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We’ve reviewed a lot of Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve over the years, from bottles you can still find on shelves today to vintage releases that are nearly impossible to track down.
So rather than put together another subjective ranking of the “best” Wild Turkey bourbons, we went back through our own reviews and let the scores do the work.
These are 10 of the highest-rated Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve bourbons we’ve reviewed on The Bourbon Culture. Some are still obtainable, some will require some serious hunting, and a few are basically pieces of Wild Turkey history at this point.
Either way, these are the bottles that stood out the most to us over the years.
Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve bourbon ratings at a glance
Positions apply within this selection. Tied scores share a position; their order does not imply a preference.
1. Wild Turkey Beyond Duplication 12 Year: Export, 1988 — 10/10
This is the only Wild Turkey bourbon we’ve reviewed that earned a perfect 10/10, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Beyond Duplication was a 12-year-old, 101-proof export release from 1988, and everything about it delivered the kind of old-school Wild Turkey profile that people chase in vintage bottles today. The combination of dark fruit, oak, spice and sweetness was about as good as it gets.
Obviously, finding one today is another story. But based purely on our scores, this remains the best Wild Turkey bourbon we’ve reviewed.
Read our Wild Turkey Beyond Duplication 1988 review.
2 (tie). Wild Turkey Beyond Duplication: Cheesy Gold Foil, 1990 — 9.5/10
Rich oak and tobacco meet cherry, brown sugar and butterscotch in this 1990 Cheesy Gold Foil. While tasting we found a dense, coating mouthfeel and a long finish, with sweetness keeping the oak from becoming overly bitter.
Compared with the 1988 Beyond Duplication, this bottle showed less chocolate and more spice. That difference gives it its own character and its 9.5 makes clear how much we enjoyed this particular example.
Read our Wild Turkey Cheesy Gold Foil 1990 review.
2 (tie). Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archives: Gold Foil Edition — 9.5/10
What surprised us most was that the modern Gold Foil earned the same 9.5 rating as the 1990 Cheesy Gold Foil above. That’s some pretty serious company.
They aren’t identical whiskeys, and I wouldn’t expect them to be. But the fact that a modern Wild Turkey release could hang with one of the better vintage Turkey bottles we’ve reviewed says a lot about how good this release was.
Read our Austin Nichols Archives Gold Foil Edition review.
4 (tie). Russell’s Reserve 15 Year: 2024 — 9.4/10
Our 2024 review of Russell’s Reserve 15 found a bourbon built around deeply developed oak, tobacco and dark fruit. Toffee and nutty sweetness on the nose led into a rich, oily palate, with leather and oak lingering on the finish.
The review praised the care evident in the blend, and the 9.4 puts this release level with Beacon. This entry preserves the score for the 2024 release.
Read our Russell’s Reserve 15 Year 2024 review.
4 (tie). Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon — 9.4/10
Beacon brings a bolder spice profile to its tie with Russell’s Reserve 15. Our review described fragrant oak, citrus, dried fruit and a pronounced rye-like character, with a long finish that kept adding detail.
The blend combines 10 and 16 year old bourbon at 118 proof. The rye character is a tasting impression, not a claim that rye whiskey was added to the blend. There was plenty of spice here, but it never took over the pour. It worked really well with the mature oak and fruit, and that balance was a big part of why we liked Beacon as much as we did. There’s a lot going on, but nothing feels out of place.
Read our Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon review.
6 (tie). Wild Turkey Rare Breed W-T-01-99: 2001 — 9.1/10
This older Rare Breed earned its 9.1 with oak at the center of the experience. Molasses and maple sweetness, dried fruit, leather and tobacco gave our review plenty to work through, while a little astringency on the finish kept it from being entirely seamless.
We identified the bottle as W-T-01-99, with code L0173022 pointing to a 2001 bottling. Those details distinguish this tasting from other Rare Breed releases.
Read our Wild Turkey Rare Breed W-T-01-99 (2001) review.
6 (tie). Wild Turkey Kentucky Legend Donut — 111.7 Proof — 9.1/10
The distinctive Donut bottle has a whiskey to match. Our review of this 111.7-proof single barrel found oak, tobacco and tea on the nose, followed by citrus, baking spice and a touch of minerality. Its oily texture and mellow delivery helped earn a 9.1.
There was one small wish: a little more heat. But the review found plenty of character in the gentler presentation. This score belongs to the single barrel reviewed at 111.7 proof; the exact bottling year and barrel number are not established in the review text.
Read our Wild Turkey Kentucky Legend 111.7-proof review.
8. Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse: Camp Nelson B — 8.9/10
Camp Nelson B’s 2024 release brought honey, chocolate, fruit and mature oak together in a particularly cohesive profile. At 120.2 proof, it also had the thick texture and intensity to make those flavors linger.
We found similarities to Wild Turkey Generations, but preferred how the flavors fit together here. Russell’s Reserve 15 still had the edge in that review’s comparison. The 8.9 belongs to Camp Nelson B, with the warehouse letter identifying this specific Single Rickhouse release.
Read our Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B review.
9 (tie). Russell’s Reserve 13 Year: Original 2021 Release — 8.8/10
The nose was the star of our original 2021 Russell’s Reserve 13 review: bold oak, baked fruit, chocolate and toffee made a strong first impression. The palate followed with more oak, peppery spice and herbal notes, before a finish focused on tobacco, leather and wood.
Our review praised the balance of an oak-heavy bourbon that stopped short of becoming too much. Its 8.8 remains attached to the original 2021 release; later batches are separate tastings.
Read our Russell’s Reserve 13 Year 2021 review.
9 (tie). Wild Turkey 101 12 Year: Export, 2022 — 8.8/10
The 2022 export bottling of Wild Turkey 101 12 Year closes this selection in a tie with Russell’s Reserve 13. Our review found a lively mix of orchard fruit and berries, caramel, baking spice and layered oak.
What stood out was the way those brighter flavors held their own against the wood and leather, followed by a long, complex finish. The 8.8 applies to the 2022 bottle reviewed, rather than every later bottling carrying the same age statement.
Read our Wild Turkey 101 12 Year 2022 review.
Highest-rated Wild Turkey: vintage bottles and modern releases
The 1988 Beyond Duplication leads this selection, but modern releases have a substantial place near the top. Austin Nichols Archives Gold Foil Edition shares 9.5 with the 1990 Cheesy Gold Foil, while Russell’s Reserve 15 and Beacon each earned 9.4.
Obviously, a score only tells part of the story. Follow the links above to read our full reviews and see exactly what we liked, and in some cases didn’t like, about each bottle.
What Are the Best Wild Turkey Bourbons You Can Actually Buy?
There’s obviously one problem with a list like this: some of the highest-rated Wild Turkey bourbons we’ve reviewed are nearly impossible to find today.
If you’re looking for something you can actually walk into a liquor store and have a reasonable chance of finding, you don’t need to chase a 30-year-old bottle at auction to get really good Wild Turkey.
Wild Turkey Rare Breed continues to be one of the easiest recommendations in the lineup. It’s barrel proof, widely available and still represents a lot of what we like about Wild Turkey without getting into limited-release pricing.
Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel is another bottle we’d put on that list. It gives you a little more proof and intensity than the standard Russell’s Reserve 10 Year while still being relatively easy to find.
And there’s always Wild Turkey 101. It isn’t going to compete with the rare and limited bottles at the top of this list, but there’s a reason it has remained a staple for so long. For the price and availability, it’s still one of the easiest ways to get into the Wild Turkey profile.
So if you came here looking for the “best” Wild Turkey bourbon to actually buy, I’d start with Rare Breed, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel or Wild Turkey 101 before worrying about hunting down the unicorns above.
How we selected and ranked these Wild Turkey bourbons
These are the ten highest-scoring eligible releases in the Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve archive selection we checked for this article. Each has a published individual review score. Rye whiskey, bourbon and rye blends, independent bottlers and group tastings without an attributable individual score are excluded.
This is a selection from our checked reviews, not an exhaustive ranking of every Wild Turkey tasting ever published on the site. Scores retain their original tasting context and have not been recalibrated across years. Repeat tastings are treated separately, and each release appears once here. Review links and scores were rechecked on September 25, 2026.