A little background

In 2017 Wild Turkey released the second of their Master’s Keep Line with Decades. Aptly named due to its rather vague age statement of barrels aged between 10 and 20 years. My guess would be they wanted to capture the magic of both the current Wild Turkey profile and the old funky Turkey notes that many in the whiskey world love. It was bottled at 104 proof and carried a retail price of $150.

(Tasted neat from a Teku 11.2oz Glass)

Color

Dark Gold

Nose

Banana cream pie with a graham cracker crust, maple and brown sugars, and orange peel. A little spice in the way of nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon.

Palate

The initial banana cream from the nose gives way to brown sugar, maple syrup, and caramel. Very little spice overall but a faint nutmeg is present.

Finish

The spice really swells on the finish with allspice and black pepper stealing the show. The underlying nutmeg present throughout is still present but is difficult to pick out behind the other more dominant spices.

In conclusion

Well that was an interesting transition from the sweeter younger barrels up front to the spicy and dry older barrels on the finish. I do wish that those notes were more integrated throughout the experience without the sharp contrast that hits between the palate and finish. Wild Turkey Decades was yet another great addition under the Master’s Keep name and is very deserving of a taste.