Wild Turkey Master’s Keep series has released its latest expression, Bottled in Bond, a 17-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon.
Bottled in bond is an American certification guaranteeing authenticity of the production process. To carry the bottled-in-bond label, the bourbon must be the product of one single distilling season from one distillery, aged in a U.S.–federally bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof.
Eddie Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, said his team took the historic process and protocol of ageing for four years to the next level with this whiskey.
“We allowed the liquid to rest for 17 years to age and perfect this rare bourbon in the Wild Turkey Camp Nelson rickhouses. This expression is a nod to the past, both of our own heritage and the heritage of American whiskey-making as a craft,” he said.
Wild Turkey’s first-ever Bottled in Bond whiskey was released in 2007 and was the oldest American whiskey entrant in the U.S. market at 15 years of age.
This inspired Wild Turkey to release a bolder flavoured bourbon, which was accomplished by tasting several different batches and landing on an older whiskey that had the distinctive merits of a deeply aged liquid.
This has resulted in a whiskey with aromas of “toasted oak, apple and dark cherry” with “sweet confectionary flavours of vanilla, brown sugar and toffee” on the palate and finish with “dark notes of mocha, smoke and spice”.
The limited release Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond is initially available only at Dan Murphy’s at RRP $250 and to the wider market from October.