WILD TURKEY 101
8 Year Age-Stated Japanese Export (2021)MASH BILL – 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
PROOF – 101
AGE – 8 years
DISTILLERY – Wild Turkey Distillery
PRICE – $32 (¥4635) for a 1L bottle purchased in Japan; now available in the US for ~$45
K&L EVERY DROP 7 YEAR
“Living Legend” Batch KY-03-25 (2025)MASH BILL – 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
PROOF – 107
AGE – 7 years
DISTILLERY – Bottled by K&L (distilled by Wild Turkey Distillery)
PRICE – $54
K&L has been leaning into their independent bottling endeavors again. Their Faultline series primarily offers unusual scotch opportunities, like a recent 25 Year Balvenie they nicknamed “The Huntley.” And their Every Drop series offers American whiskeys, like the recent 15 and 16-year bottlings they released of that momentarily ubiquitous “Buffalo Turkey” bourbon, which several non-distiller producers (NDPs) leapt at the chance to put out under their own labels in 2024 and 2025.
But unlike most American independent bottlers, K&L keeps their prices fairly reasonable. Most other NDPs priced their “Buffalo Turkey” releases from $300 on up—sometimes way up! K&L released their 15 Year at $200. And at $250, that 25 Year Balvenie was easily at least a third what one would pay on a lucky day for a distillery-direct 25 Year Balvanie.
K&L’s latest Every Drop release is a small batch blend of ten barrels from Wild Turkey, all aged 7 years. K&L bottled it at 107 proof, a nod to the original entry proof at which Wild Turkey barreled their bourbons until the early 2000s, when economics pressured them up to 110 and then 115 proof.
Bottling 7-year Wild Turkey at 107 proof makes this K&L Every Drop release a variation on the standard Wild Turkey 101. Although standard Wild Turkey 101 is not age stated, it’s widely known to be comprised of barrels aged 6 to 8 years on average. Age-stated Wild Turkey 101 has been sold in Japan for a while, in both 8 Year and 12 Year editions. And in April 2025, Wild Turkey began releasing an 8 Year WT101 in the US as well.
I’ve found both the Japanese and US 8 Year releases to be solid stuff, everything I’d hope any Wild Turkey 101 would be. On average, they are unsurprisingly just a bit oakier than the standard non-age-stated Wild Turkey 101 tends to be, making for a bourbon that’s a notch drier and darker.
And so naturally I was very curious what one less year, hundreds fewer barrels in the blend, and 6 more proof points might offer within the highly dependable Wild Turkey flavor profile.
So here we are, eight days after uncorking the Every Drop 7 Year release and three pours into the bottle, and six days after uncorking a 2021 Japanese export WT101 8 Year, two pours in. These brief notes were taken using both simple brandy glasses (my 🦃 go-to) and traditional Glencairns.
COLOR
8 YEAR 101 – pale to medium autumn oranges
7 Year 107 – one notch paler to medium autumn oranges
NOSE
8 YEAR 101 – bright with cinnamon baking spices, fresh cut oak, vanilla, caramel, very subtle baked cherry pie submerged in there somewhere, walnut, and eventually some subtle herbal funk
7 Year 107 – bright with a kind of apricot and raisin syrup note right up front, almost liqueur-like; then vanilla custard in a buttery pastry, caramel, oak, dashes of cinnamon baking spices, eventually wafts of subtle herbal funk
TASTE
8 YEAR 101 – oak, chocolatey caramel, darker vanilla than the nose, oak tannin, baking spices
7 Year 107 – a slippery syrupy texture, carrying oak, oak spice and tannin, dark-vanilla marbled into a dry caramel fudge
FINISH
8 YEAR 101 – oak and oak tannin, baking spices, chocolatey caramel, subtler dark vanilla
7 Year 107 – oak, oak tannin, chocolate and vanilla fudge, coffee, faint wafts of the fruit notes from the nose
OVERALL
8 YEAR 101 – a complex outing of WT101, leaning drier than sweet, with an exceptional nose followed by a more expected taste and finish
7 Year 107 – dry, bright, complex without complications, delivering what I would expect from a solid WT101.
WORTH BUYING?
8 YEAR 101 – for sure, now that it’s standard in the US as well as Japan, and can be found from $40 to $50 pretty readily.
7 Year 107 – for dedicated Wild Turkey fans specifically, yes; otherwise no need to seek it out in particular.
This comparison is a testament to Wild Turkey’s trademark consistency. Despite a difference of one year, number of barrels in the blend, and 6 proof points, these two bourbons are remarkably similar. They have their differences. But no difference is so radical as to elevate the one substantially above the other. They both make for satisfying WT101 experiences.
It’s worth noting they both lean drier than sweet. In that regard, I miss the more prominent cherry notes that older Wild Turkey products tend to offer, like the Russell’s Reserve 10 Year or SiB releases. But for a classic bourbon pour sipped neat, or for something to fuel your Old-Fashioned, Manhattan, or other bourbon-centric cocktails, either of these will do nicely.
Regarding consumer concerns, the 8 Year wins out, simply because it’s cheaper on average and far more readily available than the K&L-only Every Drop. And although the Every Drop offers no remarkable surprises, it’s a solid outing akin to the 8 Year. Any WT fan could justify the purchase for curiosity sake alone.
As for the tasting experience, for me the 8 Year also wins out. It’s more complex overall, with that subtle but impactful walnut note (in this 2021 batch at least) offering an extra level of depth. It’s also darker than the Every Drop, adding intrigue to the sip that compels me to reach for my glass again. The Every Drop is solid. But the notable 107 proof—attention grabbing from a historical standpoint—doesn’t seem to bring out anything unusual in the bourbon itself. It’s a good, dry variation on WT101, more comparable to the standard release in that regard than to the 8 Year.
All in all, no complaints. Just good bourbon.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 