Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archives “Gold Foil Edition” Review

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Is anyone else still in denial that Wild Turkey killed off the Master’s Keep line, or is it just me? Back when I reviewed what would end up being the final WTMK of the series, I was skeptical at the rumors that it was ending. Now I guess it’s all but confirmed with the introduction of the Austin Nichols Archives lineup and this bottle of Gold Foil Edition. But still, why did it have to end when Austin Nichols Archives (ANA) could simply set another tier above it?

I guess I’m happy that Campari (Wild Turkey’s owners) at least adorned this new Limited Edition product in spectacular packaging. I always felt they did a very nice job with the Master’s Keep releases and was worried they were going to downgrade it to something like the half-assed Generations bottle. Thankfully, that’s not the case. But what exactly is Gold Foil Edition and why is it receiving all of this hype? Read on.

The significance of Austin Nichols Archives

Let’s dig into the backstory of why this bottle exists and the story behind its name. I’m hoping to get my less-experienced readers up to speed so that they can join in the conversation about this bottle with their friends. So if you already know the backstory, skip to the Tasting Notes section.

Wild Turkey – like many bourbon distilleries throughout the years – has had a number of different owners. The original owner was the Austin Nichols – a grocery wholesaler and liquor distributor in the New York area. Their Wild Turkey brand was originally created by blending barrels of bourbon that they sourced through different distilleries, but the vast majority came from the Boulevard Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Austin Nichols liked what they were making there so much that they would end up buying the distillery in the 1970s to cut out the middleman.

Bourbon wasn’t a big seller during that time period and many distilleries were closing their doors for good. Whenever that happened, the unsold inventory they had was usually bought up by neighboring distilleries. These barrels would get blended into existing products as needed. I’m telling you this because this may have happened to some of Wild Turkey’s earliest products. I’m talking about the 1970’s and early 1980’s versions of Wild Turkey 8/101 and 12/101.

The 8-year-old product was the most common product that Wild Turkey produced and was usually just referred to as “Wild Turkey 101.” But the 12-year-old version was also bottled at 101 proof, so enthusiasts have latched onto the motto “Beyond Duplication” that was printed somewhere on the label throughout the 30 years it was distributed. The 12-year bottles enthusiasts really care about were made from 1982-1988. These particular years are wildly revered for their distinct flavor profiles. A lot of this is widely speculated to be because they had used barrels from a different source (rumor has it, Old Boone Distillery) in the batching tank.

The Beyond Duplication Label skipped a bottling year in 1989 and when it re-emerged in 1990, the flavor profile was different. This is why Beyond Duplication bottles from 1982 to 1988 carry a higher than normal price difference compared to subsequent bottles. And that changeover happened to occur during a time when Beyond Duplication was being bottled in packaging that saw use of a gold foil label designed – affectionately known by modern enthusiasts as “Cheesy Gold Foil.” Read more about it here.

Cheesy Gold Foil -> Gold Foil Edition

The legend of Cheesy Gold Foil has been spread across enthusiasts of types to the point where it’s now firmly in our vernacular. Campari has decided to capitalize on this trend by making it their first release in what they are now dubbing the “Austin Nichols Archives” (ANA for short). I’ve also heard the rumor that the ANA line will name future releases with throwbacks to other Wild Turkey vernacular like “Christmas Rye” (which is supposedly going to be next year’s release). I can only imagine that we’ll see future releases with odes to “Pewter Top,” “Split Label” and “Donut” in the years to come.

While I’m not opposed to businesses cashing in their your legacy, I did kind of wish that Austin Nichols Archives releases would include more of a backstory about the product they were named after. Specifically, I want them to expand on the lore behind Cheesy Gold Foil. Then I want them to explain what they did to mimic it in their new bottling. But I guess this isn’t how bourbon companies always operate. I suppose it would have been a bridge too far to collaborate with another distillery and blending some of their bourbon in with Wild Turkey’s to create something akin to the original CGF. If they could have pulled that off, surely then it would have been worthy of the monstrous price tag this bottle carries.

Why does this bottle carry a $400 price tag? I guess the obvious answers involve the age of the liquid (16 years or more), the proof of the liquid (120 proof!) and the fancy new glass bottle and tube. But it seems as if the most likely answer is that Campari has witnessed how their Limited Editions will sell no matter how highly they’re priced. I don’t like this strategy, but it seems to be something the industry as a whole is embracing – but none have been as egregious as Wild Turkey.

Gold Foil Edition Makeup

Where Wild Turkey plucked these barrels from and their makeup is always the best part of the story. For starters, a total of 500 barrels were used in this release. For perspective, Russell’s Reserve 15 Year was comprised of 900 barrels. The barrels all came from the the Camp Nelson campus which is Bruce Russell’s favorite campus (he also oversaw this release). This satellite campus was originally home to 6 maturation warehouses until they had to tear down Warehouse C due to a sinkhole developing underneath it.

Why should we care about these warehouses? Because of their construction (metal outer shell) and placement next to the winding Kentucky River. The former allows for wide temperature swings for the barrels inside while the latter allows for increased humidity and airflow compared to many of the warehouses on the main (Tyrone) campus. The barrels chosen for ANA Gold Foil came from Warehouses CN-D, CN-E and CN-F for reference. The majority of barrels came from CN-E. Once blended, the final proof was adjusted to be an even 120 proof – which still puts it in the Top 10 Wild Turkey releases regarding proof.

The final thing that sets this release apart from modern Wild Turkey products is that the barrels used to make this blend were all distilled on the old Wild Turkey column still which was officially dismantled by 2011. That old still would have seen the distillate used in the old Cheesy Gold Foil release pass through its copper chambers. The new column still has been criticized by some Wild Turkey enthusiasts for losing much of the character that made the old liquid so special. Whether or not you can taste it is mostly subjective, but I happen to think it’s true.

So is this bottle remotely worth it? Wild Turkey has been on a hot streak over the last 5 years with the specific start date as the release of the original Russell’s Reserve 13 Year, so I’ll never count them out, but let me see for myself. A special thanks goes out to Mike at Mostly Peaceful Bourbon for this incredibly generous pour. As usual, I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: I think the one thing that caught me most off-guard was that if I was smelling this blind, I would have sworn this was William Larue Weller in my glass. The oak and cigar wrapper sensation has a kind of soft body that personifies the word “mellow.” Deep cherry and red fruits scent remind me of most of the products that come from Buffalo Trace these days. The sweet caramel/brown sugar notes let me know that every last drop of wood sugars was pulled from the staves. Plus there are pleasant vanilla notes galore. The spice notes aren’t prickly or spicy like Wild Turkey can be – instead they’re very much soft and fragrant with ground cinnamon, clove and a bit of nutmeg in the mix. The whole dram draws you in to its intoxicating Siren’s Song of sweet, oaky and fruity with zero flaws.

Palate: From first sip to last, the tannins in this bottle let you know this has a lot of age to it. The oak has turned almost velvety with no hint of bitterness. The cigar wrapper notes from the nose translate well on the tongue. The sweet cherry (cola) flavors do their best impersonation of the aforementioned Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottles. Vanilla custard, salted caramel and Baskin Robin’s Cinnamon Ice Cream feed all of the sweet desires I have. Spices are well controlled and this thing does not sip like it’s 120 proof – more like 105 to me. There’s a descriptor that Bourbon Craft Spirits used to use a lot on their tasting notes called “lush” and I think that’s fitting here. The mouthfeel is so blanketing in richness and intensity, that it’s something that comes to mind each time the liquid hits my tongue. A+ on this front, Wild Turkey.

Finish: The sugars turn a little more dark and foreboding on the finish with caramel and cola becoming dark brown sugar and molasses. The cherries and red fruit notes become slightly more dense and syrupy. The mild, mellow baking spice notes give way to a hint of ground black pepper and toasted cinnamon stick. And the oak and tobacco notes puff their chest out a bit to remind you of its age. There’s even a touch of barrel char that slips through as well. It’s exactly like I was hoping it would be.

Score: 9.5/10

Alright Wild Turkey, this is getting kind of old. Each year you seem to just casually walk into the room of new bourbon releases and drop an epic bomb on the masses like it’s no big deal. Russell’s 13, Russell’s 15, Beacon… all bangers. And now Austin Nichols Archives Gold Foil can join that list because this is a virtually perfect bourbon from start to finish. It’s almost unfair how good this is. So while I can bitch and moan about the pricetag being unreasonably high (both retail and secondary), the bottom line is that Wild Turkey has a “Bourbon of the Year” contender right here inside of this colorful tube. And good for Bruce Russell who starts off his rookie season batting a thousand.

So why the lack of a perfect score? I promise I’m not trying to be a “Shallow Hal” here, but there was something in the back of my head that found it to be the tiniest bit boring after after the first couple sips. It was indeed perfect, but it was also missing something unique that separated it from other bourbons enough to make me truly obsessed.

Final Thoughts

I truly don’t know how they’re going to top this one, but I think that the Russell’s will always find a way. If you find a way to obtain this bottle, I’d say pull the trigger at any price under $600. If you’re able to stomach the secondary price of it, then you have my permission to do so, too. Wild Turkey has done it again and I can’t wait to see what next year’s bottle brings us. Rest in Peace, Master’s Keep. Austin Nichol’s Archives is the way of the future.