We’ve had a few years to reconsider the Wild Turkey brand and if we were willing to try them again (what’s a minor 7 and a half years anyway), and thankfully this smaller batch version aged with mesquite (weird) actually manages to pull off an atually good whiskey this time.
The weird thing about this is as you may know with Matthew McConaughey being part of the creative team at Wild Turkey is this is the first time his name has graced a bottle, and in truth the first time WT has had someone other than a master distiller. Now we could be sticks in the mud about what some Hollywood star (he’s not alone) is doing messing about with owning or working spirits companies – but if you had that level of fame and money to be able to do that – we all would.
What they Say: “Honoring their shared Kentucky roots and the friends that form the longest branches of our family trees, Matthew McConaughey and Master Distiller Eddie Russell present a rare, 8-year old Kentucky Straight bourbon. Made in small batches and refined with oak and Texas Mesquite charcoals, this unique process results in an extraordinarily balanced and smooth sipping whiskey with subtle hints of smokey sweetness.
‘Because I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Kentucky’ – Matthew McConaughey
‘Me neither’ – Eddie Russell
Nestled on a deep limestone shelf on the mighty Kentucky River, The Wild Turkey Distillery is famous for producing bourbon of exceptional quality, richness and unwavering character. At the helm of this iconic distillery is the legendary father and son Master Distilling team of Jimmy and Eddie Russell, who have nearly 100 years of collective experience working at the Wild Turkey distillery.”
Taste: 7.0 – Starts off as a nice sweet bourbon. That feels more like the brown sugary taste leading into the aftgertaste
Aftertaste: 7.5 – Where the smoke and mesquite take over, and then linger till the end of time.
Burn/Smooth: 6.0 – There’s a burning sensations sure – but it’s more like it’s expected, and it’s not offputting and otherwise is smooth.
Aroma: 6.5 – That mesquite is actually noticeable (and now this has become a candidate to use in making BBQ sauce). It actually smells quite nice.
Honesty: 7.0 – So they only have a small pamphlet, and at first when opened you just see a quote from Matthew McConaugheyand the distiller Eddie Russell. There is sadly other text, but it’s not so bad and wanky. Overall it’s actually well done here if being honest by balancing truth and pomp.
Mixability: 4.0
W/ Rocks: 4.0 – It takes away some of the smoke and some of the sweetness. It’s okay, but much better neat.
Value: 5.0 – It’s a small batch bourbon so that price isn’t ridiculous. It’s done fairly well here so it’s totally justifiable to pay that price, but it’s not a super value.
Google Shop Average: $38
Website: https://wildturkeybourbon.com/product/wild-turkey-longbranch/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
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Metric Score: 43/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.14 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
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Final Thoughts: Part of me feels like saying that 6.5 is too high for a small batch bourbon. It’s that signature mesquite flavor though. I want to drink a glass of this with ribs and any whiskey that makes me want to drink with ribs is by design a good whiskey. So well done Matt (frequent reader of the site), you managed to not be just some vapid star putting their label on a bottle, but the 2 years of work has paid off.
