Review by: Raygun

Got a pretty old one this time, a 2006 bottle of Wild Turkey 12 101 from Japan. Tried a couple of these older Austin Nichols 101 bottlings, and they’ve been stellar. Let’s see how this one measures up. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 10 minutes.

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Distillery: Wild Turkey

Brand: Wild Turkey 12 

Region/style: Kentucky straight bourbon

ABV: 50.5% 

Age: 12 years. Distilled in 1994, bottled in 2006. 

Cask type: New charred oak

Color: 1.6, mahogany. Natural color.

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Nose: Lovely. Wood shop, vanilla, toffee, and cream. Caramel corn. So much caramel.     

Palate: Crackerjacks, toffee, grilled corn, toast. Good amount of spice, with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Brown sugar.  

Finish: The oak is strong. Maybe even a little too strong. Chai tea, flan, and spice. Did I mention spice? 

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Conclusion: Very good, especially the nose. The finish got a little too tannic and I missed the caramel some. The nose was truly stellar, and unfortunately the finish couldn’t quite match up to that excellent start. Still a very good Wild Turkey, but I felt like it could have been even better. I did find it improved on the second night. 

Buy a bottle? If I stumble across one in Japan, sure.

Score: 83

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Stagg Jr batch 12)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (new))
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Pikesville Rye)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Wild Turkey 101)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Maker’s Mark)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Grandad 114)
• 0-49: Blech. (High West Yippee-ki-yay)