fishnbowljoe Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Late again. No big surprise. In looking through the BOTM list, I noticed that it's been quite a while since anything from Wild Turkey has had a turn. I had a hard time deciding between WT 81, and WTKS. Even though there has been some recent discussion on the "new" 81 proof, I decided to go with WTKS. I figured that many members are somewhat familiar with the variations over the years. I thought this might generate some good discussion/posts. So, Pewter Top, Smooth Dark Top, Embossed Dark Top, or the current Light Wood Top, let's here what you think. Cheers to Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit! :grin: Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyjd75 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I have had one bottle of WTKS, recently bought with the light colored top. The wood top separated from the cork when I tried to open it, so I had to use a wine cork puller to get it open. I used an empty AAA 10 yr. bottle to hold the contents so that it could be made airtight until consumed.I thought it was OK, but not as good as WTRB, which I happen to like very much. So far I have gone through RB, KS and 101 in the WT line. RB is the only one I have replaced so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Smooth Dark top with dark Bourbon inside hasn't let me down yet. A 2001 Pewter was not great and the current light top and light juice just tastes young and hot to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halifax Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 My favorites are the smooth dark tops bottled in September 2003. That said... I had a dark logo top WTKS (2-13-06) during the Super Bowl. This bourbon always delivers IMHO. Lots of vanilla, caramel, toffee... Classic Turkey spiciness... Nicely balanced. I left a lot of smooth tops behind in my early days of hunting. I am slowly but surely retracing my footsteps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailor22 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Halifax is right to identify a month and year as that is a much more accurate way to zero in on the best bottlings.I asked Jimmy Russell if they changed the juice when they changed the tops and he laughed and said no. The change in tops was something done by the marketing dept. to reduce costs and bring the product in line with their other products on the shelf. So, Turkey isn't using the tops as any sort of marker for different product but we can use it for identifying different general periods of preferred juice. The month and year are much more specific however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Dog Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Smooth Dark top with dark Bourbon inside hasn't let me down yet. A 2001 Pewter was not great and the current light top and light juice just tastes young and hot to me.I often think "young and hot" while drinking various WT, even after slight dilution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Dog Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Current light wood top, bottled 4/29/10. Slightly pale color, mildly spicy nose. Once water is added, a slightly sweet vanilla center emerges, but the finish remains a bit hot and unchained. Lacks the depth of complexity that I get from WTRB. As this lists the barrel number, why will they not tell me the age?? Probably because we would never buy it at that price if we knew how young it is. RB and 101Rye remain my favorite current WT expressions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thezenone Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Just finished some Spirit a few months ago and rather enjoyed it. I like the 101 as a good value pour, but have never really kept any Turkey variations stocked in my bar. I just grabbed a bottle of Rare Breed and was less than impressed on my first glass, but I didn't dilute it and perhaps it needs some time to "air out." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBradford Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Sadly, I believe PA doesn't have WTKS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dohidied Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Smooth Dark Top, bottled 02/03/04Nose - Wood at first, followed by almond paste.Taste - WT burn and wood with strong vanilla. Almost has a flavor of egg nog.Finish - Dry, but a nice oak flavor.I think Kentucky Spirit is good, but I enjoy Rare Breed about as much. Granted, I haven't had the current stuff in a while, just the '91 bottling that might be clouding my memory. I haven't had the current KS to compare. All I have in the bunker are a couple '96 pewter tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburlowski Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Used to be a good pour but, alas, in recent years it seems to have gotten younger, thin, and lacking complexity. IMO, no longer worth the money.Now some dusties, on the other hand.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 I love my dark top from October, 2003. I'll struggle to replace it. I like the current light top, but I love the dark top version(s). I taste almonds, nutmeg upon entry, and a nice strong oak finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazer Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Used to be a good pour but, alas, in recent years it seems to have gotten younger, thin, and lacking complexity. IMO, no longer worth the money.I love the rare breed, I haven't had any KS that I can remember, this is why I don't see the reason to pay $10 more for something that I might not like any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I was going to taste my old Kentucky Spirit yesterday afternoon and report on it here. But I became severely ill, so I'll have to postpone it.At first, I was afraid I had the flu, but after thinking more about my symptoms, I think it might be meningitis. I would rather have the flu. Last night was pure torture. I will make an appointment as soon as I can get through to the doctor's office, this morning.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Boozer Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Tim, Hope everything will be good and stay healthy!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkersback Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Tim, let us know how you are. Praying for you in NYC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Hope all is well, Tim, and hope you'll be commenting on WTKS in no time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Well the good news is that it is not the flu or meningitis. The bad news is that the doctor really doesn't know what it is. I have an elevated white blood cell count, so it is probably some bacterial infection, maybe diverticulitis.I feel quite a bit better, so far today. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil T Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I love the rare breed, I haven't had any KS that I can remember, this is why I don't see the reason to pay $10 more for something that I might not like any better.I bought my only bottle of KS a couple months ago. Its a dark top bottled '06. It has none of the upfront sweetness and is very smoky and woody.RB at $10 less, is the much better value and bourbon ..YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanSheen Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Used to be a good pour but, alas, in recent years it seems to have gotten younger, thin, and lacking complexity. IMO, no longer worth the money.Now some dusties, on the other hand....Yes, it's a shame. It used to be fantastic, now it's just a fancy bottle and a high price tag.I love old Turkey. These days its just another distillery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Comp Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 I've only got one in the bunker, a sealed 1/9/09 bottling, signed by Jimmy, and based on what I've heard so far I guess it might as well just stay that way. I had some good success with dusty hunting back in the day but never found any dusty WTKS in my Chicago area hunts. I had to settle for my '91 and '93 Rare Breed finds instead :cool: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callmeox Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Like many others I love the older pewter and dark wood bottlings but the new stuff leaves me flat. It is just too young for my tastes.I'm glad I have scads of 90s era KS and RR101 put up to tide me over until WT has enough aged stock on hand to do the label justice again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bourbon Boiler Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I'm really enjoying this pour right now from a dark top. I bought this in Logansport, Indiana, and the guy behind the counter said it was probably the last bottle of anything they had from their previous location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neat Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I was going to taste my old Kentucky Spirit yesterday afternoon and report on it here. But I became severely ill, so I'll have to postpone it.At first, I was afraid I had the flu, but after thinking more about my symptoms, I think it might be meningitis. I would rather have the flu. Last night was pure torture. I will make an appointment as soon as I can get through to the doctor's office, this morning.Tim oops! posted too soon. saw that it wasn't meningitis and that you are feeling better. that's good to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neat Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Yes, it's a shame. It used to be fantastic, now it's just a fancy bottle and a high price tag.I love old Turkey. These days its just another distillery.i agree with you about loving old turkey. however, i disagree with you about it just being another distillery these days. i think they still produce very good bourbon - even at the massive scale they churn out the stuff. is it as good as the old days? nope. but, it's still good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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