Wild Turkey has simply introduced the tenth and closing launch in its Grasp’s Hold assortment of whiskeys. “Beacon” is a 118-proof mix of 10- and 16-year-old bourbons, fastidiously chosen by father-and-son duo Eddie and Bruce Russell. This bottling signifies a historic (and for followers, maybe bittersweet) ending to a sequence that helped catapult fashionable Wild Turkey to widespread acclaim. 

The Grasp’s Hold line began in 2015 and — apart from 2017 — has been launched yearly since. Second-generation Grasp Distiller Eddie Russell needed to discover whiskeys past Wild Turkey’s essential lineup, starting with a 17-year-old bourbon that turned the distillery’s oldest launch on the time. The 9 earlier releases have spanned ages, classes, blends, proofs, and finishes:

• 17 12 months (2015, bourbon)
• A long time (2016, bourbon)
• Revival (2018, bourbon completed in sherry casks)
• Cornerstone (2019, rye)
• Bottled-in-Bond (2020, bourbon, additionally 17 years outdated)
• One (2021, bourbon completed in toasted barrels)
• Unforgotten (2022, mix of bourbon and rye completed in rye casks)
• Voyage (2023, bourbon completed in rum casks)
• Triumph (2024, rye)

Beacon concludes the Grasp’s Hold line with a mix of straight bourbon whiskeys. The 16-year-old bourbon was distilled between 2007 and 2008; based on the model, these had been a number of the final barrels produced earlier than the 2011 distillery growth. The ten-year-old bourbon comes from barrels Bruce Russell produced in 2015, shortly after he joined the corporate and below the tutelage of his father (Eddie) and grandfather, Jimmy Russell. The packaging for Beacon options signatures from each Bruce and Eddie.

“In my eyes, Grasp’s Hold Beacon bridges two pivotal moments of Wild Turkey’s wealthy legacy,” Eddie Russell informed Meals & Wine.

“The 16-year-old bourbon comes from one of many closing batches produced on the authentic distillery, whereas the 10-year-old choice dates again from Bruce’s first whiskey that he helped make alongside our distillery supervisor, Jimmy, and me,” Eddie provides.

For Bruce Russell, who at present serves as affiliate grasp blender, Beacon nods to the previous whereas trying to the longer term. “To see the sequence come full circle within the closing launch is one thing I’ll all the time be proud to have my identify on,” Bruce tells Meals & Wine. “It not solely honors the place Wild Turkey has been, but additionally factors to the place we’re headed.”

Bruce additionally emphasizes Beacon as a showcase for Wild Turkey’s mixing model, leading to a layered consuming expertise. “The [primary] bourbon in Beacon is a strong 16-year-old that acts as the bottom and lays down a stable oak basis, enriching it with earthy notes of vanilla, darkish cherry, and brown sugar. Then, we combine in a 10-year-old bourbon to provide it a protracted, warming end that brings out mature oak, candy tobacco, and baking spices.”

The ultimate mix for Beacon was bottled at 118 proof. In accordance with Eddie Russell, that mark got here after in depth testing to make sure the bourbon balanced wealthy taste with a “easy and approachable high quality.”

A restricted, allotted launch, Grasp’s Hold Beacon will likely be distributed in main markets around the globe beginning this Fall. It carries a instructed retail value of $300 in the USA.