Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon Whiskey

Wild Turkey 101 is one of the most reliably excellent budget bourbons ever made, and its reputation rests on the longest-tenured master distiller in the world: Jimmy Russell, the "Buddha of Bourbon," who joined the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery in 1954 and has spent seven decades refusing to chase trends, now working alongside his son Eddie. The Wild Turkey name itself dates to the 1940s and Austin, Nichols & Co., named after a company executive's annual wild turkey hunt. What makes the flagship distinctive is process: Wild Turkey distills to an unusually low proof and enters the barrel low, so the whiskey comes off the barrel around 109 proof and needs only slight dilution to hit 101 — much closer to barrel strength than most bourbons at this price. Barrels get the heaviest #4 "alligator" char, and the mash bill runs 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley, from a blend of roughly 6-to-8-year barrels. Reviewers consistently describe caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, brown sugar, and orange zest on the nose, giving way to rye spice, cinnamon, and black pepper on a long, warming finish. Breaking Bourbon credits it for never deviating from the tried and true; Bourbon Culture calls it "the real deal" at around $20. Some newer drinkers find the proof and rye bite a bit assertive, but that's the point.

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