Wild Turkey Master's Keep Bottled in Bond - Aged 17 Years - First Impressions & Review

This is the most expensive bottle of whiskey I have ever purchased, so let's hope I don't regret it

What's up? Welcome back to another episode of Bourbon Bites. I am so excited for today's episode

because we have the brand new Wild Turkey Master's Keep. This is this year's release that came out

last month. It is a 17-year-old bottled-in-bond bourbon. So the only Master's Keep I've actually

had up until this point was the Decades release, so I guess I can't really compare it to other

Master's Keeps, but I am a huge Wild Turkey fan, so I have a good feeling that I'm going to like

this a lot. One really interesting thing about it is the barrels used for this Master's Keep

came from the Camp Nelson Rickhouse at Wild Turkey. If you're a fan of Wild Turkey, you know

Camp Nelson is one of the most sought-after locations for Russell's Reserve and Kentucky

Spirit barrel picks. And I think Eddie Russell knew exactly what he was doing when he picked

those barrels for this Masters Keep release. So once you open it up, I'm going to try not to drop

it here. It comes really, really nicely packed in this box with a little bit of info over here on

the side. It basically says Eddie Russell handpicked these barrels from the Camp Nelson

Rickhouse, and he slated them because of their bold, inspired spirit with a unique taste. So

So that my biggest I guess concern with this whiskey going into it is knowing that it only 100 proof because it is bottled in bond Will those big bold 17 flavors follow through with the low proof Let open it up and find out Really sexy court I love this I going to be keeping this for sure

So I do think with it being 17 years old, it does need to sit in the glass a little bit, open up a bit

So I'm going to let it sit and come back to it in about five minutes, and we'll start the review then

I'll take this as an opportunity to let you know that I just launched my new Patreon

I'm so excited for it because I have so many ideas and things I want to do with people there

My favorite thing about it is at the $10 level, if you're a bourbon megabyte, you get access to an after party after every single live stream on this channel

So we've had one of those so far, and it was so much fun. So if you're interested in that or any of the other perks, please check it out

I really do appreciate your support, especially with growing this channel so much lately

It really does mean a lot, and it allows me to do things like buy $180 whiskey

So this has been sitting for a little bit. Let's go ahead and give it a nose. Oh my god. That is one of the best noses I have ever had

on a whiskey. And I'm not just saying that because I paid a lot of money for it. There is so much

fruit. Really, really rich, bright, vibrant fruit paired with an almost powdered sugar or some kind

of really really sweet candy sweetness on the nose but behind that is one of the most pleasant

oak note I have ever gotten on the nose of a bourbon It not so much overpowering with the oak it almost feels like it perfectly syncs with the fruitiness and the sweetness of the nose on this bourbon It has the right like spice that you get typically from a wild turkey nose

even in some of their like cheaper releases like wild turkey 101. I feel like I'm definitely gonna

need some time with this bottle and let it open up a bit before I can really give you detailed

notes on the nose. It just let me tell you it is terrific and like I said one of the best probably

the best nose I've ever gotten on a bourbon. So let's go ahead and give it a taste and hope that

that amazing nose follows through with the taste. Cheers. Rich mouthfeel is an understatement. It

completely coats like the sides of your mouth, your tongue, everything. Like that's the first

thing I noticed about this whiskey and that's something that I don't notice a lot in whiskey. Thick, viscous, really bright, almost like a cherry fruitiness at the beginning of the palate

But it leads into a vanilla, like a vanilla ice cream note, which then fades into that oak

And like I said, the oak is not like a Knob Creek, like a 15-year Knob Creek

It is more of a sweet, like a very, very balanced oak

The finish does remind me of those old Knob Creek store picks

It's long. It's lingering. It's dry on the finish. I wouldn't say dry anywhere else

The only part that seems dry is the finish because my mouth literally feels like it's been coated with oil

So let's go in for another sip. On next sip I go back to that vanilla ice cream note but it almost is like vanilla ice cream with like a toffee or a caramel drizzle on top And back to the finish it a very wild turkey finish Very dry very spicy but very long and gives you an amazing

Kentucky hug. I gotta tell you guys, I was very, very hesitant about buying this bottle. I mean

of course, I clicked buy as soon as I saw it pop up at the store, but that's a lot of money. Like

I said, I don't typically buy bottles over $80. I have never had a bourbon this good. Now

this is just first impression, so I may be fangirling a little bit about Eddie Russell

but no, I don't think I've had anything this good before. Does it justify the $180 price point

Yes, absolutely. I think you will not taste this and feel like you wasted your money and you tried

a subpar bourbon that you overpaid for. I've had that happen, and that feeling sucks. I'll tell you

right now, first impressions, I do not get that on the bottle. I really, really am glad I picked

this up. Will I pick up another one? No, probably not. I think I'll probably wait till next year's

Masters Keep or try some of the older releases. If any of you guys want to send me some samples

of some other Masters Keep, I would really appreciate it. I would love to do like a flight

or like a live stream or something doing the whole lineup for Masters Keep. So if you got it and

you're interested in sharing, let me know. Until next time, this has been Bourbon Bites. Whiskey

reviews with a retro twist because this whiskey is old AF. I'm Clifton and I'll see you guys next

video. Cheers