Twelve years in the past (although I believed it was in 2013, 9 years again), Wild Turkey put out a whiskey that was fairly groundbreaking on the time, mixing bourbon and rye and claiming it was all the results of a contented mistake. Forgiven has by no means been my favourite whiskey, nevertheless it did spur an entire lot of individuals to observe go well with, to the purpose the place bourbon and rye blends are literally pretty frequent these days.
Quick ahead to 2022, and the Russell boys are again at it with a follow-up: Unforgotten, “a excessive proof, extra-aged variation of the harmonious mix of straight bourbon and rye whiskeys.” (There’s no element on the extra-ness of the getting older right here, besides that whereas Forgiven is made with younger rye, the Unforgotten mix contains “among the oldest rye ever launched by Wild Turkey” — and the proof has been bumped up from 91 to 105.) The blended whiskey additionally undergoes secondary getting older in rye barrels, undertaken in Wild Turkey’s pre-Prohibition Rickhouse B.
We received the bottle. Now we’re going to see whether or not or not we should always have forgiven and forgotten the unique experiment in spite of everything.
Up entrance I’ve to say I actually like this whiskey. The nostril is gently woody and candy, evoking brown sugar and gingerbread, full with layers of allspice and nutmeg. It’s well-balanced and feels much less aggressive than rye, but by no means overwhelming with barrel notes. Within the line between maturity and freshness, Unforgotten is deftly balanced.
The palate is moderately sweeter than expectations pushed by the nostril would point out, although traditional rye spice shortly rears its head. I’d wager there’s extra rye on this than the 22% that makes up Forgiven, these gingerbread notes popping with flecks of purple pepper, then creamy butterscotch candies, Bit-O-Honey, and caramel apples. Silky and chocolaty on the end, it’s extraordinarily simple to overlook that is 52.5% alcohol, because the candylike components take you right into a little bit of a blissed-out dessert coma. Don’t get me unsuitable — there are hints of peanut, some barrel char, and a obscure little bit of leather-based within the combine, however they’re all nicely tempered — and for the higher.
These anticipating a few of Wild Turkey’s massive bruisers will go away Unforgotten dissatisfied, however I’m actually loving it from begin to end.
OK guys, you win. All is certainly forgiven. And remembered.
105 proof.
A / $200
Wild Turkey Grasp’s Maintain Unforgotten
$200
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