BACKGROUND: Rare Breed is a barrel proof offering from Wild Turkey, and the batch I sampled carries a proof of 116.8. Though the label carries no age statement, the distillery has often said it is a blend of six, eight, and twelve-year bourbon. Rare Breed was first offered in 1991, and it is interesting to note that all of Wild Turkey’s various products use the exact same mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. Any differences in taste from one offering within the brand to the next are the result of length of aging, placement in rick house, blending, and other varying factors. Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell has said that Rare Breed is one of two products by the company that he drinks most often - the other is Russell’s Reserve 10-year. Because he likes to drink it cold but prefers to avoid the dilution that results from melted ice, Russell famously keeps his bottle of Rare Breed in his home freezer. NOSE: The nose offers loads of popcorn, caramel, and sweet pipe tobacco, but there is little ethanol sting for a barrel proof bourbon. Unlike a lot of bourbons that require you to concentrate and search for the notes in the nose, the popcorn, caramel, and tobacco are quite obvious and jump out at you. PALATE: The palate offers an abundance of cherry and butterscotch - not caramel or vanilla like may bourbons, but rather a full flavor of butterscotch. A good bit of pepper and some oak offer a firm balance to the sweetness. FINISH: The finish is a long one and just keeps going like the embers of a fire that will not go out. The cherry and pepper on the palate become pepper and mint on the finish. FINAL ASSESSMENT: At roughly $45 dollar and with ample availability in any whiskey retailer you enter, Rare Breed has long been considered a treasure among barrel proof aficionados. After sampling the product, I can understand why. In the future, I would be interested to test how a bit of water would change the profile of this bourbon, or, perhaps, I will just throw the bottle in my freezer and trying drinking it just like ol’ Jimmy Russell does.