Tasting notes

nose

candy corn, caramel, vanilla frosting and lemon zest with black cherry, clove, rye spice and toasted oak

palate

caramel, vanilla and toffee with graham cracker, seasoned oak, light tobacco, black pepper and orange chocolate

finish

long; rye spice and peppery oak build with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, dried fruit and allspice, closing on a slightly bitter oak note

Mash bill

75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley. It is the same high-rye bourbon recipe as Wild Turkey 101; the difference is eight full years in the barrel, which draws more oak, brown sugar and dried fruit out of the same grains. The rye keeps clove and pepper in the mix against that extra wood.

Why it's craft

This eight-year-old 101 was sold for years only in export markets, mainly Japan, and became a permanent US release in April 2025. It pairs the house 101 proof with a stated eight-year age, from Wild Turkey's own Lawrenceburg stills and deep-char barrels. Jimmy Russell's signature runs down the neck label; he joined the distillery in 1954, and it has been owned by Campari Group since 2009.