Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Triumph Review
“Master’s Keep Series”
Master’s Keep Triumph is the 10th edition in the series, however, the 2017 release of Master’s Keep 1894 was only released in Australia, so technically, Triumph is the 9th release in the US. It is the second rye whiskey released in the series (Cornerstone being the other), with all the other releases being bourbon, or in the case of Unforgotten, a bourbon and rye blend. It packs a whopping $275 MSRP, and with Washington State’s draconian liquor penalty tax of 20.5%, it makes this a difficult bottle to cough up the money for. But, the Master’s Keep series does have a good reputation, and I loved “Journey”, so I bit the bullet for the purchase. So, let’s pour a dram and get to work on the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Triumph review!
Series: Master’s Keep annual release
Classification: Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Age: 10 years
Proof: 104
Proof Designation: na
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: 51% Rye, 37% Corn, 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: May 2024
Master Distiller: Eddie Russel
MSRP: $275 (2024)
Availability: A little hunting required
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Triumph Review
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.
For this tasting: Opened Bottle (1 day), Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes.
Legs
Beads began to form on the crown at about seconds, the legs began to form and fall at about 21 seconds, and the first legs reached the bowl at about 63 seconds.
Nose
Grape, butterscotch, honey, prune, leather, old oak, baking spices, pecan pie, mild note of rye bread.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Amongst the Whiskey: I find oodles of biscotti tones. It’s a bready, cakey, sweet, creamy treat right from the start! Further inhales provide a sweet medley of parfait, a touch of citrus, and Christmas spice. It’s just lovely in the nose. I find a sweet linen aroma somewhere between a flower and a dryer sheet, a hallmark of older whiskeys. Oodles of soft toffee, Cantucci, and delicate gardenia tones make my nose incredibly happy to exist on my face. After a long rest in the glass, a few gentle fruit characteristics emerge, like macerated maraschino cherry and ruby red grapefruit.
Mash & Drum: I get that Wild Turkey citrus, honey, some apples like warm apple pie, cinnamon. You definitely get the oak here, which I really like. It’s a punch above what you would get in a Russell’s Reserve single barrel rye whiskey. You could convince me that this is a bourbon off the nose, its pretty sweet. There’s a citrus note like a flamed orange peel or grilled orange peel or smoked orange. It is darker and richer than most Wild Turkey ryes that I’ve tried.
Rare Bird 101: (mature, inviting) Honey, warm apple butter, grilled peach, charred oak, rickhouse, dried tangerine, savory spice.
Palate
Maple syrup, mild toffee note, baking spices, mild clove, black pepper, cocoa, grape, spicy chocolate orange, hint of cinnamon red hots. It doesn’t have the typical rye grain flavor that most people interpret as dill.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Amongst the Whiskey: I find a lovely creaminess that sinks into every crevice of the mouth. Honey sweetness and melted butter on toasted bread form a base layer on the taste buds before a kiss of spice leaves a tingling sensation… Aerating a second sip offers far more texture and depth as salt, pie dough, sweet glazed doughnut, caramel, and powdered sugar. Continuing to do so builds upon the fruit tones and adds sweetened ice tea with a wedge of lemon. My goodness, this is what all ryes strive to be. Whiffs of vanilla pipe tobacco in a corn cob pipe…
Mash & Drum: The first thing that stands out is the mouthfeel, the texture. It’s very creamy, it coats the palate. It brings more of a bourbon vibe to me. A lot of rich caramel, some toffee, that apple note is very prevalent but more like an apple pie, honey. It starts to bloom at mid-palate. It has a combination of citrus that I really enjoy, but it’s not a bright citrus, everything is just darker. Like a combination of dark lemon, dark orange, maybe even a dark lime, but it’s all covered in caramel, honey, and toffee. Additional sips reveals a lot of aged oak.
Rare Bird 101: (creamy mouthfeel) English toffee, toasted caramel, well-balanced oak, baked apples, nutmeg, clove, singed lemon peel.
Finish
Moderately long finish with brown sugar, cocoa, baking spices.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Amongst the Whiskey: The impossibly long linger carries some delicate florality and hot chocolate powder that sticks in the gums.
Mash & Drum: The finish is just all baking spice, which is a note from Wild Turkey ryes that are pretty prevalent…cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, all working together on the finish. Then the oak comes into play.
Rare Bird 101: (robust, oak-driven) Medium-long w/ oak char, semisweet cola, toasty brown sugar, cinnamon, leather, white pepper.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is silken and pleasant, but the heat of the spice does cut through the silkiness. A more viscous mouthfeel (Creamy or Rich) would let me taste the spice but not experience it’s heat as much.
Mouthfeel Key: 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 olive oil.
The Burn
4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 95-100 proof, not 104 proof.
Tasting Summary
Maple syrup, baking spices and grape hit the palate first along with a nice silken mouthfeel. That is followed by some drying old oak tannins, but just enough to add complexity and not a distraction from the flavors.
My Rating
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. As far as ryes go, I like the Parker’s Heritage 10 yr Rye and 8 yr Rye a little better than the Master’s Keep Tribute.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 8.3 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
| Availability Score | 3 | 1-Rare, 2-Hard to Find, 3-A Little Hunting, 4-Easy to Find |
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.
Notes and History
Wild turkey has traditionally been known as primarily a bourbon producing distillery, with Russell’s Reserve 6-Year-Old Rye whiskey introduced by Eddie Russell in 2007, and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Rye in 2015. But Bruce Russell, also known as the “Russell’s Rye Guy”, has an affinity for rye whiskey, and even though Eddie’s signature is on the bottle, Master’s Keep Triumph is Bruce’s baby.
Bruce’s father, Eddie Russell, describes the latest Wild Turkey Master’s Keep release on their website, saying:
“Each release in the Master’s Keep series has been a salute to stories in our history, to other whiskies we’ve made, and even to other styles of spirits that I happen to enjoy. Master’s Keep Triumph is my tip of the cap to my son, Bruce Russell, newly appointed Associate Blender at Wild Turkey. Bruce has always had a passion for rye, and in making a Master’s Keep for his palate, it only felt right.”
“This edition of Master’s Keep is a “Triumph” – at 10-years-old, it’s the oldest age-stated rye we’ve ever released at the Wild Turkey Distilling Co. For me, it’s a magnificent expression of what rye whiskey can be. We laid down the casks that make up this small batch with the intention of allowing it to age longer than most – after all, that is one thing we like to do here at Wild Turkey, age longer. Over the course of their lifetime, we continued to taste them, allowing the barrels to work their magic and perfect the whiskey inside.”
“It’s true to the quality and flavors that our Wild Turkey Distilling Co. ryes are known for, but the extended maturation helped develop a palate of sweet honey and clove notes that transition to dark chocolate, dates, and spice, and a rich mocha-coffee and black pepper finish.”
“Triumph is an exceptional chapter in our Master’s Keep story. Like a good book, it’s intriguing, gratifying and full of depth. We think it’s one you’ll want to keep coming back to.”
If you found this Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Triumph review helpful, forward it to a friend!
