively well balanced, though I am missing a little lower palate. Drinks hotter than the proof would suggest, while still enjoyable. Medium light mouthfeel, moderate oil content. Finish: Fruits, oak, vanilla pop up. Tannin bitterness and character show up, as well as some barrel char. Slightly drying, red hots and nutmeg, then caramel apples with peanuts and honeyed cereal grains carry things off to the end. Medium length finish. Other notes: Pleasantly surprised by this one. Unmistakably a product of Wild Turkey and very consistent with their flavor profiles, this has some great character. A solid bourbon, and a great way to branch out (no pun intended) into a slightly different take on the style without getting weird. At times, the more intense wood characteristics remind me of a sherried/frutier speyside - Glenfiddich 15 comes to mind. And while I rarely discuss price, I found this for $20 a bottle, which makes it an easy recommendation, as well as a solid potential re-buy.