Picked by: It’s Bourbon Night “Wish You Were Here”.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 10 minutes.
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery Company.
Proof: 101. Chill filtered.
Age: 9 years, 110 days. Warehouse A Camp Nelson, Floor 6, Rick 2. Barrel #22-0315. Bottled on 8-22-2022.
Mash bill: 75% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 12% Malted Barley.
Price: $79.00.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
Standing out front and center is rich toffee, sweet butterscotch, and chocolate. Second in line are herbal flavors of green tea and dill mixed with vanilla, baked apple, apricot, raisins, lemon citrus, and pecans. Soft cinnamon spice hangs below the surface with a good balance of oak.
Palate
With a creamy medium mouthfeel, the nose transfers to the palate with rich toffee, a dash of chocolate, green tea and dill, vanilla, apple, apricot, lemon brightness, pecans, and delicious oak. The moderate amount of cinnamon spice that enters the sip is pleasant and very well balanced, focusing mainly on the mid palate. I’m impressed with how much flavor this has for a 101 proof bourbon. It’s dangerously drinkable with a lot of delicious rich caramel and oak with a noticeable amount of green tea.
Finish
Delicate cinnamon spice lingers while chocolate comes back around with dill, apple, vanilla, and pecans. Meanwhile, subtle tannins of tobacco show up for a medium-long finish.
Conclusion
This Kentucky Spirit pick exceeded my expectations in terms of its flavor profile and intensity. While not super complex, it’s a very delicious caramel bomb with some flavors I didn’t expect. Namely the chocolate, lemon brightness, and a very good amount of tasty oak. It’s super enjoyable and delivers a lot of flavor.
Now that I’ve established how much I liked this bottle and why, let’s address the elephant in the room. That is the price disparities between Kentucky Spirit versus Wild Turkey 101 and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel. Given the choice I would choose this Kentucky Spirit pick over Wild Turkey 101. But do I think Kentucky Spirit is around $49 better than Wild Turkey 101? Ah, I can hear that elephant now! The answer to that question is more complicated. To quote Wild Turkey blogger Rare Bird 101, “Kentucky Spirit’s price is only askew when comparing it to other Wild Turkey expressions. In comparison to competing brands, such as Blanton’s, Kentucky Spirit seems far more reasonable”. Besides Blanton’s as an example, I can think of others. Lastly, the difference in price between Kentucky Spirit (private selection or otherwise) and Wild Turkey 101 will not necessarily be as much as what I paid.
To me, the bigger question is, why does Kentucky Spirit commonly cost more than Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel? Well, it shouldn’t. While prices vary on original and private selections of Kentucky Spirit and Russell’s Reserve, the result is the same in comparison. For a deep dive into this topic and more, check out Rare Bird 101’s Kentucky Spirit reviews here.and here..
I can’t speak for other private Kentucky Spirit picks, but this one was worth the price of admission. I admit I was dubious about why I should buy Kentucky Spirit in the first place since I already have two very good Russell’s Reserve private single barrel picks. What I found is Kentucky Spirit scratches an itch that I didn’t know I had. That may be a good enough reason why Wild Turkey keeps Kentucky Spirit in their lineup.
Rating: 6.7/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
