Celebrity endorsed drinks. That somehow never has a great ring to it - but on (rare) occasion it's done right. Here's an example with Wild Turkey's Long Branch.

The past decade has seen an explosion of celebrity fronted drinks (no thanks to the likes of George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds) - it's not even confined to any one category... Bourbon, gin, seltzers, tequila, you name it, there's a celebrity associated with it. And why not? You're a big star, but only for so long - you've already made it this far, further than most have, with your name now actually worth something. And of course if a product comes your way, it jives with you (hopefully), and then let's be real about it, so does the endorsement money slap - well, of course you're going to take it! Who could fault you? As it turns out, lots of folks can. Yet it doesn't have to be that way - celebrity endorsements of drinks have been around for decades if not centuries. I'd bet the hottest Roman gladiator of his day was definitely seen on numerous occasions chugging some conspicuously brand insignia emblazoned amphoras of wine after a grand victory. 

And so through the ages, there've been times when a celebrity endorsement is done right - and thankfully everyone's favourite Turkey and Texan actor had threaded these treacherous waters swimmingly. As he'd put it, alright, alright, alright. 

We're talking of course about Wild Turkey's partnership with Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey that came about in 2016. McConaughey was brought on as Creative Director of Wild Turkey in a bid to help the stalwart Bourbon producer cross the rubicon of entering into the mainstream consciousness. I suppose there was some concern that the Turkey might not be all that popular with the masses and younger folks, and so McConaughey was brought in to fix just that. By 2018, they would together launch a specially produced label - the Wild Turkey Longbranch.

Mesquite trees.

This would be a small batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon (worth noting is that Wild Turkey only uses one mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley), rumoured to be on average 8 years old, and then very interestingly, it would be twice filtered - once with the standard American white oak charcoal filtration, and then a second round with charcoal made from Texas mesquite wood. This would pay homage to McConaughey's Texan roots, and surprisingly, as far as I'm aware, no other producer has really done this before! Mesquite wood is native to the US, and aside from being used for building ships and high-end rustic furniture, it's also used for smoke cooking - it's rather sappy type of dark wavy looking wood, and when used for smoke cooking, imparts this rather intense smoky spiciness. The expression would be called Longbranch, which I presume is an homage to Texas' Longhorns moniker, and be bottled at 86 Proof (43% ABV).

When it was first launched, I reckon the immediate reaction was one of "Oh no! Did the Turkey sell itself out?", and yet when folks saw the price, very reasonably priced around US$40, that quickly turned into intrigue - you mean they're not trying to pull a fast marketing gimmick? Come on, give the Turkey some credit, will you? And as the reviews and murmurs began to emerge that it was actually a pretty solid Bourbon (perhaps the only sticking point was the lower 86 Proof), that really got folks trying it, and whilst it's impossible for a big name like Wild Turkey to make everyone happy, well, certainly no one walked away without at the least a eyebrow raised in disbelief that the Turkey and McConaughey had definitely done more than a fine job circumnavigating the celebrity endorsement minefield.

When it was first launched, you'd find the signatures of both Master Distiller Eddie Russell (son and co-Master Distiller of Bourbon Buddha Jimmy Russell) and Matthew McConaughey. Unfortunately as their partnership lasted only until 2022, what we've got today comes after that partnership's ended, and so you'll only find one signature on it - Eddie Russell's.

On the whole I think the partnership with McConaughey did alright! I think on the by and large it's helped to attract some attention, and through it, they've produced a proper Bourbon that's actually won over even the most hardened of Bourbon drinkers - kudos to McConaughey too for putting in a mighty fine honest effort of holding up his end of the partnership too! That's more than can be said for most celebrities. 

And with that, let's give the Wild Turkey Longbranch a go!

Bourbon Review: Wild Turkey Longbranch, 43% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: It’s quite mellow and gentle here, broadly confectionary with mostly toffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla frosting, with just a slight hit of baking spice. There’s that orange peel tracing the outline, and just a very subtle note of sweet barbecue spent charcoal cinder, a mix of honey with a subtle twang. Also some wet brown leaves or forest floors after the rain. It’s quite restrained on the nose, but still fairly aromatic.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it’s really smooth and easy, it even feels alittle lighter. There’s the caramel, toffee, baking spices, although here the sweet barbecue charcoal note is even more pronounced, and comes with alittle more of that almost vegetal browned leafy bitterness, although nothing overwhelming. That citrus and vanilla is here too, joined by some green apples and some liquorice candy. The mesquite is sweet, alittle herbal, with this slight medicinal bitterness to it. It’s incredibly approachable and friendly.

Finish: Short here, yet pretty clean, with a nice spiciness to it, nothing overwhelming, and in fact gives a nice presence and warmth to it. A gentle dryness that follows, the sort that comes from woodiness. Still has that sweet woodiness, receding with some caramel, baking spices and tangy bbq sauce.

My Thoughts

A pretty solid and interesting starter whiskey from Wild Turkey - I could definitely see this being something that most folks would enjoy as a daily drinker. It definitely punches above its weight given the price, particularly because it’s bringing something actually meaningfully unique to the table with the additional mesquite filtering that does come through in the whiskey. 

At its proof - although worth remembering is that Wild Turkey already has its practice of filling barrels at a lower proof for that more mellowed effect - it comes in alittle lighter and thinner than we might be used to, but that also does make it more accessible to most palates. It’s really friendly, properly tasty, with a good amount of complexity and uniqueness, and just very much an easy whiskey that you’d enjoy without any qualms. Where I personally am rather taken away with this is how that mesquite does come through in this sort of charcoal cinder meets bbq sauce meets browned leaf quality (and is almost alittle root-y and chewy like liquorice candy) that is rather unique and whilst not quite something I’ve had before and therefore took me alittle time to get used to - with time I surprisingly found myself getting around it quite a fair bit. I can see why in hindsight the Longbranch has done surprisingly well with American palates. 

Here there’s nothing that’s out of balance or overwhelming, as mentioned it comes with a rather unique flavour that’s really nice (especially if you like liquorice, root beer or bbq), and is an all round easy drinker. For the more seasoned folks this should still be pretty interesting, even if it doesn’t pack a harder punch than some might prefer - I think if they raised this to the classic 101 Proof it might really go bonkers. An altogether really solid whiskey for the price! Great pick here for sure and makes for a great gift - it’s definitely going to surprise in a nice way! Well done Wild Turkey! A celeb whiskey that’s done right!