Wild Turkey’s Forgiven is a blend of bourbon and rye whiskies – in a similar vein to High West’s Bourye. It’s created (allegedly by accident) from 78% 6 year old bourbon and 22% 4 year old rye. It doesn’t come cheaply here in the UK – you’ll be looking at around £80 for the privilege - which is an incredible mark up on the prices that you can pick this bottle up in the States (closer to £35).
Nose: A touch shy initially, this needed some time in the glass to open up. When it did, the main aromas were bourbon-led – cinnamon apples, pastries, toffee and caramel, alongside vanilla and dark cherries. There is certainly some more rye influence notes here, but they’re a little hidden – they come across as earthy, almost umami-like – potato crisps and savoury nuttiness.
Taste: A good arrival offering plentiful weight and texture. Much more rye now – earthy and natural tasting. Apples, burnt toffee, wood char and vanilla, but with orange zest, allspice, nutmeg, leather and pepper. Again, there are umami flavours and some overt nuttiness in play here.
Finish: Long, quite earthy and fairly drying.
I find Wild Turkey Forgiven a little confusing. The nose shouts bourbon, but the palate screams rye – the two never quite seem to sit together perfectly. The result is a demi-sweet combination which offers a lot of interesting aromas and flavours, but perhaps a lot less overall balance. If you can pick this up in the US for a reasonable price then it’s certainly worth some of your time, but here in the UK there’s a real disconnect between the price and the quality.