Turkey Trace: Blending Wild Turkey 101 and Benchmark Bourbon | Tortured Bourbon Experiment

Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Turkey Trace: The Tortured Bourbon Blending Experiment

Sometimes great ideas start with careful research and planning.

Other times they start with two bottles on the table and someone saying, “What happens if we mix these?”

Welcome to Turkey Trace.

In this episode of Tortured Bourbon, we decided to run a bourbon experiment that blends two well-known Kentucky bourbons together: Benchmark Small Batch and Wild Turkey 101. The goal? Create a custom bourbon blend that lands around 95 proof and sits somewhere between the sweet corn-forward character of Buffalo Trace mash bill bourbons and the bold spice and oak of Wild Turkey.

Is this a serious bourbon experiment?

Kind of.

Is it also completely ridiculous?

Absolutely.

But that’s part of the fun.

The Bourbon Experiment

For this bourbon blend we used:

Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon (90 proof)

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon (101 proof)

By carefully calculating the ratio, we blended the two bourbons to land at approximately 95 proof, creating what we are now calling Turkey Trace.

The idea was simple: combine the caramel sweetness and easy drinkability of Benchmark with the spice, oak, and structure that makes Wild Turkey 101 such a classic Kentucky bourbon.

What could possibly go wrong?

Bourbon Tasting

After letting the blend rest and integrate, it was time for the real test — a full bourbon tasting and bourbon review of Turkey Trace.

Would the flavors complement each other?

Would the blend taste balanced?

Or would this turn into one of the strangest bourbon experiments we’ve ever attempted?

You’ll have to watch the episode to see how it turned out.

Let’s just say the results were… interesting.

Why Bourbon Blending Is Interesting

One thing this episode highlights is just how much mash bill, proof, and barrel influence shape bourbon flavor.

Even when you blend two Kentucky straight bourbons, the results can be unpredictable. The sweetness, spice, oak, and mouthfeel all interact in ways that can create something entirely new.

Sometimes it works.

Sometimes it really doesn’t.

That’s part of the adventure of bourbon tasting.

Welcome to Tortured Bourbon

f you’re new here, Tortured Bourbon is our little corner of the internet where we drink bourbon, talk smack, and explore the world of American whiskey.

We release two episodes every week covering bourbon reviews, bourbon tastings, distillery history, mash bills, bourbon culture, and occasionally ridiculous experiments like Turkey Trace.

If you enjoy honest bourbon reviews and real conversations about whiskey, you’re in the right place.

You can explore more episodes, bourbon reviews, and our collection of rants, raves, and whiskey opinions right here on TorturedBourbon.com.

Because life is too short to drink bad bourbon.