Whiskey brands often tout their multi-generational distilling prowess. But that’s historical; it’s rare for three generations of distillers to actually make a spirit together. This makes Wild Turkey’s newest bottle, Generations, a unique entry in not only the brand’s history, but also in the larger world of whiskey.
Generations is the first-ever collaboration between whiskey makers Jimmy, Eddie and Bruce Russell. Together, those three represent over a century of bourbon-making experience. The new limited-edition release marks the first time Bruce Russell, an associate blender, has his signature on the bottle, right below his father Eddie and grandfather Jimmy, the latter being the longest-tenured active master distiller in the spirits industry (Eddie and Jimmy are also Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductees).
How the “Michael Jordan of Whiskey” Orders His Bourbon
A conversation with the father-son duo behind Wild Turkey“It was originally going to be just me and dad,” Bruce Russell told InsideHook this week during a tasting. “I had to convince dad to bring granddad in. Because if you know anything about them, they get along at home, but they don’t get along at work very well because [laughs] neither of them likes the other one’s whiskey too much. I’m kind of a good in-between for them.”
To make Generations, the Russells picked out four bourbons aged 9, 12, 14 and 15 years into a blend. “Jimmy really only likes 6- to 12-year-old whiskey, while my dad likes them a little older. I think if you asked him, 15 would be the perfect age for bourbon,” says Bruce. “But I actually prefer the style of whiskey my granddad did.”
The final result comes in at 120.8 proof and features notes of vanilla, caramel, toffee, baking spices, aged oak, cloves and cherry. It’s certainly on par with the best of Wild Turkey’s other LTO offerings.
Only 5,000 bottles of Generations are available, and that family knowhow doesn’t come cheap, with a price of $450. According to the brand, Wild Turkey fans in the United States will also have exclusive access to a limited online pre-sale in the coming days; by signing up for the Wild Turkey community newsletter here, fans can explore the story behind this release and get early info on pre-sale availability.
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