WILD TURKEY MASTER’S KEEP
17 Year Bottled In Bond (2020)MASH BILL – 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
PROOF – 100
AGE – 17 years
DISTILLERY – Wild Turkey Distillery
PRICE – $184 (Those were the days…!)
WORTH BUYING? – Yes, at 2020 prices.
I debated whether or not to do a Wild Turkey write-up timed for this year’s Thanksgiving week. Here it is, so, obviously I decided to do it. But initially I felt no enthusiasm at the prospect.
First of all, so many of us on the bourbon social meds put out Wild Turkey posts on this day and week. What’s one more? Just another gobble from the flock.
But secondly, and weightier for me, I’m writing this at the end of a long hard week…
One reason for that is I’m currently teaching an adult theater class that has been a perpetual struggle, largely due to one student. This person takes up a lot of space, showing little awareness of their impact on others. They have demonstrated themselves to be a committed Contrarian, regularly objecting outright to the ideas and points of view of other students and myself, dragging us on tangents they insist are of central relevance, often revealing in the process their own lack of research and experience despite their abundant confidence. The persistence of this behavior leaves me pretty certain that some combination of K-12 education, parenting, and the student’s own self-nurtured narrow paradigm, has conspired to render them a perpetual child in their adult body. Contending with this person from week to week, trying to keep the curriculum on track for everyone, has steadily drained the joy out of teaching the class for me.
Also, the current leadership at our organization has announced their departure, and so the search for new leadership will soon commence. This happens from time to time, of course. But on top of perpetual post-pandemic financial uncertainties, it adds to a general sense of precariousness—something felt across education, the arts, to be frank virtually any sector of the current American workforce it seems.
Which brings us to that other weight on this week: the chaotic state of America under the hot wind blown storm cloud that is The Orange Menace, making nearly every aspect of daily life feel on the edge of apocalypse.
And if all that wasn’t enough, for one last straw to break my week, a dear pet cat had to be put down. She lived a good 18 years, so it was inevitable. But it’s deeply sad to let go of a cherished animal friend.
Thanks for listening.
Anyway, with all that, you’d think I’d really want a good drink!
But when I got into my whiskey hobby, knowing the potential hazards this tasty toxin poses to my health and wellbeing, I committed myself to keeping my enjoyment of whiskey to just that—an enjoyment, a pleasure, often a celebration. I never wish to associate drinking with negative emotions or experiences. So when I’m down or upset about something, I don’t reach for whiskey. Chocolate or ice cream will do. Maybe a good long walk… ending with chocolate or ice cream. 😉
But then I stepped out into my backyard. It was Sunday, late afternoon. The air was cool and crisp and the sky sunny and blue. The autumnal blend of growth and decay in our garden, lit by that particular amber of autumn’s late afternoon sun, brought a gust of reassurance. I breathed it in. Reached for this bottle of Wild Turkey. And cracked it open.
As I sipped this well aged, well cared for bourbon, I reflected on all the good fortune I have. It was indeed a hard week. But I have this garden, and the wonder of its perpetual change. I have my caring and talented partner, heading off as I write this to opening night of a production of the musical Cabaret she’s performing in. I have fond memories of a sweet little cat who sat content on my lap for years, never judging me for my follies. And though my current work has its challenges, all school semesters end, and a new crop of students will come with new energy.
There is much for me to be thankful for.
So here we are, now three days after uncorking and two pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using both a simple brandy glass and traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – vibrant but easygoing russet autumn oranges
NOSE – very classic, with cinnamon, sweet weathered oak, mossy oak bark, dry rye spice, sweet baked cherry, subtle but thick dripping caramel
TASTE – a plume of baking and oak spices billows up front, then baked and medicinal cherry balanced against weathered oak and a splash of coffee
FINISH – all the spices, gently bitter wood tannins, chocolate, dense caramel chews, deep dark baked cherry lurking in the background
OVERALL – a dense, savory, sweet, oaky bourbon
The oak comes on strong, and I’m here for it. There is a weathered quality to it, softening what could otherwise be a tannin fest. Combined with the sweeter cherry and candy notes, the drier spice and oak notes add to the complexity while also etching an outline around the whole, providing definition.
The Glencairn brings out a bit more of the deep chocolate notes in the nose. But as with most Wild Turkey whiskeys, I prefer this in the simple brandy glass. Can’t explain the science of that. But it’s been a consistent thing for me over many bottles.
With the sweeter notes amped up, this bourbon might have greater appeal beyond hardcore Wild Turkey fans, who no doubt made up the bulk of those nabbing it back in 2020. But I’d be surprised if any fan of the brand had significant complaints about it. It’s an oak grove, for sure. Anyone buying a 17-year bourbon will anticipate that, and possibly revel in it. And at 100 proof, it’s very approachable without at all lacking aroma or flavor.
I’m so glad I managed to pick this up at the price I did five years ago. Also glad I left it in the bunker until now. It’s helped to lift my spirits after a dispiriting week, prompting reflections and an appreciation for the complexities life offers us.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 