Every enthusiast who goes wild over dusty Wild Turkey is familiar with the bottle I’m reviewing today. Wild Turkey “Cheesy Gold Foil,” so-named because of its kitschy label and accompanying gilded tube, might look like an outmoded idea of cool from the mid-80s, but inside those shiny encasements is some of the most coveted whiskey ever produced at the Lawrenceburg, KY distillery.

More on that last line in a moment.

The “Cheesy Gold Foil” expression of Wild Turkey’s 12-Year 101 Bourbon was launched in 1985, making bottles from that year all the more rare and sought after. I, myself, have had the pleasure of enjoying the golden white whale of Wild Turkey expressions on a few occasions, but it wasn’t until this past week that I was able to try a highly-pursued bottling from its inaugural year.

During some extended time at the distillery with Eddie and Bruce Russell, Campari representatives, and a few other journalists, we had an opportunity to taste this bottle of 1985 gold at the Wild Turkey Visitors Center. As the liquid was being poured, you could feel the anticipation filling the air along with the rich aroma of what was to come.

It seemed like time stood still.

Most of the reps, my fellow journalists, and I were all lost in a reverential awe. Not Bruce. He was practically delirious with delight, bouncing around the room and completely enjoying the moment. Eddie, for his part, was cool as a cucumber, waiting in the wings with a good-natured look of bemusement that slightly shaded the eager expectancy glimmering in his eyes.

It’s hard for anyone to hold back their excitement with that aroma in the air and that bottle being emptied into glass after glass, even the masters themselves.

What unfolded from there was surely a sight to behold, but I selfishly couldn’t see much further than the rim of my glass for the next 20 minutes. After 41 years of waiting (the whiskey, not me), it was finally time for this bourbon to do what it was intended to do.

But first, one final detour.

The reason I say “this is some of the most coveted whiskeys produced in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky,” and not distilled there, is because, by all accounts, some of this bourbon was not actually distilled on-site. As Bruce tells it, in this era, certain bottlings may’ve contained sourced whiskey from other distilleries then blended to create a unique profile that met Jimmy’s exacting standards.

Thus, part of the reason this expression is so sought-after is that it’s one of the last vestiges of dusty Wild Turkey whiskey pulled from unique stocks of barrels that were no longer in use at the distillery by the 90s.

In that way, this bottling does have a level of outmoded cool, exhibiting a production technique that’s unlikely to be reproduced.

And now for the review.

Wild Turkey 101 12-Year “Cheesy Gold Foil” (1985)

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Proof: 101

Age: 12 years

Misc.: bottled by the Austin, Nichols Distilling Co., Lawrenceburg, KY

Tasted neat in a Glencairn after a few minutes rest …

Color: dark copper

Nose: (magnificently rich) honey-drizzled ricotta, figs, rich oak, brown sugar, black pepper, damp tobacco, stewed green apples, eucalyptus

Taste: (dense and remarkably viscous) loads of brown sugar, honey, mature oak spice, authentic vanilla, cola nuts, dilute molasses, faint raw mint, and an undergirding of fresh green apples

Finish: delightfully long & rich with more authentic vanilla, expressive brown sugar, sweet musk, and a slight floral lift

Overall: Never have I had a pour of “Cheesy Gold Foil” Wild Turkey that didn’t leave me smacking my lips and shaking my head, unable to rid myself of the thought that this is superlative bourbon. This bottling from 1985, however, significantly ups the ante, providing an experience that amply rewarded a room full of experienced Wild Turkey enthusiasts of the highest order.

For my part, I marveled at my own “honey-drizzled ricotta” note, regaling several other journalists with it to a chorus of appreciative smirks. Eddie Russell expressed his joy with a three-finger pour to kill the bottle just as I was making my way over for a refill I surely didn’t deserve.

Bruce Rusell, the youngest resident master, however, closed with the line of the night.

“Yeah, that’s just damn good.”

Rating: 5/5 

Photo by Frank Dobbins.