Sweet, spicy nose, with sharp mint jellies and brittle sugar laid over the oak presence. Shifts in the mouth to no-nonsense rye: bitter, savory, dried grass, with the sweetness as a spark glinting through it all, while a mineral character plays as backbone. The finish is prickly and warming, with fleeting richness. A very lean rye overall, a bit challenging, a bit old school.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Fall 2015)

Richly textured -- almost chewy -- with toffee, molasses, nougat, date, candy corn, ripe clementine, and raisin, peppered with dusty grain, cocoa powder, moss, Play-Doh, subtle mint, and herbs. Not as crisp or clean on the palate as the Wild Turkey American Spirit 15 year old, released a couple years ago (which I rated a 94), but it is still very good and rather therapeutic in nature. It makes for a nice digestif. This is a different style of Wild Turkey. There’s a good deal of wood influence. I suspect that some will like this a lot, while others might not warm up to it as much. It took a few encounters for me to embrace it.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Amber chestnut color. Mature aromas of oak, vanilla, toffee, and leather. A heavyweight bourbon with a huge flavor profile-oak, leather, and molasses, turning quite dry with a spicy, nutty finish that is very long and warming.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Summer 2001)

Clean on the palate, with honey-kissed citrus, summer fruits, crisp mint, and cinnamon, balanced by creamy vanilla and soft toffee. A solid bourbon that’s nicely rounded and vibrant. It’s very much with the current trend of American whiskeys toward no age statement; youthful and playful in nature, and versatile.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2013)

Incredibly smooth for a rye whiskey (almost too smooth), but still with plenty of character to make the journey very entertaining. Notes of evergreen, almonds, and bright fruit lie on a bed of caramel, honeyed vanilla, and banana bread. Lingering spicy finish.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2008)

The nose tickles with caramel, spice, vanilla, and earthiness, with just a hint of balsamic vinegar.  Warming. Coated with spices, ranging from cinnamon to allspice and from coffee to nutmeg. Eventually, patented caramel and vanilla, with a fun hint of cardamom. The long, enjoyable finish is earthy, but there’s an unwanted bitterness at the end that cannot be denied. If not for the bitter end, this would rate much higher.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Spring 2016)

Part of Wild Turkey’s Whiskey Barons Collection, which re-creates brands lost during Prohibition. A blend of 4 and 6 year old charcoal-filtered bourbons, with a nose of cereal, vanilla, lemon cake, orange, and baking spice. The palate brings out vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, walnuts, peach pie, licorice, pipe tobacco, and a halo of chili pepper. The finish has kick and heat, with notes of honey, lemon, chocolate, and spicy oak.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Sweet bread pudding and cracked pepper are tinged with wintergreen and earthy oak, the alcohol strikes just a touch sharp. With water, banana, lemon, and vanilla cupcake sweetness appear. On the palate, lively citrus, white pepper, violet candies, and peanuts, before finishing with a tapestry of spices: ginger, allspice, and paprika. Characterful, well-proofed, and tasty stuff.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2019)

An accidental “mingling” of rye whiskey with bourbon, resulting in a product that acts like bourbon with an unusually high percentage of rye in the mashbill. It shows, with vibrant notes of warming cinnamon, fresh mint, nutmeg, licorice root, and a hint of tellicherry pepper. All this is soothed by vanilla, caramel, and subtle honeyed citrus. Lively, distinctive, and versatile.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Winter 2013)

Redolent of marshmallow and vanilla, this is restrained on the nose, but revels in pretty sweetness, with peaches and cream, ripe banana, and circus peanuts candies. On the palate, this collaboration with actor Matthew McConaughey betrays some of its Wild Turkey pedigree, capturing the house earthiness. For its modest proof, it pours a bit hot on the palate, with plenty of oak tannins, making it a nice sipper on the rocks or with water. Value pick

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2018)

Cotton candy, campfire smoke, cinnamon, pilsner beer, butterscotch, and vanilla start a whiskey conversation that’s about balance, easy sipping, and the pursuit of spice. Around mid-palate, a plethora of baking spices—clove, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice—charms the senses. It’s set up to be a great run, but the approach softens toward the finish with muted brown sugar appearing. Still, the flavor and balance make for a fun sipper and great cocktail mixer.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Fall 2017)

This non-chill filtered rye is bold and ready for a spice-hungry palate. At first the aroma gently introduces herbs, pepper spice, cinnamon, and vanilla; preparing for a hopeful taste of the same. Instead, there’s a surprise: toasted rye bread at the beginning followed by cinnamon and caramel, with a medium-length finish.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Spring 2016)

Delicate and flavorful chocolate, caramel, and dried fruit begin a delightful sipper that really becomes easy drinking, with hints of cola, cherry, and maple syrup. Then it’s the spice, specifically cinnamon and allspice, over a slight bitterness, like grapefruit rind, that suggests complexity awaits. But no, the short finish hurts its next-level consideration. Price is per 375 ml

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2017)

New packaging, new formulation, and even a new strength. The new packaging is more stylish, the new formulation is more approachable, as is the new strength (45% rather than 50.5%). The previous Russell’s Reserve was big and brooding, with huge flavors of chewy toffee, oak, leather, and tobacco. This new expression is more elegant, with lighter sugars (honey, cotton candy, caramel, maple syrup), more fruit (candied orange, pineapple, coconut), and creamy vanilla. A tame expression of Wild Turkey (although the flavors are nicely balanced and seamlessly tied together). Ideally, I would like to see the bourbon with the new formula but bottled at the old strength of 101 proof.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Winter 2005)

The follow-up to 81 proof Wild Turkey bourbon—and part of a continuing trend by distillers to release versatile whiskey: reasonably priced, no age statement, that will stand out in cocktails but can be enjoyed on its own in a pinch. Very spicy, yet relatively soft in character, with suggestions of gin botanicals, dried fruits, honeyed vanilla, and teasing charred oak. Very quaffable for a rye whiskey.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2012)

Comprised of bourbon aged 6 to 8 years old (and seems closer to 6 than 8). This new, fairly bold for 81 proof whiskey, while drinkable neat or with a splash of water, really works best as a mixer. Very traditional bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, mint, cinnamon, sweet corn, and orchard fruit.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2011)

An odd roaring noseful of spices: vanilla, pepper, ginger, teaberry. Tastes perfumey first, then resolves to sweet vanilla, hot oak, and more teaberry. Can’t decide if it wants to be bourbon—it’s hot, and flexing oak—or candy, and does a poor job at both; it’s like a linebacker in a French maid’s outfit, just wrong. There are much better sweet, spicy whiskey mixes out there; the original Spicebox comes to mind.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2014)