Happy Turkey Day!! To celebrate I’m diving into a Turkey Throwdown between two members of the Wild Turkey family. I’m thankful for both of these, but I’ve never tried them side-by-side to find out if the price difference is worth it.
Fancy Glencairn can’t resist that pretty Master’s Keep bottle, let’s see if she can pull out a Thanksgiving Day victory!

Cornerstone) $150, Blend of ryes aged 9-11 years. 109 proof
-The Nose is strong, and somewhat bourbon-like, with vanilla, soft spices, and oak, but there is an additional sour apple funk in there that I really like.
-The Palate starts soft and oaky, and then the flavor starts to build, and coats your tongue with leather, vanilla, caramel, baking spices, and a hint of bitter orange-peel.
-The Finish is decently long with a little heat, mild black pepper, and some bitter-sweet tannins.
Overall I really enjoy this one. It’s full of flavor and yet soft, without much alcohol burn. However, the finish is long but somewhat flat in flavor.

Rare Breed) $59. Blend of 4, 6, and 8yr ryes, 112.2 proof.
-The Nose is very interesting with notes of black tea, cinnamon, lemon peel, green-apple, vanilla, and oak char.
-The Palate is nicely full-flavored with initial rye spice, mint, and cinnamon, and then turns more sweet with caramel, oak, and some marshmallow with dark fruits (raisin, date).
-The Finish is medium in length, with those sweet notes turning into vanilla with orange peel, black pepper, and charred oak.
Overall this is an excellent, complex rye, and it has really opened up and improved a lot after being opened for a few weeks.

VERDICT) You can instantly tell they are similar, but also which one is younger. RB has more young cinnamon, mint, and alcohol, and the MK more oak, leather, and less burn. Cornerstone is the smoother pour, but with a rye I actually like those younger notes that give the RB a brightness that the Cornerstone is lacking. When you factor in price, Rare Breed is the clear “buy again” winner for me!
Fancy is currently crying over a plate of stuffing and creamed-corn. I think she’ll be ok.

What do you guys think??