Damn this is good. It’s so far above the Wild Turkey 81 that it’s on a totally different planet. Which, this being about 3x the price of Wild Turkey’s entry level bourbon, you hope it would be. But what exactly does it take to create a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed? Well besides needing to be named Jimmy Russel you would need to head out into the Wild Turkey rick house and grab barrels of 6, 8 and 12 year old stocks and then artfully blend them together. Once you do that you’ll have yourself a delicious batch of Rare Breed.
This is a truly stellar bourbon that deserves it’s place in the pantheon of premium bourbons. It’s balanced, rich in flavor, about as easy to sip as bourbon gets while retaining a very strong presence on the palate. It’s not something I would put in a cocktail simply because I like drinking it neat too much, but I could see it making a great Manhattan or Old Fashioned making it truly versatile. It’s a fantastic daily drinker with all of the rich flavor complexity you’d expect in world-class bourbon and I simply love it.
Have you had the Wild Turkey Rare Breed? If so add your own thoughts in the comments below.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Review
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Wild Turkey / Austin, Nichols Distilling Co
Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS (6, 8 and 12-years-old mixed)
ABV: 54.1%
Batch: WT-03RB
Price: $45
EYE
Dark Caramel
NOSE
Rich velvety caramel hefts itself from the glass and saunters down my sinuses with butterscotch, cinnamon, honey and oak in tow. Skulking about the glass behind these giants is some nutmeg, citrus, clove, vanilla, leather and a bit of mint.
TASTE
Wow. Big rolling waves of caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus, butterscotch, rye and honey all tumble around the palate and kick up notes of dark fruit, oak, clove and mint in their wake.
FEEL
Warm and inviting it’s much heavier on flavor than alcohol burn which makes it a fantastic sipping bourbon.
FINISH
Long with big notes of burnt caramel, oak and vanilla that fade to an oaky mint.
SCORE: 87/100
The bottle I aquired is 116.-something proof ,and I think Justin Jones explains in detail. Russell’s reputaion is deserved.
116.8
The 2018 offering of rare breed.
When I was a kid growing up in the cranberry bogs of south east Massachusetts life was slow and peaceful. Sometimes when we had to go into town and I was a real good boy I could get mom to pull the ’76 Blazer into McDonald’s. I didn’t want a happy meal or a big mac. I wanted an ice cream cone. Mom would get two and we’d drive to the lake and sit and rock out on our soft serve. This is no small thing mate. This is a clear wonderful childhood memory. The kind of happy that’s in short supply when were all growed up. A happy memory associated with a flavor experience. Fast forward 40 years. 40 years of shuckin’and jivin’ same as y’all. I had a taste of this today, this rare 116.8 and I swear.. It wasn’t the flavor but the pleasure of the moment that time machined me back. This is my adult equivalent. My soft serve cone. The snap shot in flavor of this very moment in time. God is it good. The finish, the flavor, the nose.. But oh my god the mouth feel. Its lickity BLAM!!
Dude, I’m no pro. I tried a hundred browns and this is the get down. Old Grandad 114 is close. 101 is amazing but this is in the castle with the kings. I can’t say enough about what Mr Russell has done here. You Sir are my hero.
Damn Justin, thanks for sharing. Loved reading that. Cheers man!
Josh,
I picked this one up partly based on your review, and tge $29.99 price tag! I have always respected your reviews, and find them aligned with what I taste in a bottle. Keep up the great reviews!
Thanks Otis, I really appreciate that. Cheers!
Over here in Germany you can find this on sale for about €26 all the time. Only see the 112 version here but is it good stuff. And at that price, definitely keep it stocked. Cheers!
This is, to date, my favorite bourbon. Your tasting notes are spot on. I love the cinnamon sweet kick of this one. I also find it “smoother” than the other WT offerings despite it’s higher proof. In my area, the 50ml bottles go for $2.50/ea, which means I can buy 15 of those (750ml) for $37.50. The 750 ml bottle is around $46, so I’ve never bought a full bottle. I always pick up a couple 50ml’s at the store to have on hand and crack one open as a treat.
Ha, that’s awesome!
Tried this for first time last month a nice dram but nothing special, tried again this week and absolutely awesome. The difference a small amount of oxidisation made is amazing turned it from pedestrian to thoroughbred, the only issue is the price compared to 101. As a regular sipper the 101 beats this hands down on quality to price, as a special treat once in a while I will always have a bottle too hand. Great review again Josh, I found the citrus note brings the whole flavour profile together beautifully with the sweet caramel and the oak tannin needing the bridge to gel together. Mr Russell is a true master of his art.
I’m very fond of this bourbon. I have yet to try all the premiums, but this is easily one of, if not my absolute favorite bourbon to drink neat or on the rocks.
Why though? I can’t put my finger on it. That’s probably why I love the bourbon so much, because the palate is so complex, the nose is delicious, and it just does a great job balancing the 108 proof. I like it even more than the Kentucky Spirit and Russel’s Reserve, for flavor alone.
Outside of the Russel family, I think it trumps it’s competitors. Blanton’s? Not interesting enough-blandish. Woodford? Not complex enough. Four Roses Single? Mysterious (in a good way), but not quite as interesting. Booker’s? Close, but no cigar.
If I had to pick a better bourbon, it’s the Pappy. But that’s it.
My sister picked me up a bottle in Vegas for $38. Excellent stuff.
Review is right on the money.
Thanks and that’s an awesome price!
I’d pay the extra $’s for the older 108 proof, but not the newer 112 proof. WT101 is my base bourbon, which is a great bargain, but I really like the RB108. I don’t really understand why the RB112, while somewhat better than the 101 (maybe 1 point!), is definitely lesser tasting than the RB108. What did WT change? Whatever they used to do, they need to go back to, as EC Barrel Proof is kicking their butt at a higher proof and similar price. Their 6th Batch (140 proof) is awesomely good, especially for $35.
I liked Rare Breed, but for the price, WT 101 kind of wollops it. If WTRB is a 92, I’d put WT101 at a 91 for about half the price.
I have the WT 101 at a 90 right now, but it could get a bump by the end of the bottle. Either way, yeah the price is a little difficult to justify buying it over the WT101 on a regular basis. I usually only buy a bottle of WTRB every 2 years or so.