The 2018 release of Wild Turkey's Master's Keep series, "Master's Keep Revival is made from a blend of Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon aged 12-15 years before finishing in at least 20-year-old Oloroso Sherry casks, hand-selected by Master Distiller Eddie Russell." - Wild Turkey's Website
The aroma is oaky and dense with rustic and sweet aromas. The palate and finish align with the aroma and the whole whiskey comes across perfectly balanced.
The nose has notes of black cherries, raisin bread, orange peel, and brown sugar. The taste has good spices balanced by fruitiness and a hint of oak, as black pepper and chili powder complement notes of black cherries, candied orange slices, raisins, and a hint of apricots.
A long-lasting finish showcases brown sugar, rich vanilla sweetness, and a dose of spearmint, along with leather, and more oak and spice. Very much an amplified, fruitier Wild Turkey.
With water, you find notes of chocolate, orange, and cola, with more of a classic bourbon wood influence becoming evident. The gentler conclusion is not nearly as tough and pungent as the experience is when poured straight from the bottle — and it’s exactly what this bottle deserves.
The finish was medium and slightly bitter. However, the bitterness was outshined by notes of peppered oak, allspice, and cinnamon. Overall, this is an easy sipping bourbon that can be enjoyed by any level of bourbon aficionado.
It marries my favorite things about bourbon with some of my more beloved things about sherry finished scotch. Real nice showing here, very glad to see WT focus on quality over schtick on this one.
This was quite satisfying throughout. The nose was a bit of a wild ride, but I feel like the blend that was targeted was a very approachable mix aiming to be a crowd pleaser on the palate.
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House Review
Nose:
Light caramel, nutty butter scotch. Raisin bread. Lightly fruit - figs, almonds, date fruit, currants. Sponge cake, cocoa and vanilla cream.
Taste:
Medium mouth feel. Vanilla cream, baking spices, sweet raisin bread. Honey, figs, date fruits, apple pie. Some clove, some pepper, musty tobacco. Lots of stewed fruits.
Finish:
Short to medium, but no heat. Delightfully rich, amaretto heavy with lots of accompanying fruits, sweet nutty caramel and some cocoa.
Overall:
This is really nice. I was very concerned how their sweet base spirit would interact with even sweeter dessert wine but the result is really stellar. It marries my favorite things about bourbon with some of my more beloved things about sherry finished scotch. Real nice showing here, very glad to see WT focus on quality over schtick on this one.
Score:
88
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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