Wild Turkey 81 Whiskey 750ml

Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky was built on a legacy going back to the 1850s Ripy family operation and the Austin Nichols wine and spirits business that eventually took it over. Master distiller Jimmy Russell, who joined the company in 1954 and became the longest-tenured active master distiller in the industry, developed the high-rye recipe behind the entire Wild Turkey line, and his son Eddie Russell, now the distillery's own master distiller, crafted the 81 Proof expression as a milder counterpart to the flagship 101. It replaced an earlier 80 proof version in 2011 as Wild Turkey's entry-level bottling.

Wild Turkey 81 uses the distillery's single house mash bill of 75 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley, the same recipe behind every other Wild Turkey bourbon. It ages six to eight years in barrels finished with the distillery's signature number 4 alligator char, longer than most bourbons at a comparable proof point, before being bottled at 81 proof, or 40.5 percent ABV, a notch above the legal bourbon minimum.

The nose brings toasty, buttery oak and toasted almond alongside honey, vanilla fudge, maple, and a touch of tobacco leaf and cinnamon spice. On the palate, sweet maple and vanilla fudge carry rye spice and toasted almond in a noticeably mellower package than the 101. The finish closes on caramel, dry cedar, and maple syrup, with a gentle trail of lingering spice.