Wild Turkey enjoys quite the history with its renowned family of distillers, including third-generation Master Distiller Eddie Russell, who joined the company in 1981. That was 35 years ago, and to commemorate the anniversary, Eddie and Wild Turkey recently announced the release of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades.
It’s the second limited-edition bourbon in the Master’s Keep series, following a 17-year-old release in 2015.
“For Master’s Keep Decades, I went all out and used some of the rarest and most precious barrels in our stocks,” Eddie says. “The final product is a whiskey with the finesse and deep character of older bourbon, anchored by the bold, balanced, and vibrant backbone of younger bourbon.”
Made from a blend of whiskies aged 10 to 20 years, this 104-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon has a nose of oak and caramel, the company reports. It has notes of butterscotch, dried fruit, chocolate and smoke. Available nationally and at the Wild Turkey Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades will retail for $150 per 750-ml. bottle.
Eddie and his father/mentor, legendary Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, work side-by-side as the industry’s only active father and son master distiller duo. Eddie was promoted to his title in 2015.
“When Eddie started working at the distillery, I didn’t make it easy for him. I didn’t want people to think I was giving him special treatment, so I made him do a lot of hard, thankless work to earn everyone’s respect,” recalls Jimmy Russell. “Watching him step into his own, earn the admiration of his peers and create some of the best whiskies I’ve ever tasted has been the most fulfilling experience a father could ask for.”
