Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon Review
“Master’s Keep Series”
Master’s Keep Beacon is the first Master’s Keep released that has two signatures on it – Eddie Russell (Master Distiller) and Bruce Russell (Associate Blender). They each contributed barrels of bourbon that they crafted, and then blended the two for this special release. Wild Turkey has said that this is the last Master’s Keep release…at least for a while. It may come back someday, or perhaps they are ending this line and starting a new one. We will have to wait and see. Let’s jump into the details of this Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon review.
Bruce Russell’s contribution is 10 year old bourbon that he made the old-school way…all by hand. The story behind this is that when Bruce started to learn the whiskey-making craft, his father Eddie Russell, and his grandfather Jimmy Russell, wanted him to learn how to make whiskey from scratch, the traditional way without modern technology. This included selecting, testing and milling the various grains, how to control the fermentation process, measuring and adding yeast by hand, controlling the cookers, and how to run the stills, all by hand. Bruce’s first barrels from this learning process were put down in 2014 and these are the 10 year bourbon barrels used in the Beacon. Eddie’s contribution is 16 year old bourbon from one of the rickhouses at the Camp Nelson site.
Series: Master’s Keep annual release
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: Blend of 10 and 16 years
Proof: 118
Proof Designation: na
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Barrel Char Level: 4
Barrel Entry Proof: 114
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distilling Co.
Company: Campari Group
Bottled By: Wild Turkey
Distilled/Aging Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Release Date: August 2025
Master Distiller: Wild Turkey’s Eddie Russel & Associate Blender Bruce Russell
MSRP: $325 (2025)
Secondary Market: $550
Availability: Low/Rare
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Beacon Review
September 8, 2025
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
The packaging for the Beacon is beautiful. The box features a textured effect that looks like barrel alligator char and it is emblazoned with gold lettering.
For this tasting: Fresh Crack, Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes
Legs
Beads formed on the crown at about 5 seconds, the legs began to fall at about 19 seconds, and the first legs reached the bowl at about 48 seconds.
Nose
The nose is lovely! Very complex and inviting. Toffee, butterscotch, dark fruits, old oak, dark caramel, vanilla, creme brûlée, anise, chocolate, barrel char, brandy-soaked prunes, leather.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: Some old dusty funky oak that you normally get with Wild Turkey but there’s also a lot of spice. I really feel like it’s very baking spice driven, which I kind of dig. That singed orange peel note that I normally get with Wild Turkey is definitely here, but there is a lot of darkness to it. There’s a black cherry vibe. There’s definitely a sweet tobacco leaf note in here, too, which just really sets this off.
It’s got this really beautiful balance of bright flavors and some of those old flavors that you look for in a whiskey, where you’re getting into the leather, the tobaccos, and some of that really rich oak. But this doesn’t get into an over oaked profile. It’s a sweet oak. So, for me, it’s not just black cherry. I do feel like there’s a raspberry chocolate combination in here too.
There’s a lot of depth to this one. It’s easily one of the best noses in that I’ve smelled this year for 2025. It’s just so inviting, and you just want to drink it immediately as soon as you smell it.
The Bourbon Culture: I thought the nose from Russell’s 15 was awesome, but this one somehow amps it up even more. The wood has an even deeper scent that feels like you’re smelling inside of it, rather than just the surface. It’s a mixture of old and very old notes. Light cigar wrapper can also be found. Lighter fruit notes make themselves known such as candied orange peel, raisins and lemon-poppyseed bread. Surprisingly, I’m not finding much by way of nuttiness on the nose, but there is a bit of brownie edges and honey.
Rare Bird 101: (fragrant; caramel & tobacco-forward) toasted caramel, well-seasoned humidor, toffee, rickhouse oak, barrel-aged orange creamsicle, stewed red apple, leather.
Palate
The palate is semi-dry with caramel, vanilla, barrel char, dark brown sugar, toffee, graham cracker, chocolate, mild baking spices, cloves, cinnamon, cola, mild sweet cherry, dark fruits. There is a savory note that I can’t identify. The palate is warming, complex, balanced.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: The first thing that hits you is the spice. I think there’s a lot of black pepper. I could even make a case for a little crushed red pepper in here, especially on the front part of the palette. But then once you get past the initial spice, then it’s just all deep rich oak, sweet oak, not overly drying at all. And then it gets into the orange and this like chocolate covered raspberry Ghirardelli chocolate candy. It’s so rich. I’m going to let that let that simmer for a little bit.
Now I’m picking up a little Fig Newton. Some of the darker flavors, maybe like a raisin or fig starting to come through. The first sip, I feel like the spice gets you immediately. And then by the second and third sip, you’re starting to get all these richer flavors, the sweet flavors. Again, that cigar box note with the tobacco, the sweet tobacco, the oak, a lot of oak, but sweet oak, but not drying oak either. It’s has a nice balance. Then you get into that chocolate, cherry, raspberry combination that is just so decadent. It’s so delicious.
It’s perfectly blended. Nothing is trying to fight one another, you know, sometimes the oak tries to take over, the sweet tries to take over. This is such a perfect blend of both.
The Bourbon Culture:: If I told you this was an oak-lovers dream, would it scare you away? Because it shouldn’t. It turns out oak is only one of the many bold flavors Beacon has to offer, but it’s probably the one that it does the best. The oak is both soft (not bitter) and hard-hitting (spice, varnish). That’s not saying other flavors aren’t making themselves shown either. I can taste cherry Twizzlers, lemon and orange pound cake, dried apricots and some dried fig. Add in some baking spices (the usual suspects) and it morphs into mince pie as the session goes on.
Rare Bird 101: (rich, layered & robust) vanilla bean, sweet charred oak, savory cherry, aged tobacco, dried blood orange, cola, hints of fermented orchard fruit.
Finish
Medium-long finish with dark fruits, mild cherry, prune, coffee, a hint of pecans.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: Did not discuss the finish
The Bourbon Culture:: Long and full of character. The spiced fruit notes remain along with fleeting spiced honey sweetness. There is some double mint gum as well as chocolate and rye spice that makes the finish interesting. I still get candied citrus peel, cherries and figs. Of course there is oak and tobacco wrapper, but I’ve been hit with them the whole time so I feel like I need to identify something outside of the tannins family. Basically, if you’ve read it this far, this tastes very aged from start to finish. Score: 9.4
Rare Bird 101: Long, warm & flavorful w/ brown sugar, white pepper, oak spice, creamy root beer, singed cherry skins, slowly diminishing tobacco, leather & clove.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is Creamy and holds up well to spiciness and oak tannins.
Mouthfeel Rating Guide: Thin = Watery | Silken = smooth & slippery, but not mouth coating | Creamy = coats the tongue like heavy cream does. | Rich or Unctuous = coats the entire palate like quality olive oil
The Burn
Very Low. This drinks as if it is a much lower proof. Definitely does not feel like it is 118 proof.
The Burn Rating Guide:
Very Low = it drinks like it is a much lower proof
Low = it drinks like it is a little lower proof
Average = the heat is about what I would expect
Hot = it is hotter than what I would expect
Scorching! = it drinks much hotter than what I would expect
Tasting Summary
This is a fabulous pour! On the palate, savory-sweet notes hit first with mild sweet cherry, toffee, brown sugar, a hint of butterscotch and chocolate. Then the savory notes follow with leather, old oak, barrel char and mild baking spices with cinnamon and a hint of cloves.
It is semi-dry and very viscous. It is very well balanced between sweet, savory, oak tannins, and spice.
My Rating – 9.5
The higher the score the better the whiskey is in my opinion. For reference, my best rated bottle so far is the George T. Stagg 2022 (138.7p) with a score of 9.7.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 9.5 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
Check out our Video Review of the Beacon
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