Wild Turkey Bourbon

Wild Turkey 81 proof expression was introduced in 2011 to mark Eddie Russell’s 30th year working at the distillery. It was intended to be the perfect bourbon for mixing. In 2016 the brands were repackaged, so there is actually no such thing as Wild Turkey 81 anymore, it is now known as just Wild Turkey Bourbon. The idea behind this is to make it clear to consumers that Wild Turkey Bourbon is Eddie Russell’s creation (his signature is on the front of the bottle).

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon is Wild Turkey’s flagship brand. Wild Turkey is distilled at a very low proof in order to help embody all of the barrel flavors during aging. It comes out of the barrel at around 109 proof necessitating only slight dilution before being bottled at 101 proof. This process helps produce a final product that, although not barrel proof, is very close to what came right out of the barrel. Wild Turkey also uses the heaviest char # 4 (aside from the rare use of the even heavier char #5) on their barrels which helps create the company’s flavor profile and deep color.