Wild Turkey recently made headlines for launching an odd line extension: An age-stated version of its standard Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, with 8 years old proudly noted on the label. It’s particularly odd because standard Wild Turkey is said to be drawn from barrels between 6 and 8 years of age, so an 8 year old Wild Turkey shouldn’t be a dramatic shift from the standard. Don’t tell the secondary markets, though. WT101 @ 8 years old is rapidly climbing the price ranks.

What’s the fuss about? Glad you asked. We put the 8 year old expression up against a (fresh) bottle of standard Wild Turkey 101 to see where and how the new whiskey diverges from its forebear.

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon 8 Years Old Review

Wild Turkey is famous for its peanut-heavy qualities, and this whiskey is no exception, pouring on notes of well-roasted and well-spiced peanuts from the jump. The peanut punch lingers almost to the exclusion of anything else, though sustained nosing reveals red pepper, a pinch of cinnamon, and brown butter that creates more of a peanut butter note as it all coalesces. Next to standard 101, the peanut element is — surprisingly — much more pungent, with the original featuring more earthy aromas and a layer of savory spices and more unbridled heat that don’t really come through on the 8 year old.

The palate surprises by reversing the equation: The 8 year old has more nuance, filtered through peanut shell but a bit peppery and showcasing more of that brown butter evident on the nose, complete with layers of vanilla and chewy marzipan, then a latent but present cherry note, filtered through cream. Butterscotch, vanilla custard, banana chips, and baked apples inform the finish — all notes I’d consider largely traditional for Wild Turkey — though there’s a bracing, peppery heat and a layer of barrel char to it that lingers for quite a while.

In comparison: Rack 101 is fiery and blustery, a more frontier-style whiskey which is, in large part, why so many people like it. Both aggressive with pepper notes and laden with caramel-driven sweetness, it’s a classic yin-yang experience that slaps you with one hand and caresses you with another. For $20 a bottle (still), that’s hard to beat.

There’s no denying however that the 8 year old has more refinement to it — it’s increasingly divergent in the end — though it definitely has the classic rustic charm that make Wild Turkey so iconic. In some ways, it’s the best of both worlds.

Jimmy Russell is famous for preferring his bourbon young, but as Eddie continues to take over, we’ve seen more and more well-aged expressions coming out of the distillery. I think they’re working, and as much as I am surprised to find myself saying this, the 8 year old Turkey is a step up over the more blunt, straightforward NAS 101.

101 proof.

A- / $50 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT] [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]

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