Meet Wild Turkey’s New Creative Director
Last week Wild Turkey teased a big announcement for August 1st. A lot of us speculated about what it would be. The obvious answer seemed to be Jimmy Russell’s retirement. After 60+ years as Wild Turkey Master Distiller, it seems well deserved! Turns out, we were all wrong. Today, Wild Turkey announced Matthew McConaughey as their creative director. Here’s a peek at what they have planned:
I’m actually excited about this one. The Wild Turkey story is an interesting one. The Russell’s are some of the greatest people in bourbon. It should be fun to see what they do with this series. My hope is that they stick with authentic stories and not let too much marketing cheesiness leak in.
My initial skepticism of McConaughey was put at ease when I saw him try the pre-prohibition whiskey in Jimmy’s office. His sniff and taste appeared authentic. Maybe, he read Bourbonr’s How To Taste Bourbon 🙂 The first video is worth a watch. Let’s see what Jake Tyler Brigance can do.
19 comments
Very well done and glad to see this. looking forward to more.
Yeah, its nice…but, we need to also have more women representing the industry to…a lot of women drink bourbon/whiskies also.
Agreed. More women. Alissa Henley is the only female Master Distiller of a widely distributed brand in the US. That’s another reason to seek out the elusive 17yr old George Dickel!
Love it!
I’ve always been fond of McConaughey, but this puts him up another notch. This was an awesome short film that left you wanting more. As a newbie to Bourbon and Bourbonr, its the history and education of different brands that makes me seeking more.
Very well made. Look forward to seeing more of this! Seemed authentic.
In this video, Matthew is the luckiest man. He gets to drink a great bourbon with a living legend.
I can’t say for sure, but I’d bet that is right up there with the night the to won an Oscar. Well done Matthew. Please keep up the great work.
Nice work! Born in Kentucky now live in Texas… Just Traveled the Bourbon Trail… Was honored to meet three Generations of the Russell’s one morning at Wild Turkey… And I have the signed bottle of proof… You captured my best memories in this video… 101 is my choice… you won’t be “STUCK”!
Wild Turkey 101 is what brought me to the game about 40 years ago and I really enjoy most of their products (with Russell Reserve single being one of my “go to’s).
That said, I guess I am odd man out (or perhaps, just an odd man) when I say I do not get this at all. McConaughey has almost become a self-parody in the Lincoln commercials and as a result, it is hard for me to take him seriously. And while he has done some pretty good films, what makes him a credible creative director or someone that I should innately trust in terms of his knowledge of bourbon? I acknowledge that I am probably not their target audience. That said, are they going to attract more of that audience with him as creative director or even a simple spokesman?
In the end, seeing him promote the stuff does worse than nothing. If I was not already a devoted fan I would think that the product does not speak for itself. Celebrity endorsements with no substance is not good marketing, in my opinion.
On the other hand, I am always interested in learning more about the company, its history, and the people behind it. If that is the result of this with a very small sampling of McConaughey then for me, that would be fine.
Hell this convinced me to open one of my unopened wild turkey bottles. Looking forward to what’s to come.
I would’ve *loved* to try some of that “pre – prohibition juice” Mr.Russell had stashed away in his office…..now THAT would’ve been an “a – ha” moment for me! Sweet!!!
Makes me feel like crackin’ open a Rare Breed & watching “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” while driving a Lincoln!!! I got my weekend planned!
LORL!…Too damn funny!!
Turkey is where in college @ 2001 I realized bourbon is more than just a shooter. I drank a lot of 101. Then I tried Rare Breed and fell down the rabbit hole. Very well done, and I look forward to more.
When I have a BBQ, it’s ALWAYS Wild Turkey for cocktails…no one ever complains…however, I am partial to Rare Breed…delicious!
I have never been a Wild Turkey fan. But this is going back several decades since I last had some. Maybe I will try it again. I love the history of the product as presented in this short. So maybe there is more to it than what my immature taste buds from the 70’s remembers…………. just say’n
This video was a good watch and definatley got me curious about the Wild Turkey brand. I’ve had Rare Breed before and was impressed but I’ve never had their other products. I got some WT 101 and also Russell’s Reserve 10yr Bourbon. Tasting them side by side, the 101 was so sharp and stringent (smell & taste) it was almost undrinkable. My expectations were higher for the RR. The nose was nice but it tasted dry, woody, no other noticeable flavors really existed. Soon after it hit your tounge the flavor was all gone. Very disappointing. To be sure, I tasted it next to Eagle Rare, Elijah Craig & Hirsch. All were heads and shoulders better than Russell’s, not to mention cheaper. While McConaughey brought attention to be brand I’ll be staying away from future purchases.
Discovered Bourbons about 4 years ago through traveling while my daughter competed in Equestrian events. Now I have developed a true taste for this wonderful nectar. Russell’s Reserve & Rare Breed being 2 that I always have some of in the cabinet. Seeing McConaughey as a Creative Spokesman is nice because I have enjoyed his works. Hopefully he will inspire more generations to enjoy this wonderful nectar and the Russell Family will continue to help us get “stuck” for decades to come.
NO surprises here with the celebrity angle used. Celebrities have been endorsing alcohol brands for decades…and with the bourbon industry exploding, it was only a matter of time before it would become “celebratized”. Jim Beam has Mila Kunis….Crystal head vodka has Dan Aykroyd……Bethenny Frankel is pushing Skinnygirl….Diddy, Ciroc…all have monied interests in the industry. Just for fun, I would LOVE to see BUFFALO TRACE use some celerity endorsements, especially.for their BTAC and Van Winkle bottles…..let’s see…..Liam Neesom, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, James Earl Jones, Helen Mirren, Anjoilena Jolie and Brad pitt, Tom Cruise…hell, even Courtney Love taking on a bottle of GTS…lol…lol….but seriously folks, with McConaughty endorsing WT brand, there will definitely be NO shortage of women wanting a “taste”…haha!!