Wild Turkey’s newest bourbon is a mistake they decided to repeat
A whiskey release a decade ago that started as a mistake proved so popular that now Wild Turkey is repeating it.
Sort of.
The Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, distiller is releasing Master’s Keep Unforgotten, inspired by Wild Turkey Forgiven, which was released in 2013. According to the distillery, a batch of young rye whiskey was allegedly accidentally mixed with mature bourbon. But master distiller Eddie Russell liked the result so much it was bottled as Forgiven, as in “You’re forgiven.”
Now, Russell is bringing back that flavor with Unforgotten, a 105-proof whiskey that blends Wild Turkey’s bourbon and and some of the oldest rye whiskey that the distillery has ever released.
It has a suggested retail price of $200 and will be available to buy for a limited time at select retailers.
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According to a news release, Unforgotten is made from some of Wild Turkey’s oldest rye, delivering notes of fresh fruit. The blend of 8- and 9-year old rye and 13-year-old bourbon was then aged in rye casks in a special warehouse for extra flavor.
“Twelve years ago, I tasted the result of the distillery mishap that would become Wild Turkey Forgiven and was amazed. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted before, and I knew we had stumbled upon something special,” said Russell, in a statement. “Master’s Keep Unforgotten pays homage to this happy accident, perfected with a secondary rye barrel aging in our pre-Prohibition Rickhouse B – the favorite of my father, master distiller Jimmy Russell.”
According to the tasting notes, Unforgotten has a nose of fruit with notes of caramel and oak; on the palate, it has caramel, dried fruit and sweet oak, with notes of dried fruit, honey, black pepper and baking spice on the finish.
Wild Turkey began the Master’s Keep series in 2015 with Master’s Keep 17 Year; the award-winning series from Eddie Russell pushes the boundaries of traditional Wild Turkey bourbon with experiments in aging and finishes.
This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
