Wild Turkey Master's Keep Voyage Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)

"...this rum cask-finished gem shows Russell in tremendous form." - whiskyadvocate.com

A high-proof 10 year old bourbon with a secondary maturation in casks that previously held 14 year old Jamaican pot still rum, marking the first rum cask finish in Wild Turkey’s history. Crafted by Master Distiller Eddie Russell in partnership with Dr. Joy Spence, the renowned Master Blender of Appleton Estate, Voyage reflects over 80 combined years of experience in crafting exceptional spirits. The collaboration makes sense given that both distilleries are owned by parent company, Campari. Russell wanted to use barrels that held pot still rum as opposed to column still rum for the finish, but Spence was a little dubious at first. “She said, ‘Son, you can’t handle that stuff, it’s too much for you,'” said Russell. “I’m like, let me try. It was 14-year-old pot still rum barrels, and we finished the whiskey in them for ten to 12 weeks... I wanted funk and fruit notes, a little bit of molasses and cocoa.” The praise is unanimous. The secondary maturation has been deftly handled. Voyage is a high-point in the Master’s Keep series. Save one for your collection, but get one to drink too. 53% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Collectable.

Other reviews... Master distiller Eddie Russell’s latest iteration in the Master’s Keep collection is a 10 year old bourbon matured in No.-4 char barrels and then finished in Jamaican rum casks selected by Appleton Estate’s master blender Joy Spence. The whole series has been triumphant, but this rum cask-finished gem shows Russell in tremendous form... An alluring nose of vanilla, cinnamon, dried herbs, bitter chocolate, rickhouse, and red berries. Stupendous on the palate, with rich chocolate, herbal notes, brown sugar, honey, cherry, and peppery spice. With water it sweetens, bringing notes of almond, sweetened iced tea, and chocolate. Balanced and mellow, with a long finish of tobacco leaf, mellow spice, and rich chocolate. 96 points - No.5 in Whisky Advocate's top 20 whiskies for 2023. - whiskyadvocate.com

...There’s definitely a hint of the rum right from the start: The nose is sweeter than any Wild Turkey expression you’ve ever had, well-spiced with clear raisin notes paired with banana-walnut bread, then a rumbling note of barrel char. With time in glass the whiskey blows off some of its heavier fruit elements, with a lingering touch of creosote hanging in the air. The palate is again quite sweet and very fruit-forward. Fans of Wild Turkey may be taken aback by its power and expressiveness. You may even be forgiven for thinking this might be a whiskey-finished rum rather than the other way around. Again, bright notes of raisins, toasted nuts, and some coconut notes pop immediately, followed quickly by citrus and stone fruit elements. Surprisingly acidic, almost sour on the finish, there’s a bold, fermented cherry quality that sticks with you and feels more like its part of a cocktail than a straight whiskey. In some ways, it reminds me of WhistlePig’s insane Siren’s Song release from last year — though here some restraint has been exhibited. Hints of cocoa on the finish balance out some of the fruit, and while it’s enduringly sweet throughout, it never comes across as overblown. I feel like I could sip on this all day, and to be honest, I kind of did. Whiskey season is just about to get started, but this is an early Top 10 candidate, for sure. Question: Would it be crazy to use this as the base for a Mai Tai? Wrong answers only. - drinkhacker.com

...this secondary maturation has transformed this whiskey into something very special. It’s a beautiful bourbon, not overwhelmed by the rum cask finish as can sometimes happen. On the palate, there are notes of brown sugar, grape jelly, banana pudding, black pepper, cherry topped vanilla sundae, orange zest, and honeycomb. The Wild Turkey character is definitely still there, but it has become more of a background note with just enough of that recognizable grainy, nuttiness to complement the sweetness that came from the rum. 97 points - robbreport.com

Notes from the producers... aged in Wild Turkey’s classic No. 4 char barrels. After finishing in the Kentucky heat of a timber rickhouse, the result is a tropically influenced American icon, bursting with a palate of fruits, caramel and aged oak, and a warm, long-lasting finish of chocolate and spice.

*At the time of writing, this product references Whisky Advocate’s original review from late 2023 (96 points). The rating in the Top 20 was 95 points. We assume this is a typographic error on the editor’s behalf.