Drinking good bourbon is every man’s God-given right. But drinking bourbon like the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades, which commemorates the spirit’s heritage, is a whole new experience.
Crafted for the 35th anniversary of Eddie Russell, Wild Turkey’s third-generation Master Distiller, joining the family operation, the bourbon brand has released the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades, a limited-edition spirit and the second in the coveted Master’s Keep series, following a 17-year-old release in 2015.
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“For Master’s Keep Decades, I went all out and used some of the rarest and most precious barrels in our stocks,” Eddie says. “The final product is a whiskey with the finesse and deep character of older bourbon, anchored by the bold, balanced, and vibrant backbone of younger bourbon. I have to say, this is a whiskey I truly love and I’ll be holding a few bottles back for my personal collection.”
With this release, Wild Turkey looks back on the long road to the release of Master’s Keep Decades, which started on June 5, 1981, when Edward Freeman Russell put his work boots on for the first time at Wild Turkey. Starting the same way his father did, Eddie had to master every menial job in the distillery before being promoted to supervise the rickhouses where the barrels aged. As he got further along in his career, his father, legendary Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, began to pass down the knowledge he had learned from his own mentors.
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In 2015, Eddie earned the title of Master Distiller and joined his father at the distillery’s helm and today, the two Bourbon Hall of Famers work side by side as the industry’s only active father and son master distiller duo, boasting almost 100 years of combined experience.
Made from a blend of whiskies aged 10 to 20 years, this 52% ABV Kentucky Straight Bourbon has a nose of oak and caramel. It delivers beautifully intricate notes of butterscotch, dried fruit, chocolate, and smoke, and lingers with a smooth, sweet, and spicy finish.
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