DjangoJohnson
Wild Turkey Rye 101
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
October 1, 2022 (edited October 28, 2022)
Watching the Instragram scroll today, a Wild Turkey advert caught my eye.
Today is 101 day, right? As in 10/1.
It was effective. For a moment, I contemplated heading out to buy a bottle of the 101 bourbon before remembering that I already have a bottle of the 101 Rye opened. And obviously this fits the bill as well.
(Plus the remainder of this month's bourbon budget is earmarked for Maker's BRT01 and BRT02, which have both reached the western region of our state but haven't quite gotten to the eastern shores yet. They'll get here, however, and when they do, that's what I have my money on. So, the 101 bourbon doesn't fit the budget.)
Which is fine. I like the 101 bourbon just fine, but I think I've only ever bought it in the 1.75 L size. Why is that? Well, because it's a budget bourbon you're generally drinking on ice or as a mixer. It's fine on its own, but that's it: fine. I'd likely give it a quarter star less than the 101 rye, and if I have the choice, in that price range, I go for Old Tub. But that can also be simply because I like rye more than I like bourbon.
Now the Rare Breed Rye, at $60, is awesome, and I actually picked up another bottle of that earlier this month when I saw it was back in stock. This is the toned down version of that, the baby brother. Much of the scents and aromas are the same, only a tad bit muted. The nose is rich with rye spice and a hint of mint and eucalyptus. On the palate you get the bergamot with some caramel coming through, and the finish, while not necessarily long like the Rare Breed is still tangy and peppery. At $22.99 on sale, this is a good choice much in the same way the 101 bourbon is a good choice. Not bad for a mixer or on ice and acceptable as a sipper.
Now have at it with the 101 today. Now that I mention it, I know that a lot of you are going to want to.
Wow, is that the shortest review I've written yet? It just might be...
22.99
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Bottle
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@LouisianaLonghorn @DjangoJohnson the single barrel seems harder to find. I used to see it often, and now it’s a rarer sight. Still great VFM, when it can be found
@DjangoJohnson my sympathies. Seemed like when I lived in Texas we could get just about everything. Now that I’m in Louisiana, there’s still quite a bit, but I’m noticing gaps in supply and distribution as well. I like the Russell’s 10 as a solid starter dram, but I really didn’t care for the 6 year rye. I found a big gap between that and the single barrel. Something about the chill filtration and lower proof just hamstrung the 6 year and it ended up disappearing into cocktails.
@LouisianaLonghorn that said my wife’s company may be sending her on a business trip to Tennessee early next year and I may be tagging along. And if that’s the case guess who is stocking up on everything he can’t get here?
@LouisianaLonghorn we don’t get the single barrel in our region. I’m always jealous when I see reviews of it. We get the standard 6, which I haven’t yet tried and the 10 year bourbon which I like a lot. Also we get the 13 bourbon but I haven’t been quick enough to snatch a bottle before that sells out.
Have you tried the Russells Reserve Single Barrel rye yet?