Being in lockdown during a world-wide pandemic has lead to many great innovations in home delivery, remote learning and virtual communities. One thing I certainly didn’t expect to be able to do from my own back yard was to learn about Whiskey from the one and only Matthew McConaughey!
The Master Distillers behind Wild Turkey’s legendary Bourbon Whiskey, teamed up with McConaughey’s smooth voice to transport you to their distillery in Kentucky. Led by the Wild Turkey Russell Family, this Guided Tasting uses Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer a very innovative way to learn how to sip, smell and sample each carefully made drop as well as ask questions about the distilling process from the comfort of your own home.
My plus one and I just had to grab a glass, and say to my Google Home Assistant, “Hey Google, talk to Wild Turkey Tasting”, to start the experience.
Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell – a father and son distilling duo with a combined 107 years of industry experience between them – personally lend their voices to guide listeners through a curated collection of their Wild Turkey whiskies: Wild Turkey 101, Longbranch, Rare Breed and Kentucky Spirit.
From nosing and tasting to sharing little stories about life at Wild Turkey, the audio tour is meant for both the novice whiskey drinker and the more mature connoisseur. While I had completed quite a few whiskey tastings before, my plus one was new to the experience and learnt quite a bit about the spirits, distilling process, palate, and the brand.
We liked how interactive the tasting could be, for instance we could ask for cocktails using the whiskey we were drinking, or find out if we could add water, how it was crafted, or even a fun fact about whiskey. This was good as sometimes we just wanted to take a pause between tastings and the interactive element paced it out nicely.
One surprising fact we learnt was how Wild Turkey got its name. Back in 1940, Thomas McCarthy took a few warehouse Bourbon samples on a wild turkey hunting trip with a group of friends. The following year, his friends asked him for “some of that wild turkey whiskey” and the brand was born.
The Wild Turkey distillery is located on the Kentucky River, and while we look forward to visiting in person one day, this audio experience was good to fill that travel urge at least temporarily. Whether you want to learn the basics of whiskey or refine your palate, this experience is a lot of fun to do at home.
– The Plus Ones
