Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye Review

In 1950 Wild Turkey released their first, and now iconic, 101 Rye; ever since then, rye whiskey has been a staple of the Wild Turkey lineup. This Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye is a tribute to that tradition and contains the oldest rye released by WT to-date. Using a blend of barrels aged 9-11 years it’s worth noting that also means 100% of the whiskey comes from the old distillery.

Wild Turkey Master's Keep Cornerstone Rye

Though, to be honest, that doesn’t really mean THAT much to me. In the early days WT sourced Baltimore Pure Rye and then Michter’s Rye, so WT was playing the NDP game, but since 1974 rye whiskey has been produced under the watchful senses of the Russell’s. Old distillery or new, so long as the Russell’s are overseeing the quality I know a good product will be coming out.

Though the question is… how good? We’ll dig into that in the rye whiskey review coming up next.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Wild Turkey’s Words:

Rye whiskey is rarely aged in Kentucky for longer than 4 years. For this one-of-a-kind Limited Edition, Eddie Russell hand-picked and set aside a secret lot of his oldest and boldest rye whiskey barrels, all aged from 9 to 11 years, then used his nearly four decades of experience to create a perfectly balanced spirit. The result is a precious, high-aged rye whiskey that brilliantly displays Wild Turkey’s signature bold and spicy flavors.

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Wild Turkey
Mash Bill: 52% Rye, 36% Corn, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 9 years (9-11 yo barrels)
ABV: 54.5%

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $175*

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruddy copper

NOSE
Oak, chewy – cherry-heavy – dark fruit, anise, cinnamon, clove, cocoa, leather and some pepper.

PALATE
Dense and chewy dark fruit, oak, complex baking and dessert spice, cocoa, dark sweets (butterscotch and toffee) with a brush of pepper.

FINISH
Long -> Toasted rye bread, oak, dark fruit and some nuts and spice.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Perfectly balanced, round full body and a heavy oily presence.

An astounding rye whiskey that’s right up there with other legendary ryes like the Booker’s Rye.

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye Review: Overall and Score

This is one hell of a rye whiskey. The aroma starts with oak and dark fruit that gives way to a heavy spice and a dark sweet character; Palate is dark, heavy and chewy with layers of complex spice weaving through the oak and sweets; Finish just goes on forever in an elegant fade.

Dead honest, I need a case of Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye; if I had an extra $1,050 laying around I’d do it in a heartbeat (once it’s released). This is right up there with the Booker’s Rye in being a heavy brooding and sensory enveloping rye. Fingers crossed I can get at least 2 of them when they come out – one to savor now and one to savor in the future when I need a refresher on what truly amazing rye tastes like.

SCORE: 94/100 (A)