Drawing comparisons to other bourbons outside the Wild Turkey ecosphere sets Rare Breed a bit farther apart. Rare Breed offers its own set of nuances, with layers of subtle complexity most likely attributed to the range of ages that make up the blend. Moreover, each has the characteristic “Wild Turkey” flavor profile, an almost indefinable trait that is referenced in the bourbon community and apparent once you start tasting their bourbons side by side.
However, Wild Turkey bourbons are very nuanced from one to the next, with only subtle differences as you move along the Wild Turkey ladder of bourbons. If I had to pick just one bottle based on price, proof, and versatility, Wild Turkey 101 would certainly be in the top three if not number one. They’re one of the most capable distilleries in the world and make tremendous whiskeys. None of this is to cast shade on Wild Turkey by any means. There are other Wild Turkey products of course, but the point is it’s very easy to draw similarities from one to the next. As for age, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year lands right in the midst of the 6, 8, and 12 year old blend that makes up Rare Breed. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel hits the 110 proofpoint, just a few shy of Rare Breed.
On top of that, Wild Turkey offers a lot of their products at a higher proofpoint than normal, with their flagship Wild Turkey 101 coming in at a high proof relative to the competition at the same price point. While bourbon can increase or decrease in proof as it ages, this puts a lower cap on overall proof compared to many other bourbons in the marketplace. It’s also well known that Jimmy Russell likes bourbon in the 8-12 year old range. Wild Turkey’s barrel entry proof is lower than the more common legal maximum of 125, with distillate entering barrels from 107 - 115 proof. Wild Turkey’s products, which also includes the Russell’s Reserve product line, find themselves in a tighter band than other major distilleries. This is possibly due to its low proof for a barrel proof bourbon, or possibly due to the fact that the packaging just doesn’t scream “pick me up!” (yes, even the new packaging), Rare Breed never feels like it’s a bourbon people seem to get super excited about. No different than I felt over five years ago when I first reviewed it, Rare Breed is not given as much attention as it deserves. Rare Breed was first released in 1991 and along with Booker’s Bourbon, remains one of the longest running barrel proof bourbons on the market.
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