Wild Turkey and Elijah Craig are both prominent names in the world of American whiskey, but how do they stack up against one another?
By Greg Dillon
Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams.com, an award-winning independent bottler. A whisky writer and author of The GreatDrams of Scotland, his work focuses on authenticity, production, and whisky as something to be shared.
Bourbon whiskey is a drink here in the UK that has been gaining a lot of traction over the last several years. While Jim Bean and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey have been prominent players in the American whiskey markets for decades now, UK whiskey drinkers are definitely getting a lot more adventurous, especially with their bourbons.
Bourbon whiskey’s most prominent tasting notes are described as: vanilla, toffee, caramel, maple syrup, oak, brown sugar, charred, and honey. Now, do you think they sound particularly unappetising? I know I don’t. They sound delicious, because they are delicious.
As more people discover the joys of a fine bourbon, it’s worth remembering that not every bottle has to cost the earth. Two very affordable drams that are often compared to one another in terms of high entry-level bourbons are Elijah Craig Small Batch, and Wild Turkey 101.
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Having enjoyed both several times in the past, I thought today I’d see how they stack up against one another in the ultimate entry-level bourbon showdown.
Wild Turkey 101
Wild Turkey is one of the most prominent names in bourbon whiskey production. They’re synonymous with Kentucky bourbon and have a reputation for pushing boundaries, staying true to their core values, and above all else, putting out exceptional bourbon.
Wild Turkey can trace its roots back to the 1860s, when two Irish brothers named James and John Ripy, founded the Ripy Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The bourbon they produced proved extremely popular amongst the locals, and won numerous accolades in the process. It would even represent the state of Kentucky at the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair.
That’s all well and good, but what’s with the name? Don’t worry, I’m getting to that. You see, in 1940, during a hunting trip, a distillery exec went on a wild turkey hunting trip with his buddies. Very sensibly, he took a batch of their bourbon with him (firearms and alcohol, what could possibly go wrong?) and his friends couldn’t get enough. As the drams ran dry, they’d ask for more ‘wild turkey’ bourbon, and that was that. Wild Turkey Bourbon was born.
Wild Turkey 101 Tasting Notes
Of course there’s a lot more history behind the brand, but we’re not here for a history lesson today, we’re here to talk whiskey. Specifically, Wild Turkey 101.
For those of you who perhaps find bourbon a bit too sweet and cloying, Wild Turkey 101 could be the perfect solution. It’s aged for a minimum of six years, and undergoes a very slight dilution process before being bottled at a fiery 101 proof, or 50.5% ABV in real money.
At around £33 – £37 per bottle, this is a fantastic entry-level bourbon for those looking for an award-winning dram without breaking the bank. Did I say award-winning? Ah, yes, that’s because at The American Whiskey Masters (The Spirits Business) this dram won gold in 2018 and 2019 in the Premium Bourbon category.
On the nose it’s very vanilla forward, coupled with a sweet cinnamon sugar aroma. As these scents fade, they’re replaced by charred oak, burnt toast, and toffee fudge.
On the palate, there’s a rich caramel and honey sweetness right from the off. These notes work wonderfully with flavours of vanilla ice cream, maple syrup pancakes and bacon, rich butterscotch, a touch of spicy black pepper and winter baking spices. A lot more nutmeg here than I was expecting.
The finish is long, medium-sweet, and is packed full of citrus and vanilla notes, combined with fresh honey, toasted waffles, and an oaky spiciness right at the end.
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Up next, we have Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Small Batch.
To me, Elijah Craig is the Johnnie Walker of the bourbon world. It’s reliable, you know what you’re getting, the quality is excellent, it’s affordable, and the whiskey is downright delicious.
A must for fans of a Bourbon Old Fashioned, the whiskey gets its name from a Baptist preacher, a healer, a reverend, and a distiller by the name of, you guessed it – Elijah Craig, who began distilling in the 1780s.
Craig is often referred to as the ‘father of bourbon’ as legend tells that he was the man responsible for storing and aging bourbon whiskey in charred oak barrels. The story goes that, in 1789, following a fire in his distillery, the reverend was forced to store his whiskey in oak barrels that were partly charred due to the fire. Remember, times were hard back then, and sourcing replacement barrels was not easy, nor cheap.
After storing the whiskey in the charred barrels, he noticed how it imparted a richer crimson colour into the whiskey, with more pronounced caramel, toffee, oak, and vanilla notes. So impressed was he and his customers, that he began charring all of his barrels. In order for bourbon to be bourbon, the practice of aging in charred oak barrels is still legally enforced to this day.
Another account of the story is that the reverend repurposed old sugar barrels to store his whiskey. To help remove the excess sugar and the unusual odours they harboured within, he had the insides charred. The charring caramelised the sugars and gave the whiskey a darker colour and more prominent sugar-forward notes.
While both of those stories sound plausible, as far as I can tell, there’s no evidence to suggest that either of them is factually correct. It’s more likely that the distillery was simply experimenting with different cask types, or taking a page out of the French’s books, as they already stored Cognac in charred oak at that period in time.
Originally, 12 Year Old Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon was released in 1986 by the Heaven Hill Distillery, in honour of the reverend said to be responsible for first aging the whiskey in charred oak. The expression proved incredibly popular, so much so in fact, that stocks of their 12-year-old bourbon were jeopardised, forcing the brand to make the decision to discontinue the 12 YO, with Small Batch Bourbon taking its place.
Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Tasting Notes
Having won several awards itself, Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon is another affordable dram that would serve as a fantastic gateway into the world of bourbon. At around £41 – £45 per bottle, it’s a little more expensive than Wild Turkey, but is still very reasonable for a whiskey of this calibre.
Bottled at an ABV of 47%, it has a very sweet, fresh, and floral nose, this one. There are prominent notes of fresh pine needles, grated lime zest, sandalwood, polished oak, and fresh honeycomb. There are also rich malt and chocolate aromas lingering in the background, begging to be discovered.
On the palate, you get those leading bourbon notes that we all know and love so much. There’s also vanilla pods, demerara sugar, Jamaican ginger cake, charred pineapple, and sea salted caramel from the off. A further sip should reveal a fruitier depth, with plenty of tinned peaches, sliced apricots, crisp green apples, and nectarines. There’s a subtle oaky smokiness there too, though it is very subtle.
The finish is dry and medium in length, with plenty of oak and spice.
Photo Credits: Wild Turkey and The Whisky Shop
