Episode (Wild Turkey) 101

Dan and Calvin: Good evening. Welcome back to Bourbon Brass and Beyond. tonight I'm joined by Calvin again. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for coming back. I I think that there was a little recovery after the last one. Yeah. But I I mean it wasn't too too horrible, but No, it was great lineup. Yeah. still talking about that Colonel Taylor. To me, you can't go wrong with the weller, but I enjoyed that Colonel Taylor the most. From the first time when I had it when I first opened it, it wasn't all too impressive. The second time we went around, I got much more of that butterscotch, that care like those soft caramels that come in that plastic wrap, and it was a whole lot better. And it's probably the best Taylor. I've had. Yeah. one hundred percent best Taylor.. Yeah, no doubt. I like that age, you know, that fifteen years old. So I I was happy with that. But tonight, episode one one. So how else can you do one one without Wild Turkey? Wild turkey. tonight we have three Wild Turkey one ones. Dusty Eightyear, the seventieth Anniversary Russell's and a wild turkey twelve year. Now I don't know much about that twelve year, but anything with age I like. So I like that oak. I'm so I'm curious. I don't want to break the cork on this. This is a 1983 wild turkey. This is my second bottle. We've gone through the first. This one has been a a favorite. Now how did you acquire the this turkey? this was from an estate. it was from a couple cases of of liquor down in the basement. We're actually going to look at a piano. for an auction and it ended up that they also had some bourbon barrel furniture. I'm like, bourbon barrel you have bourbon too? And he's like, Well yeah. And so I I I came home with a box of dusties and then ended up going back to get a couple wild turkeys that he had nice sealed in the basement. Mm. That's really good. And it just has that dusty funk to it that Not ethanol. it's you get that straight s you get sweetness. I get a little little touch of ethanol, but it's nothing that's gonna burn the nostrils. Let you know it's still good. Yeah. that was really good. Yeah. And it's not as caramely sweet or a deep sugar sweet, but it is still sweet. But I I I get more of the orange with a little bit of the rye. Definitely the the funk to it that it's got a great mouthfeel. It's nice oily, coats all over. And and I what I really like is I I feel like some of the the higher rye bourbons, as the finish progresses, it turns to more of a bitter. Whereas these older ones that are more oily, it just the flavor stays consistent all the way through the finish. Yeah, do you think that it's 'cause that oil helps mellow it out or I well I think that oil helps it From dissipating. whereas anything that's more watery, it's gonna it's gonna wash away with your saliva a lot quicker. But whereas this, And of course this one from nineteen eighty three had a lower barrel entry proof. Whereas opposed to now they're having a higher entry? Yeah. Yeah, that's good. Get a lot more of that dustiness. I'm not sure what the difference between dustiness and earthiness is or it I know sometimes they co some people they coincide. Yeah, I've used I've heard them interchange. Like Wally Dant says earthiness. Yeah. You get little more I feel like as it layers you get little more of the pepper. Yeah. On the third sip, but you also have a little more of the sweetness in the tip of the tongue. I get more of the pepper, as you sip, more of the pepper comes to the front of the tongue and the sweetness comes it's the roles reverse. Whereas in the be when your first sip the sweetness is up front, the pepper is in the back, and now by the third sip your pepper's up your sweetness is up front or vice versa. Yeah. You get that tingle in the tip of the tongue. Yeah. that's good. Yeah. We have to give it the wild turkey. they have made such a great consistent product for so long. Jimmy, now Eddie, and then now Bruce. Now Bruce. 'Cause I mean we did that that gold foil. Yeah. And that's one of the things 'cause I know you, Nick, and I believe other people have talked about that where Jimmy and Eddie have very different taste profiles and it's gonna be interesting to see for the next generation how Bruce is gonna go forward with that. Yeah. And I like how Bruce is doing the throwback first. Yeah. so he he he's letting everybody know he understands. He's paying homage. He respects what the craft was back then and but he's wants also wants to show the what he can do and that he's able to play. Yeah. Yeah, I'm I'm excited. I'm excited to see that. Now you're more of a rye guy. I am. And of course, his Instagram name is Russell Rye Guy. So that's kinda shows you where he leans. Yeah. but I I do also like the old Jimmy Russell sweet bourbon. Yeah. But I also I like the age from from Eddie that he's done some high age stuff that I like that oakiness. So I'll be curious. the Jimmy Russell's 70th release, that's just aged eight years, 101 proof. I don't know if is it any different? So I believe that this batch was specifically curated by Jimmy. So this was completely him. I think the age statement I think is a minimum of eight years. I could be wrong on that. I think it's like seven, eight years, somewhere around there. Yeah. about this glass. it all should be technically the same mash, but Or we could do new glasses. I don't know. Thank you, sir. Sure. Thank you. don't normally go that heavy on a porter. But it's just one of those days. It's one of those days. we were talking just before starting the podcast the fact that we have two driver's permits in the house. So I spent the morning driving with one to school and the afternoon driving with the other to and from the school and Yeah. It's gonna be a fun Fun six months. Yes. six months a year. Absolutely. It's gonna be quite the experience. You know, teaching flying is a little different because you have a set of controls. Whereas in the car you d you do not. Yeah. So I do get a little bit of the earthiness or the funk. Yeah. Dusty funk on this. Getting a lot more ethanol on the nose on this. I'm getting more ethanol, but I'm also getting a deeper sugar. Like a just like almost I don't want to say brown sugar, but it's like a molasses almost. Yeah. Yeah. On the nose. All right. So I That's nice. Yeah. That is a well balanced bourbon. you're getting a lot of the caramels, a lot of the sweetness. Almost a little butterscotch and then you get the rye flavors, but they're not overpowering. Yeah. You can almost taste the rye, versus just being stung by it. Yeah. get a little mint. How do you get that? And I that's one of those notes that people pick up and it's not like one that's instantly Yeah. And I almost and I do get a little bit of that orange note too, that orange marmalade or whatever it is. And it's got a great mouthfeel. It's got great legs. That is such a nice bourbon. That's just Hmm. Yeah, a lot more rice rice on the back. Yeah. But I think it's balanced out really nice with the free the sweetness up front. Yeah. So what is the story on the twelve year? So the story on the twelve year is I believe this is a Japan exclusive. And I obtained this just through third party. It was popped up at a great price and there was one that obviously we can't get on shelves here, so it's like no brainer. And from what some people have said is they said it's discontinued. It is darker. Yeah. It is darker. It's one of the and this is one of those that it would be nice to have in the US at some point, but it's also understandable that since the international markets have helped keep bourbon alive, that they get obviously the better stuff. Well and and it's not often that the higher proof stuff go that goes international. Correct. You know, you'll normally see eighty six or ninety, but this is for an one one to go Yeah, it's it's one of those ones that it's on the rarer side that you see. Yeah. It's Yeah, and I knew immediately you'd like this. yeah. That nose is just awesome. Getting the oak, I'm getting a little bit more I'm getting a little bit of spice. Mm. That is a lot sweeter caramel. Not getting any orange notes. I'm getting a little bit almost licorice. But Great mouthfeel. flavor's consistent, it's it just stays It's got a mouthfeel like not it not full oily like the eighty three turkey, but not as yeah, watery as the seventy if it's sorta balance in between. Great legs. Yeah. that's good stuff. You go back to that nose. That's remarkable. What's interesting is there's writing in Japanese on the on the label. Yeah. Then on the actual there's a plat that cellophane plastic wrap on the top and they had the international barcodes and everything on that. Nice. Even when it comes down to packaging, I mean to do this packaging for a twelve year product, I mean it looks absolutely stunning. Yeah. By even opening up the box, it's just the typical just like how they do the gold foils and how it's labeled on the inside. The whole story. Yeah. That is just they do top notch. Yeah. This reminds me of that ANA gold foil. you gotta wonder where they got those barrels Gotta hand it to Jimmy and Eddie and Bruce. And they get fine darn product? Yeah. They've got it together. And even when they branch out, they just consistently stay with a quality product. They all have their own different twists, but at the end of the day they still have that signature turkey funk Japan gets that. we'll have to take a trip one day. Yeah. What else is over there? there's more stuff. We'll find something. they got all the scotches, we'll get you to make you a Scotchman one day. I don't know, I just can't eat you gotta find the right ones. I mean for the longest time Bruzzo was against single malts and he's found some that he's really liked, As long as it doesn't taste like peat. I don't like the peated stuff. And I think it's turning me off on so many different scotches that I just can't Yeah. No, I did when we went to Scotland, I did have a couple that were not peaty and they w they were decent. I wouldn't say that I would prefer it or anything, but I mean they were they were okay. But problem is with most of the scotches now is whereas OHLQ we don't really get a whole wide variety of scotches and you can find some stuff online but it's they're astronomically priced and it's kind of at that point you're taking a risk. Yeah, I mean if OHLQ got it we'd see it three years later 'cause they found it in the warehouse. Yeah, what are you talking about? It's gonna be at least ten years. look what we have for the surprise release. We somehow found eighty three wild turkey in a warehouse. We just didn't know about it. Right. So now we're gonna have a lottery for that. Then we'll put King of Kentucky single barrel in a sp in just a normal drop. Right. Next to Heaven Hill twenty two. Exactly. No no bitterness. And the melticorn picks. Don't forget the melticorn picks. Mell the corn picks. Right. Love you, OHLQ. Absolutely. Heart. it would be good to be king for a day. yeah. You could be king for maybe even a second. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think for our nightcap. boy. you gotta top off the Yeah. Considering the one night we waited for this and then just ended up being Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus. Yeah. You want more? no, I'm good. That's plenty. Thank you. Which with those drops I mean, we can complain about that. It's not that we can't complain 'cause it's it wasn't confirmed, but it's one of those things where you see it dropping and then it's just the bigger states, it's just disappointing where 'cause not all of us where they had the Jimmy they recently had that Russell's event where I think Eddie was there and he was signing balls and they had hundred hundred and fifty bottles? Hundred and fifty bottles of Russell's fifteen. Joe Russell's 13, the new batch. The forty fifth. And then they also had the gold foil that you could obviously do raffle. It's like why has that been sitting in the warehouse for two years? Have you b just been specifically waiting for this for two years, or is it just you I found it in the warehouse? Right. And it's it's just bull. that's got a great nose. See now that I have to say I I think that this was my favorite. This gold flow was my favorite of of all the turkey products. I've had the fifteen, I've got the thirteen forty-fifth, you know, I've got that Russell's 2003. Yeah. Which was my favorite of the wild turkey. even over that eighty-three. But that is it's got a deep note like Yes. That's exactly what I was just thinking. A deep, dark brown sugar. Yeah. There's some heat on the nose, but that fli but again that nose just comes through and it overpowers that he I'm getting less ethanol on this than I am on any of those other ones we've had. that and this is a hundred and twenty proof. It's off the one on one, but have that sweetness, that dustiness, slash earthiness comes through. This like the peppiness or spice comes through on the side of the tongue. That is just well put together. Yeah. I don't know that it has as thick of a mouth feel or chew as the twelve year but The flavor just lasts. Yeah. And that's And that's fine with me. Yeah, as long as the flavor can la it could be as not as non viscous or viscous as possible. But it's gotta carry that flavor. Yeah. The nose just keeps getting better. Yeah. Bruce, well done. I I've said it before, but cheers. Cheers. You almost get a little bit of cherry. Just a just a hint of of cherry on the sweetness that you don't get with the other Yeah. Wild turkeys. And I like it. I like it a lot. And maybe it's 'cause of the age. this is age si the the youngest barrel is sixteen years, so it's very well not very well it could be. Yeah. What else you got going on this week? Yeah. I'm home. I'm home this week. Which means I'm I'm driving. and Steph's in Florida until Thursday dealing with stuff from from her dad But yeah. Gonna be a fun week. Wyatt has regional cross country, the state regionals on Saturday. So his team qualified, the entire team. Congratulations. Thanks. So yeah, looking forward to that. and Wesley for football has a bye this week. State playoffs. For the state playoffs. And they had the the next week is a home game. So That'll be good. Yeah. Yeah. Excited there. and Asher, and being in middle school, his cross country season's over, but they did really well. So And that's something to look forward to once you get in high school and then he'll make you get that drive to do the regional all that. Yeah. Yeah. So it's fun. You know. But one one, have one two slated. Yep. That Kentucky Kentucky boy. That was a good night. That was a good night. doing a little bit out of order. That's all right. Remember we had to. I mean Yeah. Whew one hundred was was a was a great night. Yeah. And I'll have to say nobody was stupid, like n Yeah. We may have been in the past. Yeah. Some some might say, but I mean, you know, we were all responsible, right amount of pores, you know. Yeah. Nothing too crazy. but yeah. Cheers. Thanks for coming. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. You bet. Wild Turkey one one. You can't go wrong, this is an old faithful. this has been just a a great bottle. They keep doing nice things. Yeah. it's one of those things, it's gonna be interesting to see how this further progresses, how the Bruce takes the reins and what direction he heads with it. Yeah, I agree. I agree. And there's a lot of discussion between Beacon and and this gold foil. that's what we're gonna have coming up. We're gonna complete our Masters Keep series. Nice. Part two and part three. So we'll have to do that. I want to do the Ass Pocket Whiskey series. I want to do an Elijah Craig series. I have a little addition to that. Yeah. So got a lot. Got a lot. A lot of fun stuff planned ahead. Yeah. So like and subscribe. please share. watch us and stay tuned. Have a good night. Have a good night, guys.