Wild Turkey Master's Keep One

Not bad but not great. Maybe was hoping for to much

WTMK One Neat. Glencairn. Rested 15 min. Appearance: Rich amber and honey in color. Coats the glass exceptionally well. Legs are extremely slow to form. Nose: butterscotch, toasted marshmallow, deep red apples, sweet oak. Very sweet and inviting nose with next-to-no ethanol presence. Palate: Werther’s Originals, red delicious apples, dry and sweet oak undertone, a nice cinnamon character throughout and then really punctuates the transition into the finish. Finish: Cinnamon apple cider, dry oak, leather, brown butter, spearmint, black pepper What a treat. It’s cheesy, because it’s on the bottle, but I really can see the tribute to both father and son’s preferences. Sweet, delicate and inviting on the surface, but with many layers of rich character and depth underneath. One that provides a thought provoking experience without being pretentious or too serious. A true delight. 92/100

8Nose- Rich vanilla, butterscotch, and a bit of toasted coconut. It is an incredibly good whiff. Palate- I was surprised that there was little if any WT funky barrel note until towards the end. Being a fan of that funky note I am not sure how I feel about that I get a bit of ginger snap, caramel, and then a cascade of french vanilla and peanut brittle. The mouthfeel is creamy, the back palate is vanilla and caramel bullseye candies. This is good, very good! Finish- finish is medium and ends on a creamy peanut butter and funk WT oak note. This seems to be just the right proof to be a winner with little to no fiddling. Overall- I was hesitant. Everybody is doing "toasted" finishes. I was worried WT was jumping on a bandwagon, throwing it in impressive packaging, and getting gobs of money- masking a product, throwing it at us, and not being a very thoughtful release. Alas, as those who follow me know I am that sucker for WTMK releases. I can't shy away, and my faith in the Russell boys runs deep. I couldnt resist my hopeful side. Wow! This is no gimmick. This is superbly well blended Turkey with a thoughtful finish that added a creamy, nuttiness with a touch of coconut. It takes something delicious and elevates it to a better level. Am I head over heels for it like I was for Russell's 13? No, but this and the 13 are completely different things. To me Russell's 13 was my bourbon of the year until November came, an I had to drop it to #2. This though makes my top 5 and is in impressive company. My Top 5 in 2021- 1. 4RS LE '21 2. Russell's 13 3. OF150 Batch 1 4. WTMK One 5. Thomas Handy '21 PS- Pappy 15 and 23 are never on my list as not enough folks get to try them, but they were very delicious as always. More importantly though, be on the lookout for my sleeper of the year! That is coming up and will generate some discussion. Stay tuned!

Nose: Honey, charred oak, vanilla, a hint of graham cracker, dark chocolate, butterscotch, grape soda. Palate: Toffee, vanilla, charred oak, cherry, butterscotch, cinnamon, caramel, black pepper - long lingering finish.

Thanks Matt Jessy

This is toasted done right IMO. I get the classic 101 notes here with a ramp up of Oakey spice.

NOSE Dried dark fruits, caramel, oak, leather, cinnamon, vanilla, marzipan with bits of chocolate and citrus peels. Good heck, this aroma. It’s rich and moves through the nose like velvet. PALATE Caramel corn, dried apples, oak, dark chocolate, hazelnuts, vanilla, cinnamon and leather with touches of citrus peel. I didn’t think the palate would beat the nose… but dang. I’m loving what’s happening here. FINISH Long -> Oak, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon fade out evenly and sweetly.