Wild Turkey Master's Keep Bottled in Bond 17 Year

I've held off writing this review for a couple reasons. I wanted to save something special for my 200th review. When I first tasted this, I had one of those clarifying moments of perfection you get with few spirits. It is one of the most complex spirits I've tried, and to do it justice in a review, I needed to put in the time and really get to know this dram, and that meant several pours and letting it open up; both in the bottle and in the glass. I've had this bottle open for about a month now. I've had 6-7 pours of this and it's down past the neck and the "Wild Turkey" embossment. Does it live up to the hype? Mary, mother of God, yes. Yes it does. Before going any further, know that this won't be for everyone. This isn't 101, Rare Breed, or even a funky adventure of a RR store pick. This is something else entirely. On the nose, yes, there's a lot of cherry. I find the longer the bottle is open, and if you let the dram sit in the glass for about an hour before drinking, the cherry diminishes and allows a panoply of other flavors to emerge. So far, drams have revealed cinnamon, spearmint, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, graham cracker, black tea, cola, Grenadine, baking chocolate, sweet oak, and old leather books ala an old university library. This is far from a one and done bourbon nose. It was only after several hours over many tastings did I manage to parse out those notes. It may be the most complex nose I've come across on any whiskey. This enters on your palate remarkably soft. After 17 years and at 50% ABV I was expecting oak with a side of oak. While there is certainly an oak presence, it's expertly mingled with notes of caramel, vanilla, baking spices, root beer, clove, and less barrel tannins than you'd expect. It's less full-bodied than RR SiB, but instead it has a sweet and sour quality. Some call this "umami", others call it the "Camp Nelson prickle", after the warehouse where it was aged. Either way, it's a note I only get in old whiskies, and it's difficult to describe. It has to be experienced. The finish is very, very long; lasting several minutes. Gentle, warming, slightly numbing, and it fades away slowly, much like a great jam on a classic 70's rock record. At the very faded end there's a whisp of smoky spearmint to tie together this amazing and complex enigma of a bourbon. There is nothing like this I've tried or will likely come across anytime soon. It is bourbon elevated to another level, singularly sublime and beguiling in its composure and construction. It will not please everyone, but if you like Turkey, and you're looking for something "extra", this is the way to go. Many review's I've seen have complained about the $175 MSRP. Consider this though. The BTAC has a few 17+ year offerings each year that go for considerably more money. So do the extra-aged offerings from Heaven Hill, such as the Parker's Heritage series. Michters 20 year is nigh untouchable. I would say $150-$175 is indeed a fair price. Now that I've got this down past the neck, I've tucked it back away in it's delightful packaging for another 6 month slumber to let it oxidize some more. I suspect it will be even more enchanting after a nap. If you find this, buy on sight without hesitation. A rare bourbon, and further evidence that the fellas at Wild Turkey are true masters of their craft. Cheers!

nose is champagne, baking spices, shoe varnish, citrus, barrel char, caramel, soft leather and warm oak There is a ton going on with it... it doesn’t jump out at me necessarily as particularly inviting, but it is delicious with all the usual suspects you love in well aged whiskey. The palate initially is pretty smokey. Coming at it again - barrel char, bright citrus, and honestly a bit disappointed in the weight of the mouthfeel. It isn’t particularly rich (though the initial blast of smoke may feel coating). While it carries a lot of cherry, it seems muted in flavor, some of the honey-maple turkey a bit, a tad medicinal before turning into a long, dry baking spice finish with a little funk to it that should not be mistaken for Wild Turkey funk. While I notice the oak, it’s better presented in the nose.

Aroma is pleasant with plenty of spice and sweet notes to pair with the oak and biscuity ones, but carries this light medicinal note that I can’t quite get around; Palate is a close duplicate of the aroma but with a bigger hit of that medicinal cherry/cough syrup note which sits evenly with the bigger oak, slight acetone, spice and sweet driven notes; Finish is my favorite aspect with the caramel-toffee-cocoa-butterscotch dark sweets note dragging through the spice and oak.

Deep chocolate and cinnamon notes up front. Some toasted oak on the palate but not overwhelming. Smooth and short finish

What a nose. Sweet cherries and cinnamon. Fantastic, almost worth the price just for that. I was worried about what it might taste like as I saw several reviews that said it was over oaked and bitter. I got neither. This was a cinnamon bomb that got better with every sip. The cherry was there as well and lingers for a long time. This is a solid whiskey. I have the first Master's Keep which was similar but lower proof. This is what I hoped the first would be.