Review #682 - Wild Turkey 12 Year

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

Despite the massive demand for bourbons with high age statements here in the US over the past 10 years, especially when those releases come from heritage distilleries, Wild Turkey has kept its 12 year old, 101 proof bourbon as an export-only bottle. In fact, there was a time when it went out of production entirely, but it returned to Japan in 2022, and has not yet come to the US.

Still, it's possible to obtain a bottle here by buying it on the secondary market, generally from those who have traveled to one of the export markets and brought the bottle back. While the retail price is generally under $100 in those other markets, the price here in the US generally floats around $150, at least according to the recent auction lots that we've tracked. That's an expensive bottle, but considering the premiums charged for other higher-age releases from heritage distilleries, there could still be some value here if the flavor is good enough.

Like the classic Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon that we all know and love, this 12 year export edition, or 'Distiller's Reserve' as it's sometimes called, is bottled at a strength of 50.5% ABV (101 proof). It uses Wild Turkey's mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley; a 'low rye' mashbill, then, which should mean there's plenty of sweetness from the spirit to balance that strong oak profile that 12 years should bring.

Wild Turkey 12 Year

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 160 (2025, based on recent auction results)

Age Statement: 12 Years

Strength: 50.5% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Lovely old oak notes - vanilla, rich tobacco, stronger leather notes, a bit of brown sugar. Cinnamon brings a soft spice kick, and there's just a subtle hint of that Wild Turkey funk. It's nicely layered, and time brings even stronger tobacco scents and a dusty note.

Palate: Almonds and strong peppery oak start us out, as well as an old polished furniture wood; vanilla and brown sugar bring back sweetness, and we get some orange and cinnamon too. There's just a hint of dark fruit like plum; tannins grow stronger, and we get little accent flavors of savory beef jerky and grain funk. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness.

Finish: Cinnamon and a bit of tannic oak start the finish, and we get hints of blanched almond, fermented tobacco, and cola. Vanilla is strong again; in the aftertaste, there are soft flavors of cherry, blackberry, and maybe chocolate. The finish is medium-long.

Final Note: This is a really nice bourbon. Our favorite part was the nose - the oak is beautifully developed, and despite the higher age, there's still a lot of sweetness. Lots of perfume and tobacco in the nose as well - this rivals the best bourbons in that respect.

We enjoyed the palate as well, but not to the same level as the nose. The oak becomes more dominant and drying, slightly more one-dimensional. With time, you can tease out more interesting flavors, and there is a nice fruit note in the finish, but overall, this comes across as a bit more tannic than some other bourbons at this age. If we're nitpicking, we would like to see this at a higher strength as well, which would improve the texture and the length of the finish.

Value is okay, as this is a very good bourbon, but it's also pricey here in the US. For Wild Turkey lovers, this could definitely be worth picking up if you can get access to it.

Our Average Rating: 7.9 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.85

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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