A year or so ago, we stopped at the Wild Turkey Distillery but the visitor center was being "refreshed" so we couldn't go inside. You can read about it HERE. So before we left the area, we decided to stop again. This time, we scheduled a tour in advance so we were set!
In 1869, the Ripy brothers opened their family distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and in 1893, their bourbon represented Kentucky at the World's Fair in Chicago. How did the distillery get its name? In 1940, a distillery executive shared his bourbon with his friends on an annual hunting trip - of course, they were hunting for wild turkey.
Wild Turkey has earned several nicknames, including "The Dirty Bird", "The Screaming Eagle", and "The Kickin' Chicken". It is also a pop culture icon, counting references in films, songs, and even the 1990s vampire classic television series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
In 1954, Master Distiller Jimmy Russell joined Wild Turkey and became the third in line of master distillers for the brand which includes second master distiller, Bill Hughes, and Ernest Ripy, son of the original distiller. In 1981, Eddie Russell, Jimmy's son, joined Wild Turkey as a relief operator and began to work his way up the distillery ladder. Jimmy, 90(ish) years old, and Eddie still work at the distillery today!
We met our tour guide, Tyler, climbed on the bus, and set off on our journey. First stop was the 'cooking' area.
I wish I could remember 10% of the information Tyler shared with us. But I do remember that each turkey has his/her own name - this is Rex!
While some other distilleries use a bagged or dry yeast process, Wild Turkey master distillers use a proprietary strain of yeast that has been around since the early 1950s. They claim "consistency in flavor over the years is important when you make the best tasting bourbon around."
We then learned about mash.
Law states that bourbon must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn and while Wild Turkey 'plays by the rules', they use more rye and less corn for more flavor. Wild Turkey uses a #2 yellow corn, purchased from the same local company since the mid 1960s.
The key ingredient that gives Wild Turkey its signature bold flavor is rye. They use more than most other bourbons because to them, bolder is better.
They also use barley malt, a fermentable cereal grain that provides the enzymes that transform starch into sugar.
Mash
The still is where the mash is distilled and creates the alcohol steam which, after hitting cooling coils, becomes liquid alcohol. They had a nice area for us to view it.
From there it was time to climb back on the bus and head to Warehouse A, one of the oldest warehouses at Wild Turkey. It was built in 1894 and houses many of the barrels that go into single-barrel expressions.
As we stood outside, he pointed behind him to show us where the distillery once stood. The original site is out there somewhere on the bluff. :-)
We went inside to see the barrels.
Now it was time for the grand finale - tasting!
Longbranch bourbon (on the left above) was co-created by Master Distiller Eddie Russell and Matthew McConaughey, which makes it part Kentucky, part Texas, and 100% Wild Turkey. Unfortunately, the partnership ended on January 1, 2023. You can also see next to Longbranch a bottle of Russells, one of Jimmy Russell's creations.
Before we left, Ron told Tyler that he should become a motivational speaker - he was that good. Tyler's response was that his second job was a captain in the Marine Corps. Thank you for your service, Tyler!
