Wild Turkey Master's Keep 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The story behind Master’s Keep is even more interesting. In 1997, Wild Turkey was running out of space in their warehouse so they transferred the barrels to  stone warehouse at the old Stone Castle Distillery. Due to some water damage the barrels were moved to a different stone warehouse on the property. Finally, the barrels were moved back to the Wild Turkey distillery in 2010. Cool story but why does any of this matter? You’ll notice the proof of Master’s Keep is 86.8. That’s because of the aging environment. Stone warehouses have far less temperature swings and as a result affect the finished product.

Whisky Advocate magazine rating: 91

Coconut, orange peel and a sweet wood. Spicy with ground cinnamon or some kind of savory spice. There’s an interesting sweet and herbal taste. Kind of like sweet tea. Overall, it’s woody there’s no doubt about that but I’m not sure what else to expect from a 17 year old bourbon. The oak is powerful at times but in a really enjoyable way.  The fact that it’s an 86.6 barrel proof makes it one of the more interesting pours I’ve had this year.