I’m a Wild Turkey fan, there’s no way around that. However, these two American powerhouse bourbons have plenty in common and a lot to compete over.
Both sit at around 100 proof, both offer plenty of flavor for the money, and neither requires you to hunt around for a bottle. But which one actually gives you more?
I tasted Knob Creek 9 Year Old and Wild Turkey 101 three ways: neat, over ice, and in an Old Fashioned.
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READ THE STORYKnob Creek 9 Year Old
Neat
Knob Creek doesn’t get a huge amount of attention in the UK, so it was nice to go back to this bottle and see what was happening. I picked mine up for roughly the equivalent of $35 in the US.
With a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley, this is a relatively low-rye style with plenty of sweetness from the corn.
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The nose is all maple syrup, sweet American oak, and baked vanilla. Classic bourbon aromas.
The palate is a little intense at first, but by the second sip it becomes much softer and more welcoming, with more maple and vanilla alongside drying oak and a slight leather note.
The finish is long and warming, with toasted oak, marshmallow, and a sweet biscuit note covered in caramel.
It’s an excellent neat pour, particularly if you like your bourbon on the sweeter side.
Over Ice
For this test, I poured each bourbon into a separate glass over the same size large ice cube, allowing the whiskey to stay cooler for longer while slowing the dilution.
Knob Creek handles the ice well. The nose remains rich and sweet, with maple syrup, custard, and vanilla wafer biscuits, although some of the oak begins to fade.
The palate becomes a little thinner, but it retains much more of its structure than I expected. The finish remains sweet, with just a touch of hot alcohol appearing as the ice begins to melt.
Of the two bourbons, Knob Creek performs considerably better over ice. It retains more of the flavors that make it enjoyable neat rather than allowing the dilution to take over.
In An Old Fashioned
For both cocktails, I used exactly the same recipe: 60ml of bourbon, 12.5ml of demerara sugar syrup, two dashes of Angostura bitters, and two dashes of Angostura orange bitters.
I stirred each for around 30 seconds, until the mixing glass was cold and condensation had formed, and used no garnish so I could focus on the flavors of the whiskey.
Knob Creek is a classic symphony of Kentucky flavor straight out of the gate. It’s full of sweet oak, toasted oak, nut oils, spiced wine, chocolate orange, and turbocharged vanilla.
The palate is rich and still has plenty of body. Oak leads the way, but the maple and vanilla notes become huge in the cocktail.
The Angostura and orange bitters introduce peppery and floral notes, while the high proof keeps everything silky and flavorful. The finish is long and drenched in oak and sweetness from both the bourbon and the demerara syrup.
It makes an excellent Old Fashioned, although it stays firmly on the sweeter side.
Wild Turkey 101
Neat
Wild Turkey 101 uses the same 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley mash bill as Knob Creek, so there are naturally some similarities between the two.
I paid the equivalent of around $30 in the US, making it slightly cheaper than the Knob Creek.
The nose is similarly sweet, with maple and vanilla, but Wild Turkey has a noticeably spicier character. There’s rolling tobacco and freshly sawn wood, giving it a more earthy quality.
The palate is wonderful, although this is where my Wild Turkey bias probably starts to show. There are Dutch stroopwafels, bittersweet espresso, milk chocolate, and spicy oak running through the middle.
The finish is long and lingering, with the expected sweetness alongside considerably more spice. The rye feels more pronounced here, and the finish is noticeably drier than the Knob Creek.
Neat, I’d call the two a draw. Knob Creek runs sweeter while Wild Turkey runs spicier. Which one works better largely depends on what you want from your bourbon.
Over Ice
This is where Wild Turkey 101 starts to struggle.
Its proof seems to become much more obvious over ice. The nose becomes more ethanol-driven, while those green, earthy rye notes make a stronger appearance. I can also pick out more of the barley, with notes of toasted grain and younger spirit.
There is still plenty of body and oiliness on the palate, but the sweetness becomes muted, which is precisely the part I want to retain.
It becomes slightly astringent and doesn’t taste like the Wild Turkey I know and love. The finish is fine, with plenty of spice, but that spice feels more alcohol-driven rather than coming from the combination of grains and oak.
Some people love Wild Turkey over ice, but for me, this is easily the weakest of the three serves.
In An Old Fashioned
Things change completely once Wild Turkey 101 goes into an Old Fashioned.
The nose is delightful, with a huge combination of warm toffee, caramel, and soft spices. There’s rye spice, toasted grain, licorice, orange peel, brown sugar, and that characteristic Wild Turkey stroopwafel note.
On the palate, it becomes much richer than it was over ice. There’s a massive texture that seems to coat every part of your mouth.
Chocolate, ginger, caramel, orange oil, malted biscuits, and green rye spices all come through.
The finish is every bit as long as the Knob Creek version, but for me, there’s more going on. Alongside the sweetness are rye, licorice, mint, bitter orange, crystallized ginger, and salted caramel.
This is where Wild Turkey 101 really comes into its own. It delivers everything I want from a great Old Fashioned while still showcasing the character of the bourbon underneath.
Price And Value
There isn’t much separating these two on price.
I paid the equivalent of around $35 for Knob Creek and $30 for Wild Turkey 101, although prices will obviously vary depending on where you shop.
Both also give you a lot of bourbon for the money. They sit at roughly the same proof and have enough weight and flavor to work neat, over ice, or in cocktails.
The real difference is how they perform in those different serves.
Knob Creek is sweeter, with plenty of maple, vanilla, caramel, and oak. Wild Turkey 101 leans further into spice, earthiness, and those darker tobacco and rye notes.
Knob Creek is the stronger option over ice. Wild Turkey 101 makes the better Old Fashioned. Neat, I genuinely struggle to separate them.
Which Bourbon Should You Buy?
There isn’t a straightforward winner here.
If you prefer a sweeter bourbon or regularly drink your whiskey over ice, I’d lean toward Knob Creek. It maintains its character particularly well as the ice begins to melt, and that maple, vanilla, and oak profile is difficult to dislike.
If you want something slightly spicier, or you’re buying primarily for cocktails, Wild Turkey 101 would be my choice. In an Old Fashioned, it has more going on and produces the more complex drink.
I’ve owned more bottles of Wild Turkey than Knob Creek, so my flag is fairly firmly planted. But after tasting them side by side, Knob Creek is every bit as good in its own way.
For roughly $30 to $35, both give you an awful lot of bourbon for the money.
