Wild Turkey Rare Breed (116.8) Review

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Wild Turkey. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel is one of the best regularly available premium bourbons and Wild Turkey 101 is a workhorse both as a daily sipper and a great cocktail base. But then there are products like Rare Breed which on paper sound amazing - a barrel proof bourbon that according to marketing and the Russells is a blend of 6, 8, and 12 year old bourbon. The problem though is the last batch at 112.8 introduced in 2014 tasted like there might be a drop of older whiskeys in the blend as it leaned heavily towards 6 years old. A young, corny, fruity forward vibe dominates the taste and is a far cry from the rich, layered elegance you'll find in the older batches like 108.4 (WT-01-99).

So here we are in 2017 and Wild Turkey has released a new batch, identifiable by a proof of 116.8. I have heard comments ranging from it being a step back in the right direction all the way to night and day better than the previous iteration. Call my a cynic but I'm going into this assuming that it's not going to be much different from the last one. For comparison sake, I tasted this new batch against old one over a period of about a month. 

No Age Statement; 58.4% ABV; $50

Nose: There's a nice base of vanilla caramel sweets but also a lot of heat trying to keep it pinned down. The fusel ethanol notes are a bit rough. Fruity new make notes like apples and pears are noticeable which suggests a younger profile. That familiar Wild Turkey baking spice note is there along with some zippy menthol. Overall, not that noticeably different from the last batch.

Taste: More sweet forward with more wood depth than the nose - I think that's because the ethanol isn't so front and center. Fruity, grainy, corny notes are certainly present though and are as noticeable as the oak influence. It's a mashup of light honey sweets, darker burnt caramel sugars, corn grain, and baking spices.

Thoughts: I don't love it but I don't hate it which is where I stand with the previous iteration. It's slightly richer with a little more oak depth than the previous one so I'd tepidly give this a vote of a small step in the right direction. Overall, it still tastes more like barrel proof WT 101 which is a blend of 6-8 years rather than a blend of 6, 8, and 12 year old product. At $50 a bottle, I'll pass on buying this in the future and stick to regular old 101 at half the cost and equal enjoyment.

Rating: C+

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Reviews: 112.8 (2014) vs. 108.4 (01-99)

This is another review I did as part of the /r/bourbon community review series.

Rare Breed is a barrel proof bourbon from Wild Turkey that has been around for quite a while. If you want to read more about a history of the product, Josh over Red White & Bourbon has a nice write-up that is better than anything I could but together so I highly encourage you to check it out.

A few months ago I reviewed the previous batch of Rare Breed (RB03) that was phased out in 2014. I quite liked that bottle and thought it was a great value for the price. Today I’ll be comparing the most recent batch that you can find on the shelves today with a sample of an earlier batch “01-99” that my source guesses to be from 1999.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed (112.8)

2014: 56.4% ABV; Blend of blend of 6, 8, and 12 years; $35

Notes: The nose is heavy on fusel alcohols even after airing out for a while. I mostly smell spicy menthol rye and only a little vanilla or oak. On the tongue some sweetness and oak starts to come in but it tastes somewhat harsh and young. A spicy rye bite comes on pretty early in the palate and is heavy handed all the way through to the finish. Toward the back of the palate and the finish there are some dark sweet flavors which help add some much needed depth. In a way it reminds me of salty cinnamon apple oatmeal only replace the oats with toasted corn and dark rye bread.

Thoughts: Looking over my notes from the previous RB03 batch, I would say the nose and taste of this 112.8 batch are a step down. The finish is okay but in general my guess would be that the whiskeys here are slanted towards a younger blend as it tastes more raw and less complex. Overall, I still like it and it’s a good value for a barrel proof bourbon but Wild Turkey 101 might now be a better play.

Rating: C+ / B-

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Wild Turkey Rare Breed 01-99 (108.4)

Notes: The nose is sweeter, richer, and smells way more mature than the current batch. There are some nice savory notes like smokey barbecue and leather. The rye spice is there but much better balanced and it’s not nearly as hot as the current batch. The palate resonates all the nice intricacies of sweet, savory, and spice from the nose but also comes with a remarkable chewy mouthfeel. It’s rich, sweet, and has a soft spice tint rather than a heavy pepper blast. There’s quite a bit more oak influence than in the more recent batches as I pick up on some slight tea-like bitterness but it’s a nice compliment to the sweet richness.

Thoughts: This is wonderful stuff and really caught me by surprise. I expected it was better than even the last batch of Rare Breed but its honestly in a different league. It really tastes like a completely different bourbon. It’s a shame the current stuff doesn’t taste anything like this because I would always keep a bottle of this on hand.

Rating: B+ / A-

Wild Turkey Rare Breed (Batch WT-03RB 108.2) Review

As I noted in a previous review, Wild Turkey is a brand with which I don't have much experience. Their products get a lot of positive comments from reviewers I trust though so I've been making a conscious effort to branch out. Being a cask strength whiskey fan, this review from Red White & Bourbon particularly piqued my interest. His write-up is pretty thorough so I'll not regurgitate specifics on the background but the TLDR; pegs Rare Breed as an affordable, readily available, barrel proof whiskey with a solid reputation. Being out of town for the holidays my bourbon options were somewhat limited but when I saw this bottle on the shelf it seemed like a good time to give it a go.

108.2% ABV; No Age Statement (website reports blend of 6, 8, and 12 year); $25 (375ml)

The nose is oak forward and earthy with some dark fruits and slight fusel alcohol until it airs out a bit. The taste has a rich mouthfeel and is heavy on sweet notes - brown sugar, honey, vanilla, and baking spices. The finish starts off with sharp rye spice then ends with a dark sweetness like molasses along with a hefty dose of salty oak. It's warm but not too hot - 107 to 115 proof is my wheelhouse so the ABV is just about perfect for me. On the negative side the taste and finish are a little spice/oak heavy which throws off the balance. The bitter barrel char I didn’t like from the WT101 is noticeable in the finish as well which I would attribute to the younger whiskey in this blend that hasn’t had time to smooth out by more years in the wood.

Thoughts: This is a solid barrel proof whiskey with a healthy combination of sweet, spice, and heat. It has a lot of the characteristics that I liked in the 101 but amped up with a bit more intensity. Compared to other mid-price cask strength bourbons I would put this under (most) Four Roses or (some) Smooth Ambler private selections, Maker's Cask Strength, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof but equal to or better than the first two batches of Stagg Jr. It is considerably cheaper than all those options though so it is a very good value and worth the extra cost over Wild Turkey 101. With the high spice and heat I'm betting this would make one hell of an old fashioned. I've also heard good things about a home blend of Rare Breed with Bernheim Wheat whiskey so I'll be picking up another bottle soon to give that a try.

Rating: B- / B