Wild Turkey American Honey Review


“A Taste of Honey”

Whisky Review # 855

Country: USA
Brand: Wild Turkey American Honey
Type: Bourbon With Infused Flavour
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 35.5%
Maturation: American Oak
Chill Filtration: Yes
Sample provided by Derek from the USA. Many Thanks!
Price Range: US$ 22-27 (January 2020)
Price/Quality Ratio: Good
Buying Advice: 😐Too Sweet for me but I can imagine people loving it with ice

Colour: Golden Sunlight (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

The first thing I notice is that, unlike the Bushmills Honey I tasted recently, the American Honey Aromas remind me of a Liqueur rather than a Whisk(e)y. The main drivers are Honey, Orange and Vanilla. It's quite Sweet as expected. The Alcohol is noticeable despite the low ABV.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Cereals, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Honey, Orange (Gran Marnier), Pepper, Cinnamon and Mint.
    
Supportive Aroma Accents:

Caramel, Butterscotch, Lemon, Glue, Leather, Tobacco, Nutmeg, Charred Oak and Cardamom.

Image result for wild turkey american honey

Palate:

Mellow and Sweet with a little Bitterness behind it all. It's hard to find Bourbon behind the thick Honey/Orange Sweetness.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Cereals, Honey, Golden Syrup, Vanilla, Orange, Lemon, Butter, Pepper, Cinnamon and Mint.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Butterscotch, Caramel, Cherry Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Oak, Leather, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom, Tobacco and Black Tea.

Finish:

Medium-Long although the Honey stays around even longer. It's very Sweet & it closely follows Nose and Palate. A little Orange-like Bitterness towards the end. I find Sweet Cereals, Honey, Syrup, Vanilla, Caramel, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Pastilles, Orange, Lemon, Oak, Butter, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom and Mint.

Drinking Advice:

No need to add Water to this Liqueur. It's best enjoyed over Ice!

Rating: 76.5

Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 - Finish: 18.5 - Overall: 19

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

Wild Turkey Bourbon is being produced in the town of Lawrenceburg Kentucky. Nowadays the Brand is owned by the Campari Group. The distillery produces the 81 Proof, the 101 Proof, the Single Barrel Kentucky Spirit at 101 Proof, Russell's Reserve 10 Years named after Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, Rare Breed a blend of 6, 8 and 12 old Wild Turkey at 108.4 Proof, a Rye Whiskey with 65% Rye, 23 % Corn and 12% Barley and a Honey Liqueur by the name of American Honey. The latter is a mix of Wild Turkey Bourbon and natural Honey.

The Honey Liqueur has been around since 1978 but was revived in 2006 when the interest for this type of Liqueur started to pick up. I've tasted a couple of them in the meantime and although there are significant differences between them they have one thing in common. They are way too Sweet to enjoy Neat and they all are enjoyed best over Ice. The Wild Turkey American Honey is a very Sweet Liqueur and has little to do with Whisky or Bourbon. The Honey is its main asset as it smells and tastes more natural than the Jack Daniel Honey. These Whisky-Liqueurs are not really my kind of thing but I can see that lots of people will enjoy this on a warm evening over lots of Ice.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                 January 20, 2020

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