Wild Turkey Longbranch Review

Company: Campari Group (Italy)

Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY

Mash Bill: 75% Corn; 13% Rye; 12% Malted Barley

Age: 8 years

Style: Straight Bourbon

ABV: 43% (86 Proof)

Price: $40

Bottom Line: Longbranch is a bourbon that is easy to like. Form nose to finish, there are no rough edges, The mesquite filtering adds a very subtle smoky dimension to the overall profile that enhances the experience, and draws out other interesting flavors. A great low-proof, layered sipping whiskey that cuts across several palate profiles, and provides excellent value at $40 a bottle. 

Background: In 2016, Actor, Director, Texan Matthew McConaughey partnered with Wild Turkey as the Distillery’s creative director. As part of this collaboration, McConaughey helped produce, in 2018, Longbranch, a Wild Turkey selection filtered with mesquite charcoal (of Texas pit barbecue notoriety) and branded as a nod to McConaughey’s native Lone Star State. 

In December 2022, McConaughey’s contract with Wild Turkey ran out and he did not renew, and McConaughey and the Russells went their separate ways. While the bottle no longer carries McConaughey’s name on the front, Wild Turkey continues to produce Longbranch. The brand has also teamed up with Walden Retreats to create the Longbranch Ranch suite on site, a luxury experience on the Pedernales River in Hill Country, Texas (just outside Austin). 

Nose: A medium, inviting nose with vanilla, baking spices, melon, and fresh cut wood. The nose is well-balanced and worth exploring over several passes. 

Palate: The palate is discernibly sweet with round oak, baking spices, orange creamsicle, and hints of new leather. The balanced oak on the palate is delicious, and the faint smoky flavor from the mesquite wood, which is not overpowering, works well with the overall profile.

Finish: A long, mild finish. Baking spices and lingering orange and oak wrap the experience up nicely.

Conclusion: The Russells and McConaughey clearly had a vision for this whiskey, and they appear to have hit the mark. The 8 years in the barrel works well and the gives the whiskey enough oak to be interesting, but doesn’t overwhelm the experience. Filtering the whiskey through both oak and mesquite chips ensures the mesquite doesn’t throw the whiskey’s character off kilter, but adds a slight smoky dimension that is thought provoking. Though some may be turned away by the fact that it started as a celebrity-endorsed whiskey, Longbranch is a darn good whiskey. And at the $40 price point (and often less), it delivers a lot of value for the money.