Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a barrel Proof Straight Bourbon meaning you get all the flavours of Wild Turkey and there is no water added.

Even at a abv of 58.4% this is a really smooth bourbon in my taste. It has a quick burn on the nose but the it turns into toffee sweetness with the lovely vanillas of the wood. The casks are charred pretty heavily and this makes all the sweetness and smoothness come out.

Wild Turkey has the same mash bill for all their bourbons, being: 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% barley and they use almost the same yeast strain as used in the start of their bourbon production era. The yeast is one of the secrets Wild Turkey have and the water used comes from the Kentucky River. The water is naturally filtered though Limestone. This removes the iron from the water. To much iron in the water gives the whiskey a bad and bitter taste.
So with the same mash bill for all the different bourbons from Wild Turkey you get the different taste flavours from the length of storage and where in the barrel houses they have been stored.

I have not found anything about where in the barrel house the Rare Breed has been stored, neither have I found very much on the age, but one of Wild Turkey’s keystones of maturation is that they age more than the minimum and usually also more than five years. It is said that Rare Breed is a mix of barrels that have aged for 6-12 years.

The distillation is continuos and also distilled twice. This is to give more smoothness as well. When they fill the new barrels with the new make it enters at 114 proof which is 57% abv. but hey it is bottled at 58.4% ?
Something does not match…. The short story could be one of two: 1) It actually was filled at a higher abv or 2) When storing in high temperature, water tend to evaporate quicker than alcohol which raises the abv.

A quick conclusion for this Rare Breed is that you get a very good bourbon at a good price. A fantastic taste and it is lovely to nose. I would sip this one neat any time.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)
In my opinion this is good value for the money

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 – 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

This is good Rye Whiskey.
There is so much great Rye whisky on the marked and to many people avoid it – Why – I don’t know, but they cheat themselves from some good experiences.

My first experience with Pikesville was at a whisky fair. I had just had a taste of Michter’s Straight Rye which I think is awesome. I don’t think my expectations was that I was about to have a Rye whisky that would match it – But when I nosed Pikesville I was fantastic sent meeting my nose and the taste – wauw. This is in my taste just at great taste and I will undoubtedly have Pikesville Straight Rye again.

Pikesville Rye was produced i Maryland in the 1890s but was shut down in the 1920s during Prohibition. Pikesville was reopened after Prohibition but the rye whiskey production died out in Maryland and Pikesville was the last brand standing, but also shut.
Now Heaven Hill is producing Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey in Kentucky, I think from the Bernheim distillery, and they are holding on to the traditions from the old Maryland way of making Rye whiskey.

I have come cross two sets of Mash bills for this Pikesville and I must admit – I don’t know which one is right…

It is assumed to be this one: 51% Rye, 39% Corn and 10% Barley.
The other one I have found is: 51% Rye, 37% Corn and 12 % Malted Barley.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6) (Maybe even 5.5)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩

Michter’s Straight Rye is one of the absolute better rye whiskeys I’ve ever tasted. It is one of those I could well have on the shelf and return to again and again.
I had the pleasure of tasting it at a whisky fair and compared to some of the other rye whiskeys I tasted that day, I must say it came over the finish line in an even first place with Pikesville.

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮: (5/6)

🅼🆈 🆁🆃🅸🅽🅶 🆂🆈🆂🆃🅴🅼

– 𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙧
– 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙮 – 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙛
– 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 – 𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚
– 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙 – 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
– 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙣 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣
– 𝙇𝙚𝙩’𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩