Wild Turkey 101 8 Year
Currently only available in Japan*, and a select few online retailers, Wild Turkey 101 8 Year is not a relic from a bygone era. On the contrary ironically; in Japan, this is the only Wild Turkey 101 they have. Japan has no NAS 101. Whether it's a grocery store, liquor store or bar, if a Japanese establishment carries Wild Turkey 101, it bears an 8 year age statement.
Wild Turkey 101 8 Year is almost identical to its younger NAS brother. However with 1-2 additional years, it without question possesses additional layers of depth and flavor which are apparent on the very first nosing...
Wild Turkey 101 8 Year
ABV: 50.1% // 101 proof
Age: 8 years
Release: 2019
Mash Bill: 75/13/12
Color: The Blood of Kentucky +1
Non-chill filtered
Nose: Rich and vibrant. From the moment you nose this, you can tell the difference in depth than that of the NAS 101. Juicier with more citrus and a distinct grape note. Slightly less sweet with less barnyard funk than the standard 101 NAS. The straw and spent peanut shell have more lemon along with the orange now. Along with the oak there are some dried Hickory wood notes as well.
The additional age is definitely apparent but not groundbreaking. That being said, were this available in the US for $10 or $20 more than the standard 101 then I personally would still pay that...which is virtually what a well selected 8 year old Kentucky Spirit is, and which would fall just below that price category.
101 NAS is slightly sweeter than the 8 year 101 which is more vibrant and livelier with the additional age and barrel interaction attesting to this from the first smell.
Palate: Full bodied. A near mirror of the NAS 101. Rich. Intense, vibrant. Moderately drier with more emphasis on the brown muscovado sugars.
Finish: Long. More hickory and less sugars. Oak is drier. Where the NAS 101 is more honey and oak embers in the finish, this is more brown Muscovado sugars and dried oak. A distinct overripe banana note as well.
The sugars and spices are a bit longer. The additional layers of depth are apparent in the finish, but again, near mirror of 101 NAS.
Bourbon and House Rating: 94
The gap between Wild Turkey 101 NAS and its 8 year old brother is not monumental. In fact if you poured both for a novice whiskey drinker, they may not even pick up small differences. Trying this is more important as a learning curve, than anything else. This not only shows you what Wild Turkey 101 used to be globally, it also shows you what a few years are capable of doing in a barrel, from NAS to 8 years.
If you are able to try a glass of this, I encourage you to taste this side by side with Wild Turkey 101 NAS to truly discover their similarities and differences. Then you can decide for yourself if 8 Year 101 is worth picking up.
At the very least it’ll look great on your home bar and the bragging rights arent bad either.
🥃🥃
Check out my Wild Turkey 101 NAS review here: My Wild Turkey 101 NAS Review
RareBird101’s Wild Turkey 101 8 Year review: Rarebird’s 8 Year 101 Review