Credit: Lost Cargo
Wild Turkey Generations is a special release from Wild Turkey Distillery. It is a blend of 9-, 12-, 14-, and 15 year old bourbons, bottled at barrel strength without chill filtration.
It is bottled at 120.8 proof, which is an uncommonly high strength for Wild Turkey, who uses a lower barrel entry proof than many other distilleries. As of 2023, the highest-proof edition of the distillery’s barrel proof Rare Breed has been 116.8.
While many of Wild Turkey’s products in the past have featured the signatures of Jimmy and Eddie Russell, this is the first to also include Bruce Russell, who joined Wild Turkey as their brand ambassador in 2015. Currently the company’s national ambassador and associate blender, Bruce also is Eddie’s son and Jimmy’s grandson, and this bottle is meant to celebrate “three generations working as one team.”
Each of the bourbons use in the blend were hand-selected by the Russells, and the choices represent their differing individual tastes. “Together, it’s a family portrait, a collective of individuals with a common love of whiskey.”
While it shares a similar bottle shape to the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep series, this release is not considered a part of that collection. The bottle does not feature the same embossed turkey on the left side, and also doesn’t come packaged in the large box that the Master’s Keep series is known for.
Tasting Notes
Tasting notes provided by Wild Turkey.
Nose
Oak and vanilla is followed by floral and spice notes with hints of baked apple, toffee and cloves
Palate
Sweet notes of vanilla, caramel and dark cherry that give way to warm notes of pepper and aged oak
Finish
Dark fruit and baking spice with lingering notes of sweet toffee and oak
Bourbons selected by the Russells
According to the press release, the following bourbons were selected by each of the legendary grandfather, father and son trio:
- Jimmy stayed true to his palate, as he has for decades, by selecting a nine-year-old bourbon consistent with the classic Wild Turkey profile.
- Eddie has a penchant for a softer honeyed, vanilla-laden flavor that typically comes from older bourbons, such as his 15-year-old selection and the 14-year-old whiskey he and Bruce picked together.
- Bruce, like his grandfather Jimmy, prefers bold bourbon flavors, which come through in the 12-year bourbon he selected for the blend.
Images
Front label
Credit: TTB
Back label
Seal
