Wild Turkey Launches Master’s Keep Revival

On the heels of his first two special releases, Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell is introducing the third expression in the award-winning Master’s Keep series—Master’s Keep Revival.  As the newest expression in the super premium series, Master’s Keep Revival features Wild Turkey Bourbon aged 12-15 years and finished in 20-year-old Oloroso Sherry casks.

With a nod to his father’s 64-year legacy as a Bourbon sage and distilling legend, Master’s Keep Revival is inspired by the limited-release Wild Turkey Sherry Signature; a product Jimmy Russell introduced in the early 2000’s that featured 10-year-old Bourbon finished in an Oloroso sherry cask. Eddie used the Sherry Signature taste profile to guide him to older Bourbon that, after resting in sherry casks, brought out top notes of fruit that blended perfectly with the vanilla and caramel of Wild Turkey. Eddie’s “revival” of Sherry Signature was the impetus for the name —a fitting tribute for the dynamic father & son distilling duo who collectively have 101 years of experience between them.

It was important to Eddie that he specifically use sherry casks that had held liquid for at least 20 years to pull through a richer flavor with stronger notes of fruit. To secure casks directly from the source, Eddie traveled to Jerez, Spain in search of the perfect barrels. To Eddie’s surprise, this was a lot harder than he imagined. While he found a surplus of three to four-year-old casks, anything older than four years was extremely scarce, probably due to the existing demands of the Scotch, Irish and Japanese whisky industries. However, Eddie’s persistence and determination to secure these precious barrels led him to someone with a stock of a few hundred.

“Master’s Keep Revival is a Bourbon I am proud to put my name on,” said Eddie Russell. “Jimmy and I have our healthy differences in how we drink Bourbon and how we make Bourbon, but I really enjoyed being able to take something my father created decades ago, which was maybe a little ahead of its time, and put my own stamp on it for today’s Bourbon connoisseurs and treasure hunters. I think it will be a nice addition to any collection.”

With the Master’s Keep series, Eddie has pushed the boundaries on the age limits of Bourbon, producing some of the oldest whiskeys Wild Turkey has ever released. The first launch of the series, Master’s Keep, was a 17-year-old bourbon aged in stone and wooden warehouses. Its sequel, Master’s Keep Decades, also showcased how Eddie is able to create exceptionally balanced whiskies from liquid aged far beyond what is normally Wild Turkey’s sweet spot of 8–12 years.

Made from a blend of whiskies aged 12 to 15 years and finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks, Master’s Keep Revival is a 101 proof (50.5% alc. /vol.) Kentucky Straight Bourbon with a nose of cherry pie, raisins, citrus, nuts and a touch of oak. It delivers soft and creamy hints of spice and sweet tropical fruits, balanced with long and lingering notes of honey, spice and dried apricots. With only 1,600 cases and available for a limited time nationally and at the Wild Turkey Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Revival retails for $149.99.