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Wild Turkey 101

Hot Turkey

0 682

@valuewhiskyReview by @valuewhisky

15th Oct 2012

0

Wild Turkey 101
  • Nose
    ~
  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
    ~
  • Balance
    ~
  • Overall
    82

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Nose: WT101 has nice aromas coming off the glass: barrel char, oak, corn, hot cinnamon (think hot cinnamon candy, not cinnamon strudel). However, I have always found WT101 difficult to nose because if you inhale too much, it burns your nostrils (though you don't really smell the alcohol - just feel it). And no, I am no newbie to high-strength spirits. I have had many higher-proof spirits that I enjoy nosing.

Palate: Very sweet. All kinds of bourbon sweetness: corn, maple, vanilla, caramel. Wild Turkey brings the heat to balance out its intense sweetness, though! It's very hot/spicy/fiery. Not just rye pepper, not just hot oak, not just high alcohol content. Heat from all of the above, but Wild Turkey goes above and beyond to bring it's own serrano-pepper and hot cinnamon spiciness.

Finish: plenty of sweetness, yet still balanced by the oak and spice. No off notes anywhere.

So, it's a good whiskey. You've got extreme spice and extreme sweetness, but those elements are in balance. There are no off flavors anywhere. The only bad component of this bourbon is the nostril-burning nose. Otherwise, if you want an extreme bourbon and enjoy that really hot cinnamon, then go for it! For me, I enjoy drinking it, but I don't usually reach for it in the cabinet. It's like when it's winter and it's cold and really dry, and you build up static on your body, you don't want to go touch that car door. You KNOW you're going to get shocked. Same with pouring a glass of WT101.

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6 comments

@Benancio
Benancio commented

I can't believe how good this bourbon is for the price, $16 here. I always have a bottle of this in the liquor cabinet and usually one to back it up. I think it gets a bad rap and gets scored lower because of it inexpensive price. I'd give it a solid 87. The 101 rye is even better an 89.

I really like higher proof whiskey and WT 101 is a good balanced whiskey.

12 years ago 0

@GotOak91
GotOak91 commented

This is a good bourbon for the price, $18-20 around here, this was one of the first whiskies that made me want to learn how to taste a whisk(e)y properly. An "82" is a proper result for this bourbon if not an 85. Great review by the way.

12 years ago 0

@Benancio
Benancio commented

@valuewhisky, I'm sorry I forgot to mention an excellent review by the way. I like your callsign, I like it when I find a good whiskey that's also a good value.

12 years ago 0

@valuewhisky
valuewhisky commented

Thanks for the comments, guys. That's what's great about Connosr, you get to see a range of scores. If I were trying to be objective, 85 would probably be fair. But I don't try, and I don't like it that much.

12 years ago 0

@YakLord
YakLord commented

@valuewhisky - have you tried the WT 81? We can't get the 101 up here...I opened my bottle of 81 recent, and while I enjoyed the flavour, it seemed kind of anemic compared to my bottle of Old Forester Signature (which I actually find rather strong), and didn't have as nice of a nose. As the the two have very similar mash bills I'm toying the with idea of creating a 50/50 blend of WT 81 and OF 100, which would result in a 45.25% ABV bourbon. Thoughts?

12 years ago 0

@valuewhisky
valuewhisky commented

I've dabbled a little bit in mixing, with mixed results (pun intended). First off, I haven't had WT81, and I haven't had OF100, but I've had the OF 86 proof (which is nasty). Going off what I know of WT101 and OF86, my guess is that mixing would tame the OF's hotness a bit, and add some background spice notes from the Turkey, and possibly result in something more drinkable... but maybe not ;-)

My official recommendation: try it in a small amount before committing! If you have any empty miniature bottles, those are good for experimental mixing, and you can let it meld together for a few days.

12 years ago 0