Wild Turkey, wild reaction

I was in The Lismor on Fri, thinking about the Scotch/Bourbon blending question that came up. Had just had a couple of Talisker 10s and a Lagavulin 16, when I thought I'd try some Wild Turkey. The difference was incredible. Strong and pungent, with distinctly narcotic overtones- it was like medicine! But that wasn't the half of it....I took two large sips and became incredibly drunk, incredibly quickly. I couldn't believe it. I then start to perspire so profusely I had to change my clothes! Thankfully I live very near the place, but it was like my body went on "poison Alert" or something. The only other time I've had that reaction was to a quadruple Absynthe at 70%, which I stupidly downed in one at the request of my equally stupid mates. What is it about Wild Turkey?

So you had already downed a few, but it was the bourbon that got you drunk?

Turkey has a higher proof, and, frankly, has never been a favorite of mine. The Wild Turkey Rare Breed, however, is a nice bourbon when prepared properly (with just a splash of water).

I'd had 2 pints of Budvar, 2 Talisker and 1 Lag. The Wild Turkey was the 8y.o. "101". Maybe it was the 101 proof version and that's what did it? Just hit me like a sledgehammer, but the physical reaction was what freaked me out.

never been a fan of wild turkey's flavor .it does have some medicinal flavor to me.i prefer jim beam or elijah craig.esp chased with a ice cold ski.

I'll be staying away from it in the future but will look out for some of the other bourbons referred to by our knowledgeable contributors.

It sounds like you had quite a fair bit before sipping the WT. I definitely wouldn't chalk the drunkenness up to the last thing you had.

I personally like WT 101 -- especially for mixing. I've never had the symptoms you describe. It sounds like you ought to slow down a tad, maybe space the hard stuff out a little. Going from beer to liquor to even stronger liquor, the old rhyme about beer-before-liquor notwithstanding, definitely isn't a very sound strategy.

That's good advice....which I've never followed in the past and never had that reaction to! A favourite Fri pastime is going to the Lis and tracking down Malts I've never had before and taking my time over them. Even the Glenfarclas 105 didn't have the same effect. That just made me feel all floaty and trippy. It really is a wonderful achievement, the Glenfarclas 105 and makes all other whiskies of the night seem watered down.

IMHO, Wild Turkey should only be had when watching Bridge on the River Kwai with at least two friends. Any other time, for me, leads to a bad experience.

I like WT101 in my flask. Its more bang per ounce! When you only have 6 oz every bit of alcohol counts!

A Scot not able to hold his liquor?
I have only ever had one shot of the stuff, so I can't comment on my reaction to it.
All I remember is that I was hanging out with some people from work, who claimed to be "experienced" drinkers.

They all needed chasers after everything, including Apple Vodka.

They kept asking me "you want a beer for a chaser?"

Even after the WT101, which was suprisingly smooth, if not hot, no need for a chaser.

scottish steve said:

I was in The Lismor on Fri, thinking about the Scotch/Bourbon blending question that came up. Had just had a couple of Talisker 10s and a Lagavulin 16, when I thought I'd try some Wild Turkey. The difference was incredible. Strong and pungent, with distinctly narcotic overtones- it was like medicine! But that wasn't the half of it....I took two large sips and became incredibly drunk, incredibly quickly. I couldn't believe it. I then start to perspire so profusely I had to change my clothes! Thankfully I live very near the place, but it was like my body went on "poison Alert" or something. The only other time I've had that reaction was to a quadruple Absynthe at 70%, which I stupidly downed in one at the request of my equally stupid mates. What is it about Wild Turkey?

Click to expand...

Okay, so here's the scoop: over there in Scotland you may have fine whiskeys and single malts, etc. But what you experienced was the simple a** whuppin a fine Kentucky bourbon can dish out!


Just kidding, it's all good! I do like Kentucky bourbon though! And I tried Talisker for the first time a month or so back, and that was damn smooth...

Seraphim said:

... what you experienced was the simple a** whuppin a fine Kentucky bourbon can dish out!


Just kidding, it's all good! ...

Click to expand...

>>>> >>>>

Many of these responses are odd, to me. Because, IMHO, Wild Turkey is the flavor that defines what good bourbon tastes like. I try to always have a bottle of the 101-proof on hand.

I don't care for the 80-proof bottling, but the 101 and the Rare Breed are excellent. I really loved the 101-proof 10 year old Russell's Reserve, until they stopped making it. And I have a couple of unopened bottles of Kentucky Spirit held back for some future "rainy day".

Tim

I am certainly no bourbon expert, as I generally prefer scotch, but I can see the appeal in both.

Of what I have tried in the last 6 months, I thought Elijah Craig 12-year-old was quite good, and is priced at the mid to mid-low end of the spectrum. At the low price end I tried Evan Williams black label (7 year old I believe) and did not care for it.....in comparison thought Henry McKenna, marketed as "Kentucky's finest Tale Whiskey" was much better, and a good choice for low budget enjoyment....and part of its appeal might be that it was 40 proof typical of many scotches, whereas the Elijah Craig is 94 proof and has a noticeable bite in comparison, but is still smooth.