Wild Turkey Master's Keep Cornerstone Rye

The long black pepper finish is one of the most unique things I’ve had in a rye in a bit.

Neat. Quite the nose. It’s lighter and brighter than I expected. Honey and apples are the first things I get. Little citrus even. Rye spice and slight hint of oak. Lots of vanilla. Hint of marshmallow. No dill, no black licorice. As I hang out with it, the notes do balance out and get darker. Nice creamy mouth feel and palate is overwhelmed with flavor. Powdered sugar, apple, cinnamon blasts on the tongue. The swallow brings marshmallow, vanilla and rye spice. The vanilla and rye spice remain on the legs with a little resurgence of the apple and citrus. These flavors linger in such a satisfying way. This whiskey is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Every sip thus far has given me pause and overwhelmed me with great flavor. Bravo on this one.

Happy that I finally found and purchased a bottle of this exquisite whiskey, and at MSRP. Phenomenal nose of bold baking spices, vanilla, pepper, oak and of course rye. On the palate, the above mentioned explodes in your mouth. All notes are in balance and in rich, viscous harmony with an incredibly long finish. This is a fantastic whiskey to be enjoyed and savored everyday. After all, we should celebrate each day. Cheers!

Just picked this up. I have been anticipating it’s release for several months. When I saw it on the shelf today I started shaking. I haven’t felt this way since the time I first laid eyes on Pappy Rye or the time I found out the Mcribb was coming back! Don’t judge. I’m going to eat a box of saltines to clean my pallet followed by an hour of meditation before I put on my finest drinking jacket, turn on George Thurgood’s “ I drink alone”, and engage in this affair called Cornerstone Rye. Wish me well y’all.

Oh man. The vanilla and spices come across to me as almost like a little bit of cake or like a very classy honey bun. That pepper still comes through and lends itself into the other spices. I didn't get the apple notes until I let it sit out a little more. For the higher proof it drinks amazingly easy as well. The extra age in the barrel does show in the oak flavors. I might try to find another bottle to have on hand after this one.

It's in the same class as THH. Like THH, it's a "barely legal" rye, but the WT has a much sweeter profile. Took a good 15 minutes to open up. Nose is very pleasant, but nothing exceptional. The mouthfeel and finish are top of the heap. Has a dry cocoa/ chocolate/oaky thing going on and it's balance is spot on. Delicious and one of the best ryes available.

N - Dark brown sugar, slight hint of spice P - Apple, baking spice, mellow and sweet F - Smooth and sweet, easy to drink neat. The Apple finish is definitely there. It’s quite good, probably my top 3 rye but doesn’t hold a candle to Booker’s Rye in my opinion. Worth the shot if you can try it

Picked up a bottle of this in Amarillo on our way home from vacation in Colorado. I'm more a fan of KY-style ryes than the MGP 95% (can't stand that MGP dill flavor), with RR SiB and WFE 4-year being two of my favorites. I've also been a big fan of the last couple of Master's Keep releases, so when this Cornerstone Rye was announced I knew it was something I wanted to try. Nose - baked apples, oak, leather, a hint of butterscotch, and some of that earthy WT funk. Greener notes of rye spice are lurking underneath, but they're subtle. No noticeable heat/ethanol on the nose. Palate - Rich mouthfeel with toffee and baking spices up front, then it transitions into mint, buttered rye toast, and some faint pepper and oak on the long finish. The rye flavors are stronger that I would have expected given the nose. All in all I'd say it's an excellent rye. It has bolder rye flavors than I expected from a "barely legal" rye, and plenty of depth and complexity from the extra aging. It's hands-down better than the standard RR SiB rye IMHO. Whether it's worth 3x the price is a slightly tougher call. The $129 price point of previous MK releases would have been more appropriate to me, but I guess it's just the reality of the current market that prices keep escalating. Bottom line, if you're a fan of rich, well-aged ryes, or just older/premium WT expressions in general, this should be right up your alley.