Wild Turkey Forgiven Batch 302

Overview

Wild Turkey Forgiven has one of the better stories in modern bourbon. A distillery worker accidentally mixed straight bourbon with straight rye, owned up to it, and rather than throw it out, Jimmy Russell tasted it and decided to release it. Hence the name. Batch 302 is the first release, bottled in 2013.

The blend is 78% six-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon and 22% four-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye, bottled at 91 proof. What you get is the classic Wild Turkey character with an extra kick of rye spice running through it. Limited release, no longer made, and increasingly hard to find. One of those bottles you'll wish you grabbed two of.

Quick Facts

What Sets This Bottle Apart

• The first ever release of Wild Turkey Forgiven, batch 302 from 2013
• Born from a happy accident, kept in the line-up because Jimmy Russell said so
• A blend of 6-year-old straight bourbon and 4-year-old straight rye
• Bottled at 91 proof for proper flavour
• Discontinued limited release: only two batches were ever made (302 and 303)
• A genuine collector's bottle from the Russell era

Provenance

Wild Turkey has been distilling in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky for well over a century, and the Russell family have been at the helm for most of it. Jimmy Russell joined the distillery in 1954 and is one of the longest-serving Master Distillers in the world, with his son Eddie Russell now working alongside him.

Forgiven came out of a real moment on the floor: an employee accidentally vatted bourbon and rye together, owned up, and rather than dump the lot, Jimmy tasted it and gave it the green light. Batch 302 is that first release, dressed in the unmistakable Wild Turkey style.

Awards & Recognition

Who This Bottle Is For

• Wild Turkey fans after a piece of brand history
• Bourbon drinkers curious about a proper bourbon and rye blend
• Collectors looking for a discontinued Russell-era release
• Drinkers who like a bit of rye spice cutting through their bourbon
• Anyone who appreciates a bottle with a real story behind it

Tasting Notes

How to Enjoy

Best neat. Give it a minute in the glass and the rye spice and bourbon sweetness start working together. A few drops of water can soften it and let the sweeter notes come forward. Holds its own in a classic Old Fashioned if you want to dress it up, but for a bottle this rare, it's hard to argue against drinking it straight.

Why We Curate It at Bourbon Brothers

Forgiven Batch 302 is a proper piece of Wild Turkey history. The first release of an accidental blend that turned out so good they bottled it, then quietly discontinued it after batch 303. It's classic Russell-era Turkey character with a rye edge, increasingly hard to find, and one of those bottles that's worth grabbing while you still can.

Product Details