In honor of Father’s Day, I’m featuring my Dad’s favorite poison – Wild Turkey. “The Bird,” as it’s known among friends, is also immortalized in the Jerry Jeff Walker song “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother”:”He sure does like/His Falstaff beer./He likes to chase it down with that Wild Turkey liquor.”
What is it? Wild Turkey is a Kentucky bourbon whiskey. According to its manufacturer – Austin, Nichols – Wild Turkey is America’s best-selling super-premium bourbon. To distill bourbon, the primary grain used is corn, which results in a sweeter flavor than other whiskeys, such as Scotch. Bourbon also gets a distinctive taste and color while it’s aged (for at least two years) in new, charred, white-oak barrels.
How it tastes: Sweet, rich, and strong. If you like whiskey, try Wild Turkey. Hard-core fans like it straight or on the rocks. It’s also popular with Coke or 7-Up, and in cocktails including Manhattans, whiskey sours, old fashioneds, and mint juleps.
Cost: About $18 for a 750 ml bottle.
Who’s drinking it: Lots of Southern guys. And apparently bourbon (and Wild Turkey in particular) is getting wildly popular in Australia and Japan, and is now favored in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
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