When was Rare Breed introduced?

[Hedmans Brorsa]

After several years of hunting I finally, just before Easter, managed to track down a bottle of Wild Turkey Tradition (see pics below).

When using the Search function (keep those fan-mails a´coming, Dave! ) I got somewhat sidetracked, though.

I found out that Tradition was a tax free version of the WT 101. The Mark II version of the 101 was described as including a vatting of whiskies that were 6, 8 and 12 years old.

This led my thoughts in the direction of Rare Breed who also is supposed to be a mixture of the abovementioned ages.

So, finally, to my intended question : when was RB introduced and was it, during the time it was introduced, perceived by WT devotees as a barrel proof version of the 101?

Thanks,

[Rughi]

...when was RB introduced and was it, during the time it was introduced, perceived by WT devotees as a barrel proof version of the 101?

Thanks,

I believe this is the original bottling. It is labelled as W-T-01-91, 109.6 proof.

I can't find any age statement on the Rare Breed, but 8 years would be a good guess, given that the standard product in 1991 would have been (IIRC) the 8 year 101. Also, the character of the couple of Rare Breeds I've tasted seemed closer to the 8 year 101 than to the 12 year.

Roger

[TNbourbon]

Rare Breed was issued in 1991, Kentucky Spirit in 1995, the original 101-proof Russell's Reserve in 2000.

[ThomasH]

I toured WT a week ago and they said the 101 version sold in the US is a mixture of 6,8, and 10 yaer old bourbon. Rare Breed is a mixture of 6,8, and 12 year old bourbon and is barrel proof.

Thomas

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Thanks a lot for the replies!

I remember from the early days of this forum that there was a heated debate about the supposed age of RB. Maybe they both were right, then?

So the 101 is actually a 6/8/10 as opposed to 6/8/12? I probably misread one of the numbers in my rather hasty search. In that case my theory crumbles to the ground.

Does anyone remember how RB was marketed when it first came on sale?

[Rughi]

So the 101 is actually a 6/8/10 as opposed to 6/8/12? I probably misread one of the numbers in my rather hasty search. In that case my theory crumbles to the ground...

If I understand your theory, then I think the next thing to research might be when the standard WT 101 was changed from "8 year" to "Old No. 8."

For the first year of Rare Breed to be a Barrel Prooof version of the standard 101 in a multi-year vatting format (6, 8, 10, etc), "Old No. 8" would have to predate the first Rare Breed.

If the first Rare Breed predates Old No. 8 and was indeed a multi-year vatting, then it had to have been its own concept.

The packaging of the first Rare Breed gives no clue to my eyes if it's a single year (ala 8 year) or multi-year (ala 6, 8, 12).

Now I'm intrigued to look up those heated single year/multi-year debates.

Roger

[nor02lei]

I found out that Tradition was a tax free version of the WT 101.

Thanks,

Lennart,

Where did you get this information? At least to my plate Tradition is as far from 101 as 2 Turkeys can be. Seem real old with in my opinion at list as much wood notes as the 12 Y but comparatively chewier, sweeter and more balanced. I be thrilled to here what you think after you have tasted it.

Leif

[ThomasH]

If you log onto Wild Turkey's website, it states right in the description that RB is a mixture of 6,8 and 12 year bourbon. They still sell a 101 that is a straight 8 year but only in export and duty free. The WT sold in the US is the mixture of 6,8, and 10 year whiskey.

Thomas

[cowdery]

Don't take any of this age stuff too seriously. It's not that they lie, just that the process is not really about age, it's about maturity and matching a brand profile. Even when there is an "official" age declaration on the bottle, that only means that the youngest whiskey used was at least that old.

Single barrel bottlings are, of course, the age they claim to be and contain no whiskey of any other vintage.

If the whiskey is labelled "bonded" or "bottled-in-bond" all of the whiskey must be from a single season (i.e., Spring or Fall of a given year).

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Lennart,

Where did you get this information? Leif

Leif,

I used the search function. Don´t remember the name of the thread but I used the pairings "Wild Turkey" and tradition. (Didn´t get too many hits.)

Of course, I do not know where that person got that info from. I don´t think he quoted any reliable sources bu I reckon he musta got it from somewhere..

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Now I'm intrigued to look up those heated single year/multi-year debates.

Roger

Roger,

Please interpret 'heated' in a SB.com sense!

It was many years ago, thus I don´t remember all the details, but I don´t think these fellas were at each other´s throats! :grin:

[bourbonmed]

A limited number of WT's Kentucky Spirit was released in 1994. But good luck finding a sample.

Omar