Wild Turkey Rare Breed Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey 70 cl, 58.4% ABV - Barrel Proof Bourbon

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Ask any random group of whiskey enthusiasts which barrel-proof bourbon is their favorite and you’re bound to hear Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Impressive, considering popular names like Booker’s, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and Stagg Jr. It wasn’t always this way. Sure, Wild Turkey has long held its devoted fans and supporters, but a bulk of the bourbon-crazed population has only recently opened their minds (and wallets) to Lawrenceburg’s Finest. This is largely due to the attention granted by a new wave of next-generation whiskey YouTubers, podcasters, and social media influencers. I hesitate to say bloggers, as blogging almost seems like a dying art in the modern-day bourbon-sphere. Save for a small few, most of the whiskey bloggers I “grew up with” are gone. At least, they’re no longer writing about whiskey regularly. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise.

Finish: long, warm & flavorful – vanilla bean, apple-cinnamon, fruit-infused maple syrup, oak char, blood orange, singed lemon peel, hints of sassafras & leather Please just write on the label about that (hazy or cloudy if chilled or served with ice) and let us have only the water as the alteration of whiskey. Overall: This 2021 bottling is everything Rare Breed should be – not a note more or less. In fact, this may be the best nose on any Rare Breed since the 2017 label transition. It’s loaded with dark toffee, brown sugar, baked fruit, sweet & savory spice, and the perfect degree of maple-esque oak char. It sips well under proof (dangerously so). Hell, it almost warrants availability as liter and 1.75 liter bottles. Wait – did I say “almost?” Forget that! I’ll clarify: We need Rare Breed in liter and 1.75 liter bottles. There. Much better. The distillery went through many overhauls, but none were as significant as the complete rebuilding of the facility that finally ended in 2011. This would forever alter the taste of their products. It’s not like I don’t like dusties either. My preference seems to lean towards the ones made by National Distillers during the same time periods as dusty Turkey. I’ve also fallen in love with a lot of the old bourbon made at Bernheim.

This bottle of Rare Breed is almost the perfect bourbon. It is complex and powerful enough for the most discriminating palates out there and the oakiness never goes overboard. Annihilate me in the comments if you think differently. Now the only thing that’s left is to see if I like it or not. Bottoms up! I sampled this neat in a glencairn. Tasting Notes Wild Turkey Rare Breed (2021) – 116.8-proof KSBW – reportedly a blend of six-, eight-, and twelve-year, barrel-proof bourbon – distilled and bottled by the Wild Turkey Distilling Co., Lawrenceburg, KY No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service.

Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. Just think of all that whiskey WT distills and ages and someone really thinks it must be filtered , an amazing amount of work for a result I could do without.. Taste: ( velvety mouthfeel) caramel/candy apple, honey, dark citrusy spice, brown sugar, creamy nougat & milk chocolate, faintly sweet herbs & tobacco Nose: English toffee, vanilla bean, brown sugar, charred oak, ripe orange peel, nutmeg, baked apples & cinnamon, hints of woody-herbal spice Finish: long & comfortably warm ( “signature Rare Breed”) – salted caramel, pepper, maple chews, spicy oak, sassafras, leather, faint cinnamon & clove

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The NCF versus CF debate has raged for decades now. Unfortunately/fortunately I’m not a scientist. I can’t offer any hard facts or peer-reviewed studies. All I can give you is my opinion. The bottom line is this – any process that affects whiskey cosmetically is changing something. In other words, the whiskey dumped from the barrel has been altered, even if slightly. That’s a fact. Of course, this happens via dilution all the time. But we as consumers know by disclosure and accept that prior to purchasing an expression. We expect water to change the flavor and understand a flavor profile goes hand in hand. Palate: Once again, I’m surprised to find a good amount of herbal notes within. Not that it’s weird for rye whiskey to have herbal notes, but I was expecting more caramel and vanilla due to the high corn content of the mash bill. I promised myself that if I couldn’t find love at the bottom of this bottle, then I would call it quits with Dusty Turkey forever. The stats on W-T-01-99 Nose: Initial note of deep dark chocolate fudge. Concentrated caramel-y oak, root beer, butterscotch. The sweet notes are balanced by a robust dry oakiness.

Rare Breed was first released in 1991. Since then, there have been over 11 batches released , sometimes releasing the same batch in installments spanning multiple years. The batches were once denoted by a batch number, but more recently only by a unique proof. That way, distilleries don’t have to employ former NASA engineers and could cut costs by hiring the same engineers that designed the Ford 6.0L diesel. The third method may be that Wild Turkey combines multiple barrels together into one barrel after maturation is complete. Then they test the total proof and add water into the barrel as needed to lower it down to 112.2. Yet, it haunts me. Is there a difference – even if slight – between 2020 and 2021 Rare Breed? There’s only one way to know for certain and that requires a side-by-side tasting. But, before I get to that (don’t worry, it’s coming), perhaps it’s best I share my impression of 2021’s Rare Breed 116.8 on its own. By now, many of you have seen photos of NCF Rare Breed 116.8 on social media. This Wild Turkey travel-retail exclusive has made its way to online retailers, most notably Must Have Malts, and surely secondary whiskey markets as well. But the question remains – is NCF Rare Breed worth the chase? I hope to answer question that today.

Have you had the Wild Turkey Rare Breed? If so add your own thoughts in the comments below. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Review Does it get better than this? Of course. There are many notable Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel private selections that outperform this 2020 Rare Breed. But then, that’s not what Rare Breed is about – never has been. Rare Breed is a showcase of Wild Turkey’s boldness – Jimmy Russell’s masterful blend of distinctive bourbon flavor profiles. It’s that simple. And judging by the taste of today’s iteration, Eddie Russelll has mastered it himself. If you love vintage liqueurs and bourbon, then this one's for you. Wild Turkey Liqueur from the 1980s, made from a base of the delicious bourbon and then sweetened, along with some added spice and everything nice.