Carnagusfarnbuckler Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I posted this on a Facebook site and had some replies but I know you guys will have input on this also. I know we kind of touched on this in another post here but never saw any info on the newer bottles and if they are as good as the ones in the article. I just read the article by Rarebird 101. He explains that the 2018 fall batches of Wild Turkey 101 contain more 10 year old bourbon than usual. If you have or can find the codes listed you will be rewarded. I have got my hands on a couple of the LL/GH and I think they are great. I have heard that GG,GH,GI are also great. What about later ones like GJ,GK,GL and newer? Here is a link to Rarebird101 article on this. https://rarebird101.com/2019/01/15/wild-turkey-101-2018/ Here is a link on Reddit that explains all the dates and codes: https://www.reddit.com/…/5…/guide_to_wild_turkey_date_codes/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 My November bottle was very light in color (which seemed odd with some older whiskey presumably in it), but it tasted just fine. Perhaps, the mix isn’t as much as thought. Or, more younger whiskey in it, and the middle aged component is very squeezed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller542 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I read the same and went on a turkey hunt the other day. I now have a LL/GG and a LL/GI both open and I prefer the LL/GI, it strikes me as having a little less heat and a little more of everything else. I would be interested in hearing others thoughts on the more recent GJ, GK, and GL bottles and how they compare to the GH and GI bottles. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnagusfarnbuckler Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 17 minutes ago, smokinjoe said: My November bottle was very light in color (which seemed odd with some older whiskey presumably in it), but it tasted just fine. Perhaps, the mix isn’t as much as thought. Or, more younger whiskey in it, and the middle aged component is very squeezed. Wow, big difference there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Joes pic looks like HH60 LOL!! I have by chance an LL/GI and whatever is going on with the I is just fantastic, and I am a huge WT fan anyway. The "I "was a replenish for depleted daily pour stock and I did notice an uptick in the flavors I like vs a 2017 bottling (and that was already good, still had a wee bit for a direct SBS). So I am certainly a fan of "I" regardless of what the age of the contents might be, its just damn great whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 I have a "J" handle and will do a SBS with my open "I" later this week. I will let you all know what, if anything, I discover. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clueby Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 An SB'r brought a blind "mystery" bottle of WT101 to a gathering and several of us weighed in on our thoughts before we knew what it was. It was my first pour of the night and it had some pretty stiff competition. (BTAC, PHC, old dusties, etc.) I thought it was perfectly fine bourbon. I detected a nuttiness in it which I don't normally get very pronounced from WT. I did get a bit of citrus/orange note if I recall correctly. I incorrectly guessed either KC100 or HHBIB. I thought of it as a good "everyday" bourbon that I enjoyed but not earth shattering. I was surprised that it was WT101 due to the nuttiness and not a big dose of spiciness that I normally equate with WT. No idea what bottle code it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 This date code thing has gotten out of hand. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miller542 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 1 hour ago, flahute said: This date code thing has gotten out of hand. Dusties are gone, LE's are on secondary or lottery, what else is a bourbon nerd to do other than go on bottle code treasure hunts? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 26 minutes ago, miller542 said: Dusties are gone, LE's are on secondary or lottery, what else is a bourbon nerd to do other than go on bottle code treasure hunts? True. It’s the sad state of Bourbon 2019. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0895 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 (edited) After months of hunting, research, and data collection, what we’ve discovered is that WT101 is still darn good bourbon. Meanwhile, WT sales executives are puzzled by a sudden increase in sales of 101... Edited February 18, 2019 by 0895 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 5 hours ago, 0895 said: After months of hunting, research, and data collection, what we’ve discovered is that WT101 is still darn good bourbon. Meanwhile, WT sales executives are puzzled by a sudden increase in sales of 101... I've done a good 20 years of research on WT101 and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is a damn fine bourbon. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I said I would be back and here I am. For those playing along with this little exercise (remember this is all for fun!!). I did a SBS with an "I" and a "J". The I is a 750 and the J a handle. I am buying WT handles now vs 750's as I won't be a buyer of VOB going forward ( VOB bib, HH6, OGD bib & 101 being my daily pour, pours of choice) and I typically bought VOB bib handles as I only get to KY once a year, whatever, 750 vs handle, same contents. The I is, to my taste, a richer more saturated caramel centric pour than the remains of my '17 101, no idea what the '17 code was as I never looked at them before hearing of this mid/late 2018 batch business. The '17 was perfectly enjoyable as has been the case will all the recent years of WT. IMO they have been on a steady upward trajectory for some time now but it definitely came in second to the "I". The "J" was possibly even a shade better than the "I" (I did em blind) I say possibly but I wouldn't bet money on one over the other, they tasted identical when I repeated the test the following night when they BOTH bested a WTKS store pick I have. I have tasted noticeable batch variation in EC12 ( back when it was 12) and 4RSmb, those variations were to my taste quite pronounced, however this I, J thing? pick em. I can't comment on GG but GH, GI, GJ are all winners in my book (I have a RB "H"). Full disclosure I am a WT fan going back 30+ years so I would have been buying during this period regardless and while there have been peaks and valleys over the years, we may be in one of those peak eras and there is no reason to think it won't carry on. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guss West Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I grab my gobble by the handle, too. Er, ah... I mean I buy half-gallons of WT 101 also. I decant them into WTKS birdie bottles, it's the house pour. Tasted blind SBS, this year's 101 is noticeably better than last year's, imho. My dusty 101 from 2002 blows them all away, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limegoldconvertible68 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I finally managed to find one of these. It’s a GH. In this market this should be a $50 bottle. It’s very good and I did a blind test against a 2017 bottle. Both are good but wow. I’m glad they released Longbranch since it used so many of the 8 yr barrels and gave us this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako254 Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 https://bourbonpursuit.com/wild-turkey-podcasts/ Check out episode 189. Pursuit boys did an interview with Eddie some months back and it posted this week. Eddie talks barrel entry proof, why WT rickhouses are so important to their bourbon and the recent 101 batching. Good stuff for us turkey heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnagusfarnbuckler Posted February 23, 2019 Author Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Mako254 said: https://bourbonpursuit.com/wild-turkey-podcasts/ Check out episode 189. Pursuit boys did an interview with Eddie some months back and it posted this week. Eddie talks barrel entry proof, why WT rickhouses are so important to their bourbon and the recent 101 batching. Good stuff for us turkey heads. I listened to this yesterday and noticed Eddie said that this years Wild Turkey 101 was a mix of 7,8, and 9 ½ years in it. The YouTube was filmed several months back so we can assume Eddie was talking about 2018. Cheers to the Russell family for giving us a great product at a unreal price. Edited February 23, 2019 by Carnagusfarnbuckler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuck Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Picked up a handle of WT101 last night with the old style jug handle on it and the previous label. Side by side the LL/GJ bottle I had open is noticeably better than the older bottling, not that it isn't good. I just find the current WT101 bottling to be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcgumbohead Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 (edited) On 2/21/2019 at 3:21 PM, Guss West said: I grab my gobble by the handle, too. Er, ah... I mean I buy half-gallons of WT 101 also. I decant them into WTKS birdie bottles, it's the house pour. Tasted blind SBS, this year's 101 is noticeably better than last year's, imho. My dusty 101 from 2002 blows them all away, though. Decanting into that beautiful tail feather bottle is exactly my plan as well, it’s frankly why I sprung for the KS in the first place knowing the inconsistencies in that line. I am surprised that barrel was selected, having participated in a WT barrel selection I can’t imagine that one being the pick of the litter, likely a barrel was just assigned to the store and a sticker slapped on it. The difference vs 101 are these, the 101 is a balance of intense caramel into classic WT spice then a gradual long lasting finish of the various flavors and sub flavors of those 2 primary characteristics. The KS while possessing the same DNA flashes sweet /spice more rapidly and turns hot harsh and boozy in contrast to the 101, the finish duration is brief vs the 101 as well. These current 101s have none of that harshness present in my KS and the deep flavors and long lasting finish are seriously impressive especially given supply strains and escalating pricing seen from other distilleries. I wanted to follow up with a bit more detail on what exactly separated the current 101 from the WTKS in my SBS because we’re bourbon nerds and that’s what we do!! Of course my WTKS is a local pick and SB so my comments are specific to that barrel, and my palate,which is it’s own thing so in other words, just my opinion YMMV. Cheers all! Edited February 23, 2019 by kcgumbohead 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limegoldconvertible68 Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 What era is this bottle. I just passed on it but wondered if I need to go back and get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCwhammie Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 8 minutes ago, Limegoldconvertible68 said: What era is this bottle. I just passed on it but wondered if I need to go back and get it. Is that a 375ml? You didnt happen to have gotten a photo of the laser code, did you? I definitely would've bought it regardless of the code, but I'm a Turkey head. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbroo5880i Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 So, do you think I will get strange looks if I search through all of the WT101 bottles at Kroger as I seek a bottle with one of the mythical codes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako254 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 14 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said: So, do you think I will get strange looks if I search through all of the WT101 bottles at Kroger as I seek a bottle with one of the mythical codes? My local places are used to it by now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosmith Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 13 hours ago, mbroo5880i said: So, do you think I will get strange looks if I search through all of the WT101 bottles at Kroger as I seek a bottle with one of the mythical codes? Who cares? You do what you got to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supercharger Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Turkey Noob here. Stopped in to a dusty LS today I hadn’t been to to see what they had. ER at $40 and WSR begins the counter without a price told me enough. They did have a bottle of 101 (a lonely, solitary bottle) on the shelf with a FJ date code. I figured it was early enough to not have the GI/GH secret sauce but not so old as to be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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