Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Unforgotten Review | Whiskey Raiders
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94
American

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Unforgotten

  • Distiller:

    Wild Turkey

  • Bottler:

    Wild Turkey

  • ABV:

    52.5%

  • Age:

    NAS

  • Price:
    $$$$$
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Aggregated Reviews
  • Raided Score: 92
  • Publication: Rob Report
  • Excerpt: It’s an interesting whiskey that has the recognizable Wild Turkey character to it, but there’s a lot more going on.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 97
  • Publication: Rare Bird 101
  • Excerpt: There’s no cheap gimmicks or fluff, no spin on an everyday bourbon or rye, only excellence throughout. Master’s Keep Unforgotten showcases everything I love about Wild Turkey’s rye – zesty vanilla, vibrant citrus, and sweet & savory spice – but with the fragrant and rich oak backbone of a well-aged bourbon.
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  • Raided Score: 95
  • Publication: Paste
  • Excerpt: It’s immediately among my favorite whiskey releases of 2022, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this crack a fair number of year-end whiskey lists. If you love both Wild Turkey bourbon and rye, it’s one to seek out.
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  • Raided Score: 93
  • Publication: The Bourbon Culture
  • Excerpt: It offers up an experience unrivaled by any other product they currently have put out over the last 10 years. Maybe more. 
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  • Raided Score: 97
  • Publication: Drink Hacker
  • Excerpt: Silky and chocolaty on the finish, it’s extremely easy to forget this is 52.5% alcohol, as the candylike elements take you into a bit of a blissed-out dessert coma. Don’t get me wrong — there are hints of peanut, some barrel char, and a vague bit of leather in the mix, but they’re all well tempered — and for the better.
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  • Raided Score: 88
  • Publication: Whiskey Raiders
  • Excerpt: Overall, when Wild Turkey's Master's Keep is a hit, it's undeniable. The last Master's Keep that really wowed me was the 17yr Bottled in Bond. This...can't unseat that. I like the experimentation that Wild Turkey seems committed to in this release each year, but the ethanol is out of control and the whiskey pendulums back and forth from bourbon and rye. A great bourye should blend the best of both ingredients to their strengths, and this feels just a bit off that mark. It's clear that this release is the Russell's playground each year, and I'm thankful they have the opportunity to really get out there and give it a go, but for as tough as it is to find, you really need to embrace the skunkworks side of Wild Turkey to justify the hunt.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 95
  • Publication: Breaking Bourbon
  • Excerpt: Unforgotten is an extremely impressive blended whiskey from a company not necessarily known for their blending capabilities. It nicely showcases the best parts of its blended base whiskeys, with an added bonus of its unique rye barrel finish.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.

House Review
  • Intro:

    Meet Wild Turkey's newest American Whiskey. That's a little weird to hear (and write) but this blend of Bourbon and Rye is labeled as such by law. A combination of 13yr Bourbon, as well as 8yr and 9yr Rye, according to the box, this release is the 2022 Master's Keep. The cream of Turkey's crop, this is the annual limited edition that hopes to capture the attention of whiskey fans everywhere. The naming convention is a bit callous, it's a bit strange to draw such a direct light on a previously "forgiven" mistake at the distillery (the genesis of Wild Turkey's long discontinued Forgiven Bou-rye) and label it "Unforgotten". Naming convention opinions aside, let's dive into the whiskey.

  • Nose:

    Raw, powerful, rye spice. A zip of ethanol, honey, lavender, orange peel and heavy, spicy, pepper. Oddly bourbon heavy, rye seems a bit absent.

  • Taste:

    Moderate mouthfeel on the palate, but the ethanol is inescapable. To say it drinks hot for 105pf would be accurate. The rye dominates on the palate. Brown sugar, candied ginger, cracked pepper, heavy char.

  • Finish:

    Dry and back to all bourbon. Cream, honey, lavender returns, spicy and dry. Tannic, there's a good bit of cracked pepper and orange peel once more.

  • Overall:

    Overall, when Wild Turkey's Master's Keep is a hit, it's undeniable. The last Master's Keep that really wowed me was the 17yr Bottled in Bond. This...can't unseat that. I like the experimentation that Wild Turkey seems committed to in this release each year, but the ethanol is out of control and the whiskey pendulums back and forth from bourbon and rye. A great bourye should blend the best of both ingredients to their strengths, and this feels just a bit off that mark. It's clear that this release is the Russell's playground each year, and I'm thankful they have the opportunity to really get out there and give it a go, but for as tough as it is to find, you really need to embrace the skunkworks side of Wild Turkey to justify the hunt.

  • Score:

    6

  • By t8ke
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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