Wild Turkey Master's Keep 1894 Launch with Eddie Russell (Tasted #372)

Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell visited Australia earlier this month to unveil Master’s Keep 1894 – the latest release in its limited edition Master’s Keep series. The visit by Eddie was quite special and coincided with the Masters of Conviction Tour; a series of masterclasses across Sydney and Melbourne to celebrate Wild Turkey and the launch of the 1894. The tour presented Wild Turkey expressions including the Rye, Rare Breed, Kentucky Spirit, the Master’s Keep Decades (a personal favourite) and the 1894.

What we love about Eddie, as the current Wild Turkey's Master Distiller, is how he worked from the ground up, closely partnering with his dad, Jimmy Russell. It's amazing to see Eddie follow in his dad's footsteps to become Wild Turkey's Master Distiller having started as a Relief Operator and subsequently spending many years as Wild Turkey's Associate Master Distiller alongside Jimmy. Eddie and Jimmy certainly make an awesome father and son Bourbon duo.

As Nicole Stanners, Wild Turkey's Bourbon Marketing Director described: "Eddie is of unmatched pedigree in the bourbon industry, with skills that only come from a true expert and knowledge others aspire to learn."

At the launch, Eddie proudly spoke of his Bourbon life and the journey from his first taste of Wild Turkey, having drunk it straight from the barrel, to his time spent with Bookers and Jimmy and through the years of learning, crafting and continuing the Wild Turkey story. Many elements of his bourbon life story have come to influence and shape the details behind each of the Master's Keep releases; the 17yo, the Decades (above) and now, the 1894.

The Master's Keep 17yo is a nice, soft and balanced barrel proof whisky. The long maturation profile of the 17yo meant the whiskey angels have had their fair share, estimated by Eddie to be around 37 gallons (140 litres) of liquid dissipation per barrel (amazing)! This is a share that had been taken from what started as 53 gallons (per standard bourbon barrel volume) to a mere 16 gallons at the time of bottling. Jokingly he referred to the angel as being the ultimate Master Distiller having taken a fair proportion of the bourbon. The long maturation was only possible through the barrel storage method by which the barrels were stored. The barrels were stored in a brick warehouse which stymied temperature variations and ensured cool and steady maturation condition; a stark contrast to maturing barrels in metal clad warehouses.

The Decades was different to the 17yo in that it had been named after the inclusion of what Eddie considered to be the golden maturation age of Bourbon, 10yo. It includes some older barrels, up to 20yo and a large portion of 13-15yo barrels. The Decades was curated by Eddie as tribute to the smooth, balanced and lingering taste profile that he prefers and is starkly different to the bigger, bolder bourbons that are commonly favoured by the wider bourbon community. Personally, the Decades is also a favourite of mine.

As to the newly launched 1894 - it takes its name from the oldest rickhouse (warehouse) at the Wild Turkey Estate which was built in 1894. The warehouse was where Eddie first fell in love with Wild Turkey. It was 36 years ago, on June 5th, 1981, when Eddie started working at the distillery, earning a mere 6.58 cents an hour. Every day, he would clock on, clock off and witness the distillery crews ducking into the warehouse not knowing what they were up to. This was until one day when Eddie decided to join them and found out that they were, in fact, going around and sampling from the different barrels. After which he joined and sampled his first taste of Wild Turkey - the day he fell in love with it all.

Commenting on the release, Eddie said: “From the very first taste at Rickhouse A, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to Bourbon. Master’s Keep 1894 captures that moment, the start of my journey to master distiller and the beginning of years of tradition.”

The 1894 has been released in Australia before it hits the American market following a wise decision after a request was received from Marketing that Australia wanted their own bottles (in fact 10,000 bottles for allocation to Australia).

Wild Turkey Master's Keep 1894 (45% ABV, NAS, Kentucky, USA, A$197.90)
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The 1894 release is a unique small batch release and can be enjoyed as an everyday bourbon or mixed up as the base to an Old Fashioned, Whisky Sours or Manhattan.

Colour: Copper with amber tinge

Nose: The nose plays strongly to spiced cinnamon apple notes, dried currants, liquorice, honey, vanilla, toffee and a slight herbaceous; wild grass undertone.

Palate: More of the herbaceous note followed on the palate and joined by some glorious toffee apple, vanilla, butterscotch notes. There's also a level of spice that lingers.

Finish: Medium, lingering spice that slowly fizzles out with a level of sweetness

Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 91/100.


Cheers,
Hendy

A huge thanks to ElevenPR and Wild Turkey for having us as part of the launch of the 1894 with Eddie Russell.

Russell's Reserve Small Batch Launch with Jimmy and Eddie Russell (Tasted #218-219)

Wild Turkey Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell visited Australia in August to unveil the new Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Small Batch. The visit by the Russells also coincided with Eddie's recent promotion to the role of Wild Turkey's Master Distiller, where he will work closely with Jimmy on the production and to influence upcoming whiskies, especially in the Russell's Reserve line-up. It is amazing to see Eddie follow in Jimmy's footsteps, having worked his way to the top - from being a Relief Operator then spending many years as Wild Turkey's Associate Master Distiller.

This local launch was quite exciting as we saw the new Single Barrel Small Batch release join the existing Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old bourbon, and also the soon to be released Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye expression that was hinted by Eddie during the event. Though a US release only at the moment, we hope it is only a matter of time before we see the rye single barrel expression locally.

The event, held at Sydney's Four Seasons Hotel's Grain Bar, saw Jimmy and Eddie Russell mingle with bourbon lovers and whiskey advocates alike. Jimmy and Eddie were quite ecstatic being in Australia, noting that Australia is an important market to them, being the second biggest market for Wild Turkey outside US. It is always pleasing to hear the importance of the local market from Master Distillers as it can tend to influence future releases locally and also provide insight into the maturity of the local whisk(e)y market. Jimmy also spoke of the interesting change in the consumption of Wild Turkey (and other bourbon) since he started working at the Wild Turkey distillery in 1954 - back then bourbon being much more of a gentleman's drink.

The Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve Single Barrel expression has been curated from around 150 to 200 barrels that have been selected for each small batch. The inherent spice notes that come with all Wild Turkey and Russell's Reserve expressions are present with the Single Barrel and are complemented with creamy vanilla and subtle cherry sweetness notes.

Jimmy and Eddie Russell gathered all of us together halfway through the night to join in on the tasting of the Single Barrel Small Batch and also, a treat of the rather limited Wild Turkey 17 Year Old Master's Keep Bourbon expression, supposedly Jimmy's choice of dram before heading out.

Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Small Batch (55% ABV, NAS, OB, Kentucky, USA, $69.99AUD)

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The Single Barrel Small Batch expression is big, rich and bold and prominently showcases the spice notes along with the sweetness of creamy vanilla and butterscotch. The 55% ABV also provides a nice warming sensation to the overall finish.

Colour: Deep copper (with an amber hue).

Nose: A whiff of peppermint that is followed by rich sweet notes, layers of honey, creamy vanilla, butterscotch and then some cinnamon and clove spices come through.

Palate: The palate is big and spicy, clove spice notes are initially present then followed by the rich sweetness from the nose, the creamy vanilla, caramel and some cherry notes.

Finish: The finish is long and warm, most likely from the high ABV and the big spicy note fizzles out into a lingering sweetness. Big, rich and bold.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100.


.. and then the onto the Wild Turkey 17 Year Old Master's Keep Bourbon.


Wild Turkey 17 Year Old Master's Keep Bourbon (43.4% ABV, 17yo, OB, Kentucky, USA, $199.99AUD)

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Colour: Gold

Nose: The nose is less sweet than the Single Barrel Small Batch. There is cinnamon roll in the glass with a hint of butterscotch and then some peppermint. Star anise spice notes follow.

Palate: The palate presents sweet nougat notes and it is almost chalky - with a slight grainy texture that transforms into black peppery spice.

Finish: Medium finish with a lingering sweetness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 88/100.

Overall, the Single Barrel Small Batch is a great expression, even compared to the 17 Year Old Master's Keep expression. Then again, personally, I do love a rich, big and bold expression. The one thing I am looking forward to is the single barrel rye release here locally. Perhaps then we can line up the single barrel rye against the six year old rye and also with the conventional 10 year old bourbon.

Cheers,
Hendy

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Trish Nicol Agency for the invitation to the launch event with Jimmy and Eddie Russell.

Tasted #94: Wild Turkey Spiced Bourbon

A few months ago Steph attended the launch of Wild Turkey Spiced in Australia, an island themed event held at Campari's HQ in Sydney. I couldn't attend, but Steph brought home a sample which I tried a few days later.

I'll be honest - I went in slightly biased, and didn't think I'd be a big fan of it neat (turns out, I was). Spiced rums are having their moment, as are flavoured whiskies, and this seemed like an attempt to cash in on that, with something that might only be good in cocktails. I can admit when I'm wrong though, and this is one example. Here are my notes:

Wild Turkey Spiced (43% ABV, 4yo (blend of 4 and 6yo Bourbon), Kentucky, USA, $42.99AUD)
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Nose: Nutty! Hazelnuts, toasted chestnuts. Interesting, intriguing.
Palate: Rich and mouthfilling, similar nuttiness to the nose. Spice hits at the back of the throat, but pleasantly, softly. This is turning out to be better than expected.
Finish: Short and nutty, but rich and creamy too. Wow, this has been an enjoyable whisky!
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Fair to say, better than I expected.

As recommended, I also tried it with cola, which produced a creamier, nuttier drink with less vanilla and more chestnut notes than your average bourbon and cola. Probably one of the best Bourbon and colas I've had.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Wild Turkey Spiced launch event (by Steph)

Gruppo Campari, in association with Men at Work Comms launched the new and innovative Wild Turkey Spiced on a steamy Wednesday afternoon last week at Campari HQ in Sydney's St Leonards. The young crowd were introduced to the first "spiced Bourbon" in Australia, and the first-ever spiced Bourbon from what Wild Turkey are calling the “island of Kentucky”, in the office's relaxed Campari bar (complete with blow-up palm trees, sand and an exceptional harbour view).

 

“I wanted to develop a product that brought to life the best of our robust Bourbon, while delivering the smoother taste. Wild Turkey Spiced is a Real Kentucky Bourbon with flavours of Vanilla & Caramel and hints of Clove and Cinnamon” said Eddie Russell, Wild Turkey Master Distiller and Bourbon Hall of Famer (not present at the event).

Did it mix well? Absolutely! Oliver Stuart (“Ollie” - below), National Brand Ambassador at Campari Australia was the maestro behind the bar, mixing the sweet and spicy spirit with Coca Cola (i.e. the “hero” drink), dry, or freshly squeezed apple juice. Alternatively, it was perfect on its own with ice - still clearly a Bourbon, but with a spicier, fuller, sweeter taste.

Jordan Berger, NSW Brand Ambassador at Campari Australia was entertaining as “Jay”, the stranded-on-a-deserted-island surfer who found an indistinguishable bottle of locally-made spirit deep in a cave half buried under a mound of sand. Legend has it it was delicious on its own, amazing when mixed, and much-sought after by the Wild Turkey distillers when introduced to them.

This was the first event hosted by Gruppo Campari and Men at Work Comms that TimeforWhisky had attended, and it was clear that both were out to impress their guests. Delicious (and addictive) mini pies and sausage rolls were served, which went brilliantly with the spiciness of the Bourbon.  Plentiful platters of fruit, cheese and dips kept all guests thoroughly satisfied, not to mention the drinks (unfortunately I left before the Old Fashioneds came out, but I'm told they were very good!)

Wild Turkey Spiced is available nationwide with a recommended retail price of $49.99AUD per 700ml bottle (though on a visit to Dan's today Martin and I saw it for around $40AUD). http://www.facebook.com/wildturkeyau has additional information.

- Steph.