Wild Turkey 101: Worth The Hype?

[@JayMcB]

WT101 is my go to.. I love the taste, it has a certain funk to it that I can’t get enough of

[@DavidWilson-YT]

This was one of the first bourbons I drank and is still one of my favourites. Not the cheapest you can buy but good value for money. Their Rare Breed is one to try if you come across.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

A bottle of Rare Breed dropped in to the Crumby Cavern yesterday! Looking forward to it!

[@matthewpeterson3329]

My go-to bourbons for several years have been Bulleit and Four roses, both costing about $25 here in Arizona. I recently, based on another KZbin channel's review, tried the WT101 and have been very surprised and pleased. Not to mention, it is regularly on sale for $22. I wouldn't think twice about serving it to discerning friends... they would almost certainly think it was a more expensive spirit.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Absolutely! It just hits so much better than its' price point, super impressive!

[@ShaunShearman]

Well I finally managed to 'lock down' a bottle of this at Tesco's last night (on offer at £25.50) and gleefully skipped home with bottle in hand. Opened her up, poured a swallow, let it breathe for as long as my patience would allow (about 10 minutes, lol) and then dived in......WOW ! With every sip I was getting so much more, the flavours got deeper and richer but the 'Kentucky Hug' that I got from the proof point was absolutely gorgeous too. I started to notice more and more different flavours both on the palate and on the nose, those notes became richer and deeper as I continued to sip. The proof point is above my normal threshold as I've only just started into my Bourbon journey but one that I'm keen on revisiting again in the near future (maybe tonight, lol). The flavours are subtle at first but become more substantial on subsequent sips, the mouthfeel is gloriously thicker than lower proof bourbon will ever be and the finish is a delightfully full bodied experience, one that demands repeating ! I now understand why Jimmy Russell's name is so revered in the bourbon industry. Thanks Tom for pushing me in the right direction with your video review of this highly underrated Bourbon, I can see this being a staple on my shelf (which actually is starting to look more like a bar than a shelf at the moment). For me it's never going to be a daily sipper as I seem to prefer the lower proofs (80-90ish) for a daily dram but I can see myself finishing off a good night with a shot of this to round off an evenings foray into my ever growing journey of Bourbon discovery. I'm looking forward to getting hold of a bottle of Eagle Rare as soon as it goes on offer at one of the supermarkets, as you and a plethora of others have highly recommended it and at 90 proof it will fall right into my wheelhouse for a daily sipper too. Keep up the great reviews buddy and I'll keep watching......

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Love the detailed feedback! Glad you enjoyed it! Likewise I often find myself leaning more towards 90 proof as my preferred easy going dram but this really does just deliver, especially for the price! A real hard one to beat! Be interested to see how you get on with Eagle Rare. Most people seem to love it, but a few don’t get it - and not much in between! Cheers! 🥃

[@siddfinch-f4q]

the higher the abv the stronger the flavour. be wary of 40% as there is a very high probability of being chill filtered, whisky is healthy but chill filtering and added colourant makes the low end whisky processed.

[@harvey2609]

You convinced me. Great review. Ordered a bottle on Amazon for £24 pounds. Arrives tomorrow. I'll get back to you. Thanks and Merry Christmas 🎄

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas!

[@aikidragonpiper71]

Wild Turkey 101 has been around for over 60 years. It's not a new bourbon. I've been sipping it for years. Excellent bourbon for the price. But my regular daily sipper is Evan Williams Bottle in Bond white label . Bottle in Bond Bourbons are always a good deal.

[@jackkitchen737]

Because of the spicy notes on the back end of tasting, this is my #1 affordable bourbon.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

It's certainly a contender for me too. I need to do some series back-to-back tastings to determine for certain. Cheers!

[@Koby616]

Wild turkey 101 made me fall in love with bourbon and whiskey. I was surprised how much flavour it had. Of course for that time i only had low abvs blended scotch, Jameson or smth like jack Daniels.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

It really is a huge step up from most entry-level Bourbon at not much of a price hike. Really does tick so many boxes! Cheers!

[@jmichaeljj]

Since most of what I drink is between 50 to 100 dollars. Wild Turkey 101 is pretty good at its price point

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Pretty much untouchable at the price for me! Sets such a high bar. Cheers!

[@longsnapper5381]

Finally, someone that uses a rinse at a tasting......

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

I do in most but often end up editing it out. Cheers!

[@shekatagani]

I was a fanatic for Jack Daniels, but I found Wild Turkey 101 and it's my new favorite, I drink it on the rocks and love it!

[@Yehhbb]

Try buffalo trace 🥃 I like it more than the wild turkey I'm fan of the fruit flavors buffalo trace has

[@shekatagani]

@@Yehhbb Thanks I will give it a try sometime

[@danielsimpson5484]

Weird question but couldn’t find the answer online so wondered if you knew. How long has wt101 been available in the uk?

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Excellent question but I’ll be honest I really don’t know. I suspect it’s not a straight forward answer and some independents likely imported in small quantities years before any official channels so would be very hard to tell. Would be fascinated if anyone does have an answer though!

[@KermitForPrez]

Keep an eye out for Four Roses - Small Batch. Affordable (in the USA), smooth, and easy to share with beginning bourbon drinkers. A gateway whiskey that delivers to bourbon fans as well.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

I have had the Small Batch before in a bar and it is on by to-buy list! I do really really enjoy it. It's a bit of a price-bump up from the 3 here in the UK most of the time, but I think it does occasionally price drop so I'll be sure to grab some when it does. Cheers!

[@M.Ruen323]

I love WT101 but I prefer the old bottle. The newer one is more on the sweet side.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

If I ever find a vintage version for sale I'll be sure to grab it!

[@torr9362]

I’d feel just fine without throwing Makers into the mix. But it would be fun to see just how short it fell of these.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Makers faired surprisingly well in a recent blind I did! But unlikely has much hope against 101 I must say!

[@gazboden4337]

When it’s on offer at £23 I don’t think anything can touch it IMO. Especially taking into consideration age and abv

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

I'll do a big "budget" bourbon blind taste as soon as I get my hands on a couple more that I'd like to include. But this has a very good chance of going all the way to the top. I think it's reputation might be tainted by being the same recipe as the normal Wild Turkey, but it delivers just so much more.

[@MerseyBeers]

I have never been a fan of Wild Turkey however never tried the 101 version. At a cocktail bar i liverpool than specialises in Bourbon although they use Four Roses, they recommended Eagle Rare as the best budget bourbon (£35 in Tesco, Waitrose and Amazon) i am yet to take the plungy but its only £2-3 more expensive than this...

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

That’s interesting! I wasn’t aware Eagle Rare was in supermarkets here now - I had it aaaaages ago but was on a night out so difficult to give an absolute opinion. Have a bottle coming soon though so will see how that compares!

[@KermitForPrez]

Not WT fan either, but a big Four Roses fan. That's my "daily drinker" or my fav buy above the bargain buys. Eagle Rare is a solid choice.

[@detroyt232323]

If you haven't had 101 you haven't had Wild Turkey

[@azmendozafamily]

Wild Turkey 101 is my go to Bourbon. The Rye is quite good as well. Both bottles are staples on my shelf. The Rye usually is favored in winter. The Bourbon is usually my drink in summer.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

I need more rye so I’ll keep an eye out for it! Cheers! 🥃

[@teedot1186]

This is the Delish.

[@us-eb3info79]

For me woodford Turkey then Bullet

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Nice to hear someone with Woodford as a preference! Cheers!

[@meteor1522]

Wild Turkey 101 isn’t a “budget” bourbon,it’s mid range.it’s 2x the price of Jim Beam white and many others.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Fair point, it is one level up from their base, but at the same time is the same stuff at a higher proof. Whilst it's MSRP here is about 35% higher than Jim white label, it's on offer so frequently that most of the time we're only talking about a £5 difference, and at that point it's both budget friendly and an absolute bargain!

[@meteor1522]

@@TheCrumbyBeard I think it’s the best all around bourbon,I much prefer it to Eagle’s Rare and Bulliet.and Jim Beam white label is my least favourite bourbon.

[@gabibeck8344]

101 is definitely a massive delight The oak and depth of flavour is unmatched for the price Woodford double oaked is also a hell of a bourbon

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Certainly is! I love it more every time I try it. Cheers! 🥃

[@traviswilson7990]

Interesting video crumby. Not the biggest fan of whiskey but I certainly take an interest. Are you much of a rum drinker?

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Cheers Trav! I enjoy a complex rum on occasion but never quite get as excited about it as I do whiskey. What're your favourite rums?

[@traviswilson7990]

I’m not into white or spiced rum but just dabble a bit in dark rum mainly our Aussie Bundaberg rum I drink the overproof and there limited range where they age rum in wine barrels

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

@@traviswilson7990 Some wine barrel aging sounds a bit of alright! Yeah likewise when I do sample it tends to be straight-up dark rum.

[@busDoctor31895]

Americana in a glass wt101 is the best under 35 dollar bourbon in the world until someone proves me wrong

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Best for the price I think you're spot on!

[@joelanderson907]

Buffalo trace $30 bottle is WELL worth the extra $5. Not a big fan of 101 it just tastes cheap to me. I’d prefer Bulliet to 101 but it costs more than Buffalo

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

I really like Bulleit for the rye-heavy nature, but I know its not for everyone as a result. I stand by what I said for the UK version of Buffalo Trace, but having now recently pitched that against a US version, I think you're right!

[@detroyt232323]

Are you saying "boban" 🤔

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

Heh, it probably sounds like it - some British dialects emphasise the O more than the UR in the word like most American accents for some reason. It probably comes from us having a sweet cookie called a Bourbon Biscuit but is pronounced "Borban" for some reason.

[@paudiemaguire1]

Its funny how you claim the 81 proof to be the original when 101 was infact around since the 40s. I know it was taken off the uk and irish markets for about 5 years recently for some reason, i regularly paid €50 to get it imported in the past, thankfully it is back on the market. Wild turkey has been my go to whiskey since i can remember if i had to pick a top 3 bourbons (easily available and within my budget) id go 101, makers mark and buffalo trace.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

You're very right - the 101 would be the 'original' version. But by Wild Turkey's own branding, the 81 proof is just called Wild Turkey, it's hard to call it just that without adding confusion. Would be convenient if distilleries gave every variant it's own distinct term (like Jack Daniel's did with No. 7) rather than just naming it after the distillery for the base version. But ultimately this is only an issue for people talking about them and not their regular customers. Thanks for the comment - much appreciated!

[@detroyt232323]

Oof, not the greatest bottles to compare it to.

[@TheCrumbyBeard]

That's fair - variety of bourbon here isn't the greatest and my intent was do pitch it against one slightly cheaper and one slightly more expensive. I'm slowly accruing a collection so will re-visit this with recommendations from these comments in the future. Which two bottles do you think are more representative?