ralfy review 990 - Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon @ 58.4%vol: 

You just can't go wrong with the WT101 and WT Rare Breed. They both are excellent bourbons to have on your bar.

Being in the US and a bourbon fan I've probably seen 25 reviews of Wild Turkey Rare Breed over the years. It's one of the greatest and most popular bourbons of all time. It's a must buy for anyone with a home bar. After hearing all these reviews you would think that I would have passed on this one. But it's Ralfy so how could I? And I am so glad that I did. As usual I learned things about this whiskey that I didn't know before. Since this is a bourbon that I am very familiar with I was so impressed with the quality of the review. It was descriptive and informative and dead on in it's presentation. Once again Ralfy you nailed it. I love the channel and am looking forward to the next 1000 reviews

1000 must be a special occasion. I have reached 499 and it feels like a lifetime. Appreciate all your videos in extras. Cheers

Wild Turkey and Heaven Hill have always done the lords work as far as excellent whiskey at a fair price. Actually Wild Turkey doesn’t have that large of a proportion of rye, maybe 15% or so, but it does have a spice character which I believe comes somewhat from the very heavy char they put on the barrels. You might notice talk of high rye on the bottle but that was just Jimmy Russell trying to cash in on what he sees as a new trend haha. He’s always been a huckster, but also an artist when it comes to distilling

thousands of bourbons in the USA and whenever large groups of bourbon afficiannados vote on their favourite.....Rare Breed always wins the voting by a landslide.......I bought a bottle many years ago and was impressed right away with the flavour......they nailed it when they came up with this recipe!

As a 30yr Scotch drinker who started exploring American Whiskies in 2023, I’ve now tried Makers Mark, WT 101, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Eagle Rare 10, Bulleit Bourbon, WT Rare Breed and Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Barrel Proof Of these, the WT Rare Breed and the Jack Daniels SBBP, (both of which is own), are superior by far to the others, which I guess is to be expected given the higher price. Of these two, the WT Rare Breed is the one I will always keep on the shelf going forward, due to it being 20% cheaper than the JD but just as good. Both are excellent however and well worth trying.

There is a Rare Breed Rye as well. Rare Breed is often the baseline bourbon used in tastings and often outscores almost all of the more precious bottlings. I can’t imagine my bar without a bottle. It is difficult to justify spending so much more these days on bourbons that are increasingly of lesser quality, especially as the older stocks are consumed.

I keep coming back to this bourbon. We have so many options in the US, but Wild Turkey absolutely hit the mark and has held quality and integrity at the forefront while so many others are targeting mediocroty at higher prices. Glad to see our brothers grabbing this just as so many of us do. Now if we could get scotch taxes lowered here....

Massive fan of Wild Turkey 101 but not tried Rare Breed yet. Definitely going to buy a bottle now. Love this channel. Cheers Ralfy 🥃

Rare Breed is an outstanding bourbon. Always a bargain here in the US.

You might be surprised by the actual rye content in Wild Turkey's bourbon: 13%. We in America are also jealous of some Wild Turkey bottles available overseas. Wild Turkey 101 8yr and especially the 12yr aren't available in the USA.

Russell's Reserve single barrels are quite good, if you can find them in the UK. Cheers Ralfy, looking forward to 1000.

I started with Wild Turkey in 1984 at age 16 and have loved it ever since. Rare Breed is my favorite of all the Kickin Chicken that I have tried....LOVE IT!!...And the cork got broken Saturday evening 😂😂😂

WT RB is always on standby for me when I need to ease back and enjory vs. being critical. It's consistently reliable and predictably very decent. Thanks for the review, Sir!

Ha! No way will I overpay for whisky or bribe workers. Too much good whisky out there. Wild Turkey is a great distillery, glad you chose that jewel

This is also one of the rare whiskies that is actually a good shout in travel retail. I picked up a litre bottle on my way to France fore a very good price earlier this year. Very happy with it.

Wild Turkey certainly stands out in the US as a respected distiller of quality spirits, not given to gimmicks or trendiness. I can't say enough about the 101 Rye. It's a staple in my house and they sell it in a 1 liter bottle for a price in the $30 range. Very, very tough to beat! It's great to sip neat but at the price, one doesn't hesitate to make cocktails with it either. Just brilliant.

One of my favourite bourbons. Surpassed only by Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Bookers and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel | Barrel Strength. This is one I always like to keep in stock.

Got Rare Breed for my cousin's German husband when their family came back to America for a visit. I felt it was a good and apt gift to take back to the Continent.

New to bourbon. But I thoroughly enjoyed your review. Rare breed is one of my staples. When I run put it's always replaced. Fantastic bottle and easy to find.

Opened today on my birthday. The explosion of flavours is fantastic.

Lovely review once again from the one and only. I used to drink for about 13 years and then I had to stop when I felt pain in my abdomen. Feel much better now, going on just over 2.5 years clean. If there is one thing that I definitely learned from that experience, is that moderation is absolutely key. At least for me. Now, I am no connoisseur, but from what I can remember. I drank quite a few different spirits over a span of 13 years and when it came to whiskeys, for some reason, the WT101 was exceptional for its flavor given the price point. I believe I bought a bottle years ago for just under $20 at the local grocery. I can only imagine how this Rare Breed would taste. I have a cousin who drinks whiskey and I am probably going to get this Rare Breed for him as a gift. But judging from this review, it sounds like WT hasn't lost their touch. It is one thing to make an exceptional bourbon. It is quite another to make an exceptional bourbon whose flavor profile is consistent throughout the years.

Great stuff this one! Malt mention suggestion: "hello you, malt moments make migraines milder." Cheers from Portugal.

I just got mine, wish it wasn't chill-filtered but it's great nonetheless. I get an interesting aftertaste, almost like an old sweet carrot flavour with the sweetness from the corn the spice from the rye and a vegetable tang from the oak...and a bit of buttery toast upfront followed by maple syrup

I really need to get around to this one. I have a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 that I bought for use as a mixer, but it is also more than good enough to drink neat, and the price is unbeatable for the quality that it provides. I live in southern California, so there is plenty of good bourbon around. I usually ignore the ones that get hyped up and cause people to go on a wild goose chase hunting all over the place. There are plenty of others that are just as good that I can easily find on store shelves for a reasonable price. There is no sense in getting caught up in the hype. Some of the local bars have a few of the hyped ones for a reasonable price, so I've been able to sample some of them. I put two single barrels up against each other at a bar - a hyped one (Blanton's) and one you can find in any grocery store (Four Roses). At least for my palate, both are good products, but Four Roses won the comparison. Incidentally, I like Four Roses small batch select even better than the single barrel; it is a single source blend of different bourbons, and it has better consistency. Ralfy will appreciate this statement on the bottle: "Sediment from the barrel may be present in this non-chill filtered bourbon." These are the words that I like to hear. I can imagine that the corn-forward bourbons that make it to Europe might not be the most interesting ones, and Europeans probably don't have the stereotypical American sweet tooth, so these bourbons might come across as smelling and tasting too sweet. The large production brands from the legacy distilleries are the ones most likely to be exported. In recent years, small craft distilleries have been popping up all over the place, and some of them have been around long enough for their whisky to get to a respectable age. Some of these distilleries are using interesting varieties of grain. Heirloom varieties of corn are increasingly popular, and they can taste very different from industrial corn. Also, these smaller distilleries are more likely to use pot stills, which can give the whisky more complex and challenging flavors. Heirloom varieties of wheat and rye also sometimes turn up, and the small neighborhood distillery in my town made bourbon with some triticale (wheat/rye hybrid) in the mash bill. Corn whisky, which in the United States is minimum 80% corn, and aged in previously used or uncharred new oak barrels (new charred barrels would make it bourbon), is getting to be an interesting style of whisky to watch, as many of the craft distillers are avoiding industrial corn and using heirloom and indigenous varieties instead. Also, different climates around the country result in a variety of styles. In Texas, the severe and variable climate results in heavy barrel interaction. This, combined with a tendency to use heirloom grains, results in that characteristic Texas funk, which is rather polarizing, but I love it. Even Mexico is finding its way into the whisky industry; whiskies made of 100% indigenous corn, sometimes processed using local techniques for food production, are being made there. I get excited when I see a Mexican corn whisky because I know I'm in for an interesting experience. Hopefully, some of these smaller production corn-based whiskies will start to find their way to Europe so that Ralfy can get a chance to try them. Maybe he'll change his mind about corn when he tries the good stuff.

This one has been on my wish list for a while, I think it will be my next purchase. I'm a big fan of the 101 so I'm sure it will not disapoint. Cheers Ralfy .

finally, after 989 drinks you got to the one I have enjoyed for 20 years Yes,cook is too small, it also breaks very easy from the stem but fun wood top. I also drink the RYE RB. 112.2 proof. but I add a bit of well water from the farm here in the ohio valley, yes, you lernt me this thank you

Hi Ralfy, as a US resident, I just want you to know that I order a lot of my whiskey from the UK because of the price gauging that is done in none ABC states here in the US. I can get hard to find ones from Scotland for retail price and no mark up. Sadly, non-abc liquor store owners only allow certain people to buy certain bourbons or they charge up to 5x the price. Glad you did another bourbon video.

A fitting finale to your world tour dear Ralfy! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this fine bourbon 🥃 Grazie 🙏 ciao 👋 S.

Glad to see you can get Rare Breed in the UK. It's a favorite here in the US for all the reasons mentioned: quality, consistency, availability and affordability. Not sure if it available in the UK, but Rare Breed Rye is also terrific, and would make for an interesting compare/contrast tasting with the bourbon.

Thanks for reminding me had several bottles of this over the years but not recently having tried over 10 different bourbons and nearly all gone this is next on the list I believe it will remain my favourite as so consistently flavoursome in the past there you go now you know 😊

Love the colour, looks lovely. my type completely.

I love my Bourbons and thank you for reviewing them! I normally agree with nearly everything you have to offer but for my taste, the wheated bourbons tend to have much more complexity than the rye based bourbons. I find the wheated bottlings tend to have a well rounded mouth feel and more body to them and not overpowered by the typical spice I find Rye gives. For me, I appreciate the sweeter taste wheat seems to give, but oddly enough I prefer dryer single malts. Perhaps being Canadian, I feel we get bombarded with Rye dominated whiskies and in my opinion, a lot of them are historically mediocre in quality (with some exceptions, especially in the past 10 years). Anyhow, as you say, just sharing my opinion! Keep up the great work Ralfy! Been a fan for years!! Cheers!

I took a deep dive into the hobby of whisky due to the lockdowns a few years ago with you and Jason C in America as my guides. Really appreciate the knowledge and company over the course of 990 videos. I’ve enjoyed your take on whisky and society while sharing a glass. You mention the “travel” On Rare Breed. That comment hits the nail On the head for me. WT Rare Breed and Knob Creek Single Barrel at 60% are the outright winners based on quality, availability and price in America after 3 years of investigating. Gotta say looking back it makes me laugh that you gave Evan William BiB an 89 a few hundred videos ago. It’s a good value but not in the same universe of Rare Breed imo.

Malt Mention: Mushy Monday Maltsters

Sir - this fine bourbon deserves no less than a 90 bourbon whiskey mark. It is one of the best out there, period. Loosen ye straps, lad. Your 84 is a slap in the face to the Russells.

Love that you're reviewing Rare Breed; one of the best values in American whiskey. There's six of them on my shelf.....I'll never be caught lacking.

OMG I am so grateful that you came to this iteration of WT! I remember your review of 101 but to me the Rare Breed is in another league. Most of all the surprise to me is it does not drink like a spirit that is 116.8 proof. I find it easy whereas there are other bourbons at 120 proof while still delicious require a great deal of focus and are best IMHO enjoyed in the deep dark winter, whereas Rare Breed works year round even in the summer. Amazingly in Madison Wisconsin at Woodman's a large grocery store it sells for $39.99 and flies off the shelf deservedly at that price. The spirits manager apologized that she had to raise the price to $42.99 oh boy win win. Parenthetically I remember you hated the regular Knob Creek which was very unbalanced over oaked you were spitting splinters out of your mouth but there is a version called Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve with an age statement of 9 years 120 proof and it is totally different really. Another sipper that is easy drinking despite the proof. But it is my winter warmer; completely different than the Rare Breed and the everyday price at Woodman's $42.00! Everything else has become sadly out of reach; thankfully it is possible to find some great products at a fair, some might say bargain, prices.

Entertaining, but I’m finding several comments a bit misleading. All in all, I’m glad a good quality bottle is recognized as such.

I really enjoyed the Rare Breed - I liked it so much I bought two more for the shelf. As for the other stuff about "camping out" for good whisky's - I just have my name on a waitlist so that I will get another Springbank 15 as soon as it arrives at the local retailer and they will call me to come pick it up.

A most enlightening spin around the 'world whiskies' Ralfy, interesting and informative as ever 👍. However, I'll shall be eagerly awaiting the return of more of Scotland's finest for your next delivery.....as we progress to that all important milestone of 1,000 reviews. Good on ya Ralfy me owd mucker! 😺😺.

Did you know that Wild Turkey uses 100% non GMO grains. 100% corn whisky can be extra good you just not have tried the right ones. Bloody butcher corn is a red corn that gives a huge punch of flavor.

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley. Not a lot of rye. My bottle says it is non-chill filtered.

I'm an American who is not a big fan of bourbon. Once I found a few good Scotches, I've mostly focused my journey in Scotland (and now England & India). I guess I'm just not fond of corn squeezins. Of all that I've tried (perhaps 20 or so) most have disappointed and many had a bit of a solvent characteristic that just does not appeal to me. I do have a bottle of Old Forester 1897 on hand and I rather enjoy that one as an occasional palate cleanser. I have been interested in trying the Rare Breed, but I think I'll try a pour at my favorite BBQ restaurant before deciding to invest in a bottle. I'm hoping that I like it, just for an occasional something different in my cabinet. Cheers!

I don’t visit bourbons too often, which could be a shame cause I live in America where it’s plentiful and cheap. But this one’s a very good one. I bring it out once a year for Thanksgiving Day 😊🦃🥃

About 10 years ago I drifted away from Scotch and really got into bourbons as I was visiting my father in the States every summer. Back then Blanton’s was a $40 bottle, there was no such thing as allocation (from what I could see) and I got to try a lot of great drinks I probably wouldn’t be able to find or afford now: Elijah Craig, Dickel, Booker’s (v sweet), Woodford, Forester, etc etc (only one I never found was Pappy). We did a distillery tour holiday in Kentucky one summer (beautiful state) and the only time I have ever been stopped by airport customs was with a suitcase containing 6 bottles of bourbon. I convinced them it was personal consumption and they let me go on my way :) After all those bourbons I’d say the flavour profile of bourbon isn’t varied enough for my taste to compete with Scotch. I like bourbon over ice in the summer, I wouldn’t see the point in queuing to pay megabucks for something you might not be able to blind-taste the difference from an affordable bourbon.

I recommend leupold whiskey. All sour mashed. 2 and 4 year olds are great. 4 is a bit heavy on the oak. 2 is good but needs more time. laws yellow label is 3 years, decent. It's colorado aging, which is somewhat faster.

I just bought a bottle for my dad's birthday and also bought one for myself. Enjoying so far.

Love this bourbon. Prices are creeping up near me but still a good value.

Nice review Ralfy on a great bourbon. Kudos to WT for keeping it real on pricing as you say, not just for Rare Breed but also on WT101 which IMHO is the best entry level bourbon bar none. I managed to get a store pick version of Russells Reserve barrell proof at 110 proof which was glorious & it really show-cased the quality of WT`s spirit.

Rare Breed is one of the best whiskeys on the market man. Cask strength, big flavor, affordable, and readily available where i live in ohio. Glad you can get it in the Uk, It's a treat.

Thank you for the awesome review, You're absolutely right about bourbon fever for allocated bourbon, that particular bottle is proof how good bourbon can be without paying insane money and most of the time than not that good, I quit buying allocated bourbons for a long time because of prices are absolutely insane and people do sit in front of a liquor stores because they can get them for MSRP, most of them probably going to resell it, some states do lotteries and if you get lucky you going to buy one for retail price. You're right about a lot of fakes because of the price, but at the same time you can buy really really good bourbons for a very reasonable price and be happy. Allocated Bourbon is a huge problem in the United States, quite frankly, nobody knows how to fix it, in my humble opinion if we all stop buying it prices will come down. Thank you again

My 75th birthday was last Wednesday. I got a gift card to our liquor store. I think I'm getting this. Thanks.

Rare Breed is fantastic. Probably the best value bottle where i live in Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 i will always have a bottle of this on the bar

My favorite bourbon along the Wild Turkey 101, but hard to get in Sweden. Stumbled over a bottle abroad during vacation this year. Lucky Me! 🤩

Love my Rare Breed. $55 in my area and worth every penny+

Jimmy Russell would like your review. My bottle of Rare Breed is now 4 years old. The Russel's Reserve bottleings are vere nice too.

So glad you had this; it's one of my favorites.

I've never been able to acquire a taste for bourbon. Scotch is for me. But a good Rye is very capable second. I especially like the Wild Turkey 101 Rye and the Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye. Maybe I'll give the Rare Breed Bourbon a chance now.

Get your hands on a Non chill filtered version of rare breed. You can get them at duty free stores. Travel exclusive bottle. Quite a difference between the regular and UCF version.

I'm glad you like it Ralfy.. it's one of my go to bourbons.

The Masters Keep Unforgotten, by wild turkey, is so good. Great review as always Ralfy!

I like our Wild Turkey here special Rare Breed ....Thanks for the review

Ralfy, I really enjoy this review, almost a s much as I enjoy Wild Turkey Rye (40.5 % Alcohol or 81 Proof. ) Definitely recommend it. Cheers from Dallas Texas USA.

Appreciate your review of a favorite bourbon of mine. I’m surprised you didn’t pick up on any oak notes. This is a high quality, high value whiskey.

Absolutely a fantastic bourbon especially for the price. Always one I have on my shelf. The rare bread rye is also quite nice

You should try to get the un-chill filtered version of this and do a comparison!

If nobody else has said it I will, we love you on this side of the pond Ralfy. As for these whiskey wars I’ll sip what’s available please and thank you!

If I buy American these days, it's either Wild Turkey or Four Roses. I just don't see much a reason to get anything else anymore.

Wild Turkey only uses Rye grain from Germany, I'd love to try there 101 Rye.

Drinking some now! Wonderful :) brilliant review here mate. Good on you ❤

Rare Breed is delicious, though it’s far from the highest proof I’ve seen. Benchmark Full Proof is bottled by Buffalo Trace at 62.5%, and some of Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill bottlings were between 70 and 75% ABV. But since you liked this I’d also recommend trying Old Grand Dad 114 from Beam Suntory.

I have lived my entire life in Kentucky. I know live in the within an hour of many bourbon distillers. I can confirm what you said about the corruption. 10 years ago I could walk in to most stores and buy almost any bourbon made. Now I am lucky to find many of these bourbons made just down the road. People are selling bottles for $250 to well over $1000. Rare breed is one of the best for the price. It is even difficult to obtain from time to time. Loved the review. I don't know if you have anyone send you bottles, if so I would be inclined to send some more local juices to try.

Indeed a fine bourbon. If you liked this, look for Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit....a bit harder to find. Its even more refined. Cheers!

It’s become harder to guess Ralfy’s score based on his comments leading up to the score than it was before. Used to be after watching 10-15 minutes I could reliably guess his score by a point off at most. Now it’s 4-5 off quite often and usually lower. He’s gone into score recession.

Sad to hear of the death of Mr Hedley G Wright - a reluctant distillery owner but a pioneer of sorts. RIP Mr Wright

Ralfy, great review! I’d love to hear your review of Old Foresters Prohibition Style. Thanks!

There are definitely plenty of Bourbons that the liquor stores say they have but never get on the shelves. People buy it in advance and it’s gone before it can be put on the shelves. Although I’m in Arkansas and we aren’t too far from Kentucky there are some Kentucky Bourbons I rarely or never see on the the shelves. I’ve never seen Buffalo Trace ,Blantons, or obviously never ever Papi. I've never got to ever try those. But since it became so popular (Henry McKenna single barrel bottled n bond 10 year), one of my favorites when I can ever find it. Here recently it’s hard to find Knob Creek Single Barrel too.

"Handle with care." I may have made a few questionable online purchases after having a pour or two too many of the Rare Breed. One of my favorite bottles to have on hand. Deceptively easy to drink with the higher proof.

i used to be more into Scotch but now prefer Bourbon... To each their own, but i think Bourbon is more complexed and has more flavors.

My mag glass is in the kitchen for my microwave food, cant read the labels. Very interesting review.

Rare Breed is teh bourbon I like most. I prefer this one than Blanton's and Weller. These are the 3 best bourbons I drank.

When I toured the distillery years ago, this was the Wild Turkey that the distillery workers drank. :^)

Some people already suggested a few other barrel proof bourbons , and I want to double down on some of them: if you have a chance to try Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof or any of the bourbons from Barrel, I can’t recommend them highly enough. As for this one, what a great value! In Oregon you can still find it on the shelves for $49.95. And if you don’t want to pay the $49.95, you can find literally anywhere the Wild Turkey 101 for $27.95! Same mash bill.

Many bourbons since about 7 plus years ago taste as though they were rushed out the door and on to the shelves. A big difference between WT Rare Breed from 7 plus years ago and what is currently on the shelves and it’s not for the better.

I really enjoy WTRB, you can easily pick up a bottle for £50. You can't beat it for the price and quality especially when comparing to other bourbons.

Hi ralfy watching this from Majorca on holiday! Never miss a malt moment! Hope your well pal

WTRB is on my list but I have other bourbons that I've prioritized higher. Beans and nuts are grains? I hope the whiskey cartel agrees. Nevertheless, if I were to distill a unique grain, it would be emmer. Or maybe that trio of grains called farro. Speaking of bland bourbons/whiskies, I recently tried one in which the mash bill is rice, wheat and barley. When comparing taste to other more established bourbons, it did come off as bland. And, it was non-chill filtered and aged 2 years! There should have been something there.

Wild Turkey 101 is in my regular rotation and I’ve been dying to try this, I just can’t justify the price at the moment. Thanks Ralfy!👍🏼

One of my favorites! Hopefully you get a chance to dry some Jim Beam Booker’s bourbon, another excellent cask strength…

Its still pretty cheap over here in Massachusetts, I always have a bottle on hand. There are batch variations that are a bit dull. The prices are creeping up. Keep your eyes open for Jack Daniels Barrel Proof, would love to see a review on that firecracker.

Ralfy have you tried Jack Daniels single barrel barrel proof? it’s on par if not better than wild turkey rare breed my cupboards stocked up with both 😂

Wonderful stuff Ralfy! I've yet to try any good Bourbons, and I think this may have to be my first purchase. Trying to find some good malternatives and this looks a decent start! Cheers!😉

Been drinking rare breed since the mid 90’s. amazing drop Was even better back then as it has up to 18 yr old bourbon in there

well done. thank you

Thank you for addressing that lousy cork Ralfy. I've been complaining about it for years. Maybe Russell's will take notice this time. Why the lower tier WT101 gets a tight synthetic cork and this one doesn't seems moronic.

Unfortunately, this product is chill filtered. There is a travel retail exclusive, non-chill filtered version that is truly remarkable.

So much good bourbon at the moment that you really do not need to chased the hyped up stuff…however, as the prices of bourbon increases, I have found the price of scotch to be a bargain, comparatively.

Marvelous mark, my magnificent meticulous malt master!

There is a 1l NCF version of this in global travel retail and it’s insanely good.