09/29/26 EPISODE 028: MASSIVE EPISODE! FOUR BOTTLE BUFF-TURKEY BLIND

323 Bourbon Library Podcast: Yeah. All right, folks, welcome back. We've got a massive evening planned here on this episode of the 323 Bourbon Library Podcast. If you happen to be watching, we've got four bottles on the table. I think this is our largest tasting that we've done on the podcast yet. And for these these gentlemen, it'll be blind. So we've got class A, B, C, D. I've poured those up. I know what they are, I'm not going to disclose. But for those that are just listening, we're doing a blind of four different buff turkeys. That is good. What a trick. And we've got in this episode and this blind, we're doing the Elkwood Reserve from Bluegrass Distillery, 16 year old buff turkey. We've got the Bourbon Deluxe from Rolling Fork Spirits, also a 16 year old buff turkey. We've got the latest 17 year old buff turkey from Sealbox 17. And we've got the last bottle or last release of Sealbox fifteen, which is batch four, came out at the end of twenty twenty s five. Right. So for those that are listening, I don't have a whole write up on buff turkey. If you know what buff turkey is and you like it, great. I know there's some it's a polarizing topic. I think there's some people that are think it's a little bit ⁓ kitschy or they don't chase it. I'm about flavor and I think they they taste amazing. So I have chased them quite a bit. But ⁓ what Buff Turkey is is very simply back in the late 2000s, Wild Turkey took their their operation offline to do some maintenance. They contract distilled with Buffalo Trace to distill the Wild Turkey mash bill, which was seventy-five percent corn, thirteen percent rah ⁓ rye, and twelve percent malted barley. So Buffalo Trace did that, but they did the recipe, but they didn't get any yeast or grains or water. They used all Buffalo Traces yeast grains and water. They barreled it and then they shipped the barrels back to Wild Turkey, where Wild Turkey aged it for, you know, fourteen plus years. And then they Wild Turkey started tasting those barrels and were like, It's good. It's just it just doesn't taste like wild turkey. Right. Different profile. And ⁓ and so they didn't want to put it in a wild turkey labeled product, so they started selling off the barrels, and that's why you see the Buff turkey in anything but a Buffalo Trace or a Wild Turkey labeled bottle. And so all these non distilling producers picked them up and and have started reselling them. So ⁓ for me, I love the flavor profile. As do I. one of these bottles is the in my opinion, my humble opinion, it won the best bourbon of 2025. And that would be the Sealbox 15 year old batch ⁓ batch four. So let's dive in, maybe start a a b a to D and we'll just go through. I'll let you guys give your thoughts on what you're tasting. Fair enough. So glass A, glass one in John Carlos. Yes. I do have all matching ⁓ numbers coming, so we'll be a little more professional on the next large scale blind here. Yeah, get that traditional cherry vanilla cream. Yep, that's obvious. That's unmistakable buff turkey. Now now have you guys had a lot of buff turkey to compare? Or which ones have you tried in the past? ⁓ enough. I've had the seal box, ⁓ batch three. Okay. ⁓ did have one of the okay eyes. Okay. I think they've had a fifteen and a sixteen. I think it was the fifteen, not the sixteen. I heard the fifteen's amazing. I that's the one I haven't tried that one. Yeah, very, very, very good. But not as Not as studied as you are. ⁓ no, no, that's fine. So I've tried all the ones you have. Yeah, fair enough. Ooh. So what are your thoughts on this first one? This first one is hireproof for me. Okay. It's it's the flavor profile I love because Buff Turkey happens to be my all time favorite. Yeah, okay. The OKI sixteen's kind of my all time favorite. All right. We didn't put it in the blind here. I know that's very like over the GTS for me, like. Okay. So ⁓ Yeah, it's that same traditional for me taste profile, right? I love this profile. Okay. ⁓ Yeah, right away on the palate. Get ⁓ some immediate baking spice. ⁓ do get that kind of cherry vanilla. And it just like it it lasts. It like it pulls through on the palate for for quite some time. Yeah, yeah. Really in the most pleasant of ways. Definitely has a longer palette. I I I A lot of times what I like to do on a blind is go nose everything first. And I forgot to mention that. Okay. But ⁓ then you then you're just grading on pure noses versus Okay, we can certainly do that. Yeah. ⁓ we'll follow directions. No, I'm just saying what I what I've done because sometimes like I'll be like I'll fixate on like a palette note versus just comparing noses, potentially. We don't have to do that, but By the way, the order of the bottles on the table is not the order that they're poured in. So no cheating. No cheating. Yeah. One on the nose is my favorite over two. Let's see. Am I am I putting these in the order I I like as well? Jeez. Yeah, how however you want to do it. Give it give your I mean Yeah, do do it one way, maybe take a note. ⁓ I can take a note if you want. ⁓ just yeah, g just give your thoughts on if is there one that stands out to you as the the clear winner on the nose? One's got a great nose for me. So far. Yeah. So one has a great nose for sure. And because I already tasted one, I think that's influencing me as well. So I'm trying to pull myself out of that. But ⁓ yeah, what one has a great nose. I agree two also has a a particularly great nose to it. One's just a sweeter nose for me. I like kind of that sweeter profile. Yeah. Then you're getting that you're getting on ⁓ and getting on the two or three. Okay. What about four there? I'll probably tell you what four is. You think you got a guess on what four is? Okay. Well, we're I I'm splitting hairs here. This probably shows this probably reflects my lack of depth in buff turkeys in that they all smell on you know on the nose very, very similar. ⁓ for sure. They should. I think they do. Yeah. ⁓ and it's hard for me to distinguish significantly between any of them to s say I have a clear favorite or a clear kind of also ran. they're Birds of a feather, as they say. No, it is it is a it's a difficult blind blind to do 'cause we are very similar on the nose. I mean you're splitting hairs. ⁓ for me, ta smelling through ⁓ a hundred percent. Very similar. Very all really good. I'm not like, ⁓ this one's a clear loser. ⁓ on the nose, but interesting. Yeah, I think for me one and two might be the two that I most prefer on the nose. Okay. Perfect. Means one and four. One and four for you. Let me smell one and four other games. Yeah. Those are quite tasty too. And dive dive in however you want. Try Give your thoughts on it. ⁓ no rules here. Just just yeah. Taste ⁓ Let us know what you think on ⁓ I like for ⁓ the palette that that is. I'm starting on the other end this time. I like that. Yeah, there's a there's a cherry, like a little bit of a cherry Vidella note that I'm picking up. ports with the nose and boy it really ⁓ it's a it's a it's a pleasant yeah it's a very ⁓ It it really settles very, very pleasantly. Yeah. Softness to it. There's a softness. There the s the sweetness rides through you you said that cherry vanilla note. Yeah. Or is good. Yeah, four is very, very, very pleasant. All right, we're gonna go to three now. All right, three three's not as soft on the palate. It is not as soft. And I think I like that softness that I tasted in four. There's a bit more of a a little bit of a punch of the the mid palate with three for me. Yeah, it almost has a little bit of a peppery note. Yeah. In there. Still sweet. Still sweet. Still sweet, but then delicious. A little more punchy too. Yep. Interesting. Okay. My palate little break here. Yeah. What is it about birth turkeys that that you like so much? The profile is s 'cause it's for me it's s it's like the perfect amount of sweetness. Yeah. And spice. Okay. ⁓ I like a sweeter whiskey. Sure. More dessert kind of forward for me. And I think it just fit fits the bill between the two. It's interesting how much they range in proof too. You know, I think I think I've got ⁓ from about a hundred and seven proof up to one hundred and thirty one proof. ⁓ wow. I'm not they may go higher. I don't I don't know. ⁓ the one for me is the proofiest out of all four. One's the proofiest. For me. On the flavor profile. You've tried ⁓ all? Yeah. I don't think I've tried two. Yeah, one or it's either one or three for me are the proofiest. Might be three to me that I'm gonna go back on three. It's definitely not two. No, it's not two. Yeah. What do you think? Well, unfortunately I know what's in the glasses, so I'm not gonna try to give away anything. That's true. You have that. But I think Yeah, I do think I think th ⁓ three three and w three and one are are are proofy. I honestly four gave me a little proof too. Okay. ⁓ when you were raving about it, I'm like, let me try that and I tried it and I was like, It's good and then it had a long a little bit of a long finish to it. Yep. Yep. Which I'm not complaining about, but So I've ranked mine. Okay. we there yet, John? You don't have to be there. I'm getting close. It's tough because it's I like you all. I've got a in my mind ranking it as well. I have a you're what are you you you have? I'm a four one three two. Four one three two on your rankings. Four's the best. Four is the best. Okay. Two is the less best. They're all excellent. Yeah, they're all really good. So splitting hairs here. What do you I'm a four, one, two, three. So pretty close. Four, one, two, three. Two, three. So just your last two are reverse. Okay. I'm also a four one. two three. ⁓ wow. We're remarkably aligned. On on on on this this tasting of it. Yeah what I sure I I I know what they are, but I just wanted to like blank out and just like what do I like in this moment? Again, love ⁓ all. All excellent. So any guesses as to if you y you know what bottles we're tasting, yeah. Where do you what do you do you have a guess as to which which one's which? I think four is the fifteen, sealbox fifteen. You think four is the fifteen? Okay. And why do you think that? I believe I tasted it before. Okay. And so I think I'm rec recalling. Okay. Fair enough. And it's also I it enjoy it, and I think I remember enjoying that bottle a lot. Gotcha. Having never tasted any of these four buff turkeys. While I've had a sealbox fifteen, not this batch. It would be a wild guess for me. ⁓ I'm thinking that I most enjoyed ⁓ perhaps the seventeen, the seal box seventeen. Okay. Followed by the sealbox fifteen, then the bluegrass, then the bourbon deluxe. Okay. Okay. So let's ⁓ so that would be okay, so we're all are we all the same on the the top one as four? Yes. Yes. Okay. So our well actually let's go bottoms up. Bottoms. ⁓ sure. So your we're flip flop. You're glass B. I'm two is last. Your two is last. I'm three is last. Your three is last. I'm also two is last. Right. ⁓ you're also two is last. Yeah. Two is the bluegrass distillery. Let me make sure I'm saying this right. Yes. Two is the bluegrass distillery. I I and I really like this ball. This is a hundred and seven proof as Well you can tell. Yeah. ⁓ so we're just flip flopped on on and then what was the last one? Three. Three. Three is the bourbon deluxe. That's the bourbon deluxe. Okay. And I have those two. So that one's My last So your last is the bourbon deluxe, which is a sixteen year old, and I think it's the highest roof, 121.3. ⁓ wow. Okay. So you I think you had said that one is pretty proofy, right? I think it it hit a little bit. I think John, you may may mention that. I did. ⁓ glass. So are and we're all the same? We're the same for our top two. So A glass one in second place is the seal box. Seventeen year old. Okay. Yeah, you do it. And then I knew exactly when I tasted for which which bottle it was. Okay. So sealbox batch fifteen, batch four, which it's labeled a fifteen, but I think it's like close. It's sixteen years, eight months, or something like that. It is right, it is just shy of being seventeen years old. Wow. But they hadn't come out with a seventeen year label yet. Right. And so it was still in it was still in that fifteen year old bottle. This bottle just can't lose. I it it was my favorite of the year last year. and I and I so we my favorite bottle of the year was batch three. Okay. And batch four came in it got delivered like in December. and so when we we pulled out Barsha and I we pulled out like twenty, I think. And I kept a list of all my favorites of the year and we tasted all twenty that night. Right. And I was like, I mean, batch three is there, but I feel like I should taste batch four since it came in in twenty twenty five. Let's try it. We tried both of them side by side in the moment, and batch four was way better. And I was like, holy crap. And so it it ended up being my top ranked bourbon of last year. It's funny that it is it all of ours as well here in this tasting. Yeah. So if you got a batch four of Sealbox 15 year old from twenty twenty five. Yay you. Hold on to that thing. Hold on, do it. It's ⁓ let us know and let us know if you like it. If you have you popped it. If you haven't, you should pop it. It's it's incredible. No shade on the 17 year old. No. on any of these. What was the proof on the fifteen there? The proof on the fifteen is shining. Yeah, one seventeen point five. And the seventeen here is at one fourteen point two. Okay. Which this one's kind of cool. Did you see the bottle number on that? ⁓ what? Nope. ⁓ that's the bear ⁓ batch. ⁓ three two three. Yeah. ⁓ Yeah. Blake ⁓ Blake ⁓ he ⁓ he had that made sure that the three two three barrel or bottle of the batch came over. So nice work, Blake. ⁓ yeah, that was awesome. Yeah. But boy, Sealbox keeps ⁓ delivering. Dude, they're they these are incredible. I'm wondering if they're gonna come out with an eighteen year old. I mean, at the time of this filming They're about to drop their twenty one year old American light whiskey. ⁓ if you guys haven't got into that, I know that's a two hundred dollar bottle. ⁓ but that's a great out of all the light whiskeys out there, it is one of the best that that was out there last year of the twenty year old. And now that twenty one, I'm excited to give it a try. So hundred percent job. But Yeah, if you're into buff turkeys, I mean, who knows? Stay tuned. Maybe we'll do like a all bottle buff turkey blind. That might be a hour and a half episode with some charcuterie boards in the middle and some some d fast food delivery in the midst of it. A lot of Chinese food. Yeah. Keep everybody's palate tamed down. But ⁓ no, this was fun. I appreciate it. Glad you guys get glad you were able to come through and thank you and try some of this whiskey. That's what it's here for. I appreciate it. ⁓ but let us know in the comments if ⁓ if you're into buff turkey. If you hate buff turkey and you're and you're one of those haters, let us know. Shame on you, man. Happy to respond to those comments. I respond to all comments. Good or bad. ⁓ but this is a fun episode. This is a a for me as a as someone that has collected bourbon for I don't know, f close to fifteen years now, something like that. The the trend of this buff turkey was a kind of a welcome, like yeah, ⁓ shit. There's this this whole new thing out there. It kind of opened my eyes a little bit to NDPs too. Like now I can't just focus on what is Buffalo Trace dropping? What is Wild Turkey dropping? Now I gotta figure out like what is Gary down the street who he bought some incredible bottles, yeah, or barrels, and now he's got them in a label that now I gotta so it's a bit of a rabbit hole. I think sometimes the industry does ⁓ by accident does itself Great service by some of these happy coincidences, some happy accidents that happened, like in this instance where all these NDPs got an opportunity to get these wonderful barrels and ⁓ open us up to a whole new world. Open start their brand off of it. And I mean that's a hard thing to start a brand if you can't continue to source. Sure. Those but there are several several brands out there that have done it. ⁓ I am curious and it'd be funny to, you know, if we ever have an opportunity to talk to ⁓ Bruce Russell or the folks over there at the at Wild Turkey, like did they did they anticipate that it would become such a thing when they were like it wasn't a barrel that we wanted to put our name on? Understandably. Understandably. But also was it like now they're kicking themselves in the ass. Not at all. I don't think that at all. I'm wondering if they're like, now did it open up more v people's vision of what Wild Turkey could be? Right? That's a great look. And and like did they like, hey, we could just put these out, it'll get our name talked about along a myriad of other brands that are out there. And now, you know, it's kinda like free advertising for excuse me, for wild turkey and Buffalo Trace. And let's be honest, they did it again. Yes, they did. There are eight nine year old buff turkeys out there that are aging currently. Correct. So, you know, another four to seven year or what is that, seven years, eight years, something like that. Yeah. There may be a whole nother run of these that come through and a whole new generation gets to experience the craze of of what buff turkey is. We have all that to look forward to it more. Absolutely. And and I'm here for it. As am I too. I'm gonna have to clear some shelf space of some old bottles. We'll have to knock out some bottle kills. Yeah, actually kill some bottles. So maybe these will all be gone by that time, right? So ⁓ but I appreciate y'all following along here at the three two three Bourbon Library Podcast. We'll see you very soon. Cheers. Cheers.