"I've had a lot of whiskey so far and this is one of my favorites"
I had heard about the “dark smooth top” Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirits around the internet. I didn’t know whether I would find one out in the wild but I kept that information stored in case I did come across one.
So one day while searching random stores in my area I found one! This was a smaller store in a more or less normal area but they did require patrons to be buzzed in. I don’t see that too often so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Upon entering I did a quick glance around and found the area I needed to be in. Scanning the shelve’s I saw the normal offerings and didn’t see anything I was interested in until closer inspection of the two Wild Turkeys. I grabbed one of the bottles and saw the dark top then quickly glanced at the bottling date on the neck; “06/21/02”. It was one of those moments of excitement you don’t get too often. There were two bottles on the shelf and I decided to just take the one. I have grown to regret that decision now.
I didn’t open the bottle right away that day or even that week. But eventually I cut the seal and popped the top only to have a broken cork. That was early in my whiskey obsession and I didn’t have any extra corks set aside for instances such as this. So I more or less panicked a little. I managed to strain all of the cork bits out and fill into an empty bottle I had. I wish I had an extra cork at the time that fit the bottle because I do like the bottle shape of Kentucky Spirit. It is one of the more unique bottles on the shelf because of it and not just what is inside.
I can remember vaguely what I thought of this bourbon when it was first sampled. It was my first experience with Kentucky Spirit and expanded my concept of Wild Turkey brands. Before that time I had not been as heavily interested in their products I will have to admit. I was still on the other brands that I had more exposure with. The majority of what I had acquired at the time was from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, and Four Roses respective distilleries. But from this point on Wild Turkey would be a regular on my shelf as well.
The Narrative:
In the very beginning, there was a man by the name of Austin Nichols who began selling wine and spirits as a wholesale grocer in 1855. His company would later own the Wild Turkey brand. Around 1869, Wild Turkey distillery as we know today was founded by the Ripy Brothers. Their family came to United States from Tyrone County, Ireland to settle a plot of land in the renamed community of Tyrone, Kentucky. They built their operation on the grounds of an older distillery in the area. Their business grew for many years until Prohibition was enacted in 1919. During this time, the distillery remained open only producing a moderate amount of medicinal whiskey. The business struggled for survival up to the repeal of Prohibition. Several years after the repeal, Austin Nichols & Company left the wholesale grocery business to focus on wine and spirits in 1939.
This leads us to the most famous story of the brand’s origin. The story came from an Austin Nichols executive around 1940. While on an annual wild turkey hunting trip with friends he shared some samples of his bourbon. The bourbon proved very popular among friends and they continued to ask for more of that “wild turkey bourbon”. Austin Nichols started bottling under the Wild Turkey brand in 1942. The distillery changed hands around 1949 from the Ripy brothers to the Gould brothers who continued to produce fine whiskey that was largely sold to Austin Nichols & Company. For more than three decades Austin Nichols remained a non-distiller producer (NDP). Until in 1971, they purchased the distillery outright and renamed it the Wild Turkey Distillery. Several years later, Pernod Ricard acquired the Wild Turkey brand and distillery in 1980. Fast forward to 2009, the brand and distillery were acquired again by the Campari Group who continue to steward the brand today.
Wild Turkey has a history and tradition that not a lot of distillery’s have. A large part of that tradition lies with one person in particular. That individual is Mr. Jimmy Russell. He truly is a treasure to the bourbon industry. If you listen to him, he’ll say that he’s made bourbon his way for over 60 years. And that is the honest truth. Wild Turkey never wavered from their ideology on how bourbon whiskey should be made. During the great bourbon glut of the late 60’s to the mid 80’s, Wild Turkey never produced anything that could be considered a light whiskey. That was not something that interested Jimmy. He believes in the pure, rich flavor that comes from bourbon produced his way. There cannot be enough appreciation shown to the man who has done so much for American whiskey to be where it is today.
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Distiller: Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New charred American White Oak
Age: Between 8.5 – 9.5 Years
ABV/Proof: 50.5% / 101 Proof
Price: Varies by Region (Picked up locally for $58.00)
Additionally: Bottled June 21st, 2002; Barrel No. 03; Warehouse A; On Rick 49
