Wild Turkey Master’s Keep: Triumph Rye Whiskey Review

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It’s hard to believe that Wild Turkey Master’s Keep turns 10 this year. In that short amount of time, we’ve seen some excellent releases and some that had us scratching our heads. Nonetheless, they’ve always kept us entertained with their interesting ideas.

Rumor has it that Master’s Keep was never meant to be a permanent label in the Wild Turkey portfolio. I don’t know where or how that rumor started, but I’ve heard it said with more frequency among the online community. The word was that the 10th release was supposed to be the last one, but since Jimmy isn’t exactly fond of rye whiskey, they’re going to extend it at least by one more year. That means you can probably put money on the 2025 release being a bourbon.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Triumph

Inevitably, there will be comparisons between Triumph and Cornerstone (the 2019 Master’s Keep release). These have been two of the oldest age-stated rye whiskies ever released by Wild Turkey. Once again, it cannot be stressed enough how little Wild Turkey has devoted to its rye whiskey program in the past. Sure, they’ve had a rye whiskey in some shape or form since at least the 1970’s, but as far as production has gone, it probably only sees a week or two of distilling out of the entire year.

Wild Turkey stashes those barrels sporadically throughout their many warehouses so that they have some different profiles to pick through for their final products. We didn’t hear much about where the barrels for Triumph were picked from, but I have a sneaking suspicion that most were aged on the main (Tyrone) campus. Don’t hold me to that statement, though.

Details are also scant on the ages of all the barrels used in the final batch. I say that because Triumph is the oldest age stated rye whiskey Wild Turkey has ever released – but Cornerstone had a blend of 9 and 11 year old barrels. So there is a possibility that Triumph might have some older ones thrown in for good luck.

One of the biggest differences between Cornerstone and Triumph is going to be their lineage. The rye whiskey used in Cornerstone was likely all produced on the old Wild Turkey still before it was shut down and deconstructed. Triumph’s distillate was all produced on the new still that went live in 2011. Apparently there are small nuances found in the new distillate by some Turkey acolytes who consider Turkey made on the old distillery equipment to be superior.

Out with a bang?

If the Master’s Keep line is truly going away, then there remains a strong possibility that this could remain the oldest Wild Turkey rye whiskey we’ll ever see. Of course a new limited-edition line could come out where we’d see old Turkey rye again, but nothing is on the radar that this is going to happen.

So until then, we’ll have to savor what we have in the hopes that this bottle helps us reach nirvana. I’m excited to see for myself since I actually wasn’t the biggest fan of Cornerstone. It was mainly the peppery spice that made it not as enjoyable as other ryes available in 2019. But Triumph has a much larger pool of competitors putting out high-quality rye whiskies with double-digit age statements in 2024. Can it do enough to stand above them all and justify its $275 pricetag? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: A fruit explosion in my nose with orange marmalade, cooked apples/pears and cherries. Sweetness comes from brown sugar and a decent punch of oak showcase all 10 years in the barrel. Spices are varied and everywhere and include cinnamon, coriander and nutmeg. Herbal notes also poke up with mint being the primary focus. I would have liked to see more herbal notes, but this is a pretty decent amount.

Palate: Once again, fruit leads the charge with orange, strawberry and raspberry jams. Raisins and cooked apples also have their say. Combine all of those with notes of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and clove and you have the makings of a really great autumn-themed dessert. Licorice notes poke out (my favorite in a rye whiskey) and mingle with honey and ginger root. Actually, I can’t tell if it’s more ginger root or root beer I’m picking up. It seems to waffle between the two. Both are delicious. Finally, some tobacco and a hint of oak drive home the age on this rye whiskey. I don’t often find tannins on my rye whiskey and to me, this is a treat.

Finish: The finish is very spice forward with notes of cinnamon, tellicherry peppercorn, allspice and clove that feel like they’ve pocketed themselves in my gums and don’t want to come out. The root beer/ginger root notes also stays for a while. Notes of oak and barrel char remain all the way to the end. Surprisingly, the fruit notes and herbal notes seem to fade quickly from the finish. I would score this higher if they had stayed around for longer.

Score: 8.3/10

For me, Triumph is the superior rye whiskey compared to Cornerstone. And while it doesn’t have much competition to contend with, I’ll also say it’s the best rye whiskey that Wild Turkey has produced in the last 10 years. But you may notice my wording is tip-toeing around one obvious conclusion – that there are many other rye whiskies released this year that I found better than it. Even Wild Turkey Fanboy extraordinaire – David Jennings – created a rye whiskey that I liked better; Raconteur Rye.

If you want to know what the main differences I found between Triumph and Cornerstone are, it’s that Cornerstone is a rye whiskey for those people who like heavy spice and herbal notes. Triumph leans towards the sweeter and more fruity side of rye whiskey. Blend them both together and they’re probably even better, but as it stands, I like all of the things I found in my bottle of Triumph.

Final Thoughts

Wild Turkey has no shortage of customers who have gobbled up this year’s Master’s Keep release. I have also found a range of opinions concerning how good Triumph is, if its worth the price or if Cornerstone is the better option. There is no majority consensus, which makes it a risky proposition to tell you to buy one. But I know what I like and I liked this enough to buy my own bottle. I know it’s not the best rye whiskey I’ve had in 2024, but to me it does enough right that I wanted to own one so that I could have a little piece of history in my collection.

In a way, I’m glad to hear that Master’s Keep isn’t ending with Triumph. I liked it a lot, but not as much as my all-time favorite – Unforgotten. If this series really must die, then I hope to see it go out with the biggest bang that it can. Here’s to hoping that 2025 will be the year that happens. Until then, this bottle of Triumph will continue to be savored while I dream of the day when Wild Turkey takes rye whiskey more seriously. They have the potential, but do they have the will?