It has been a very long time since I have sampled some Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit. It’s been almost six years since I last reviewed it on this blog, and Hokus happened to get a few bottles in so I thought why not? This is a single barrel of Wild Turkey’s standard 101 proof bourbon, that is chill filtered. This bottle is now $65, which given the price for Rare Breed and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, I hope this is much better than I remember it.

Color on this is a rather unexceptional amber, but that’s often the case with Wild Turkey products even with some age on them. On the swirl is a nice thin film with decent legs. On the nose is a very nice, very typical bourbon nose, with some really nice caramel and vanilla notes. On the palate, the caramel tends to dominate over the vanilla, and there are some light cherry and grapefruit notes in the background. This is better than I remember. As I give it the old Kentucky chew, some baking spices and clove come to the fore. Hmmm maybe this isn’t chill filtered? The flavors are solid. Nice medium to full mouthfeel as well. On the finish, the caramel notes fade and the baking spices and clove linger and linger on.

This is a really solid pour. Which just goes to show three things. First, there is some variance in single barrels, and the last one I reviewed what a Martin’s store pick rather than the standard issue Kentucky Spirit. Second, sometimes it is worth revisiting something you have tried before, particularly a single barrel release, as you may find something really good. Third, Jimmy and Eddie Russell make fine bourbon, and I heard that Jimmy would rave about Kentucky Spirit at various bourbon festivals, and this bottle definitely tells me why he was doing that.