One of our go-to Rye Whiskeys for cocktail-making still makes everyone smile.

In 1869, the Ripy Brothers started distilling on Wild Turkey Hill near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The namesake product became their number one seller and the name of the distillery was changed to reflect that success. The Ripy Family sold the distillery in 1952, and then the normal rounds of mergers and acquisition occurred. Campari Group out of Italy owns them now and they produce a wide range of Whiskies under the very popular Wild Turkey name along with several other brands. All under the watchful eyes and experienced hands of the only father-son master distiller team in the business — Jimmy and Eddie Russell.

Wild Turkey 101 Rye Whiskey has a bit of a story to it. Their 101 Bourbon is one of their most popular offerings and the Rye was close behind. But supply issues crept in and there was a dark period when from about 2012 to 2015 when you could only get it at the distillery or in the secondary market. This made everyone sad. But got their supply chain running again and one of our favorite cocktail Rye Whiskies has been continuously available since then.

The mash bill is 51% rye, 36% corn, and 12% malted barley. There is no age statement, but it is a mix of deeply-charred #4 barrels aged four to five years and — as the name states — it’s bottled at 101 proof (50.5% ABV). Time to mix up a Manhattan.