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Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Australasian Edition)
Bourbon — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed
December 11, 2019 (edited August 12, 2022)
Nose: Mild sawdusty-wood notes, vanilla, corn syrup and faint molasses. Some light spiciness (distant peppermint and clove) and a mere trace of coconut. It's a pleasant nose marred only by the ethanol presence being a little sharp. [The dry glass aroma is sawdust and leather].
Palate: Oily and spicy/sweet arrival. The development brings out flashes of rye and oak tannin. In the mid palate a prominent spearmint note comes forward supported by clove oil, nutmeg and cinnamon, reminiscent of the nose. The texture is reasonable.
Finish: Medium. Dry, but not sour, and mildly bitter like dark chocolate. The aftertaste is oaky.
It's a year since I last had this bourbon and there has been little change to the profile, so it appears to be a consistent expression. From my previous notes it seems like if there is any variation this most recent bottle is a trifle spicier than the last one.
The nose can seem a little spirity at first but it improves if you let it stand and develop in the glass for 5 minutes - try it if you don't believe me - it gains body, the oak and leather character becomes more mellow, and it gains some honeyed spiciness.
I've made a new listing for this popular whisky to distinguish the version that is sold in Australasia from the U.S. version, as there are subtle differences and having tasted both I feel that for once the version we get out here is pretty good.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon as sold in the U.S. (and I think in the U.K. and Europe) is 40.5% abv and a rebrand of Wild Turkey 81. However in the Australasian-Pacific region it is 43.4% abv and a rebrand of the old Wild Turkey 8 Year Old. The age statement was dropped a long time ago and now it is a 6-8 year old NAS.
Whatever the name and history, this is arguably the best bottom-shelf bourbon you can buy in our region and if you're on a budget it's good value for money.
"Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)
40.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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@cascode damn shame when there is seemingly no shortage of their stock.
UPDATE: I bought a bottle of Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon recently and I was surprised to see that it is no longer 43.4% abv in our region. The profile had changed as well and, having tasted the standard US bottling of this whisky, I can only assume that this expression has been discontinued and we are now getting the 40.5% abv version that the rest of the world gets. I don't know exactly when this changeover happened, but it's a real pity and I won't be buying this bourbon again - it is very average now and nothing like it used to be.