The award-winning Wild Turkey Master’s Keep series has introduced Bottled in Bond, a premium 17-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.
The bottling is only the second-ever Wild Turkey bourbon to carry the bottled-in-bond label, an American certification that guarantees the authenticity of the production process and ensures incomparable flavour and consistency.
To carry the bottled-in-bond label, the bourbon must be the product of one single distilling season from one distillery, aged in a U.S.–federally bonded warehouse and artfully bottled at 100 proof.
Eddie Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, said his team took the historic process and protocol of ageing for four years to the next level with their new release.
“We allowed the liquid to rest for 17 years to age and perfected this rare bourbon in the Wild Turkey Camp Nelson rickhouses. This expression is a nod to the past, both of our own heritage and the heritage of American whiskey-making as a craft,” said Eddie Russell.
Wild Turkey’s first-ever Bottled in Bond whiskey was released in 2007 and was the oldest American whiskey entrant in the US market at 15 years of age.
This inspired Wild Turkey to release a bolder flavoured bourbon, which was accomplished by tasting several different batches and landing on an older whiskey that had the distinctive merits of a deeply aged liquid. These taste markers inspired Eddie Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, as he worked on this latest Bottled in Bond release.
The limited release Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond retails at $250.00.
Tasting Notes:
From the hallowed racks of the Camp Nelson warehouse, Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond is a true emblem of the distillery’s unrivalled statement of distinction.
- Aroma: Toasted Oak, Apple and Dark Cherry
- Palate: Sweet confectionery flavours of Vanilla, Brown Sugar and Toffee
- Finish: Dark notes of Mocha, Smoke and Spice
The distillery for Wild Turkey Bourbon is located in Kentucky, situated on a deep limestone shelf on the Kentucky River. The shelf acts as a natural filter and provides the distillery with crystal clear water, vital to making such a high-quality product. Wild Turkey features the legendary father and son Master Distilling team of Jimmy and Eddie Russell, who have nearly 100 years of collective experience working at the Wild Turkey distillery.
The famous Wild Turkey brand name first came about back in 1940 when distillery executive Thomas McCarthey took a few warehouse samples on a Wild Turkey hunting trip with a group of friends. The following year, his friends asked him for “some of that Wild Turkey whiskey” and the brand was born.
Wild Turkey is distilled and put into new oak barrels at a much lower ABV than most bourbons. This results in a much richer flavour, as less is cooked out during the production process. Ageing in the highest quality new American oak barrels with the heaviest char available (the Number 4 “alligator” char), imparts a smooth flavour and deep amber colour to the whiskey.
