Turkey Takes Off, Eagle Landed
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday August 21, 1989
WE'VE all declined the odd Cold Duck or the even odder Fluffy Duck for that matter, and we've probably downed a Swan Premium or a Kiwi Lager. But no-one has ever successfully explained why we name our booze after birds.
Maybe there's some perverse link between the winged and the legless. Perhaps terminology such as "full as a fowl" and "pissed as a parrot" is all part of this mysterious mythology. Who knows?
Former Prime Minister John Gorton lent his name to the Famous Grouse Scotch, and now there's another high-flier on the top shelf. Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey is currently "the" trendy tipple ... a wild success among the turkeys out there on the Hooray Henry circuit.
Most of us grew up in a world where whisky was spelled without an "e", and the best ones had names that sounded like entries in Dr Finlay's Casebook. But the Americanisation of our lives has even eroded something as traditional as our whisky habits ... and indeed the distributor of the Kentucky-distilled Wild Turkey is a disoriented Iain Grist of the House of Campbell.
Patriotism seems to play a significant part in the spirits end of the liquor market. When Beenleigh Rum incited imbibers of the hard stuff to "Join the Bundy Rebellion" it was a clear call to rally around the flag. Beenleigh was, after all, the "Official Rum of World Expo '88", and is produced at Australia's oldest distillery.
The combination of inspiring jingoism and humble tradition seems irresistible. Jack Daniels would have us believe that his is the obvious choice in Tennessee Whiskey because his workforce wears straw hats and plays cards most of the day. Maybe he's after the sympathy vote.
Wild Turkey can call on some of the cute stuff, too. It claims that bourbon whiskey is the invention of a Baptist minister, the Reverend Elijah Craig, which is pretty cute. That the most popular of the bourbon cocktails, the Manhattan, was invented by Winston Churchill's mother. And that Mark Twain, who took along a bottle of bourbon as a constant travelling companion, was once detained by a customs officer who demanded, "I thought you said there were only clothes in here". "Well, yes," said Twain, "you're looking at my nightcap."
But there's still plenty of patriotism in the Wild Turkey spiel. Since 1782, the fierce bald eagle has been the internationally recognised symbol of the United States. But it seems it was not unanimously voted as such. There have been many debates, led by such prominent patriots as Benjamin Franklin, that have lobbied for the wild turkey to be the national emblem.
Perhaps the only true native American bird, it was once an endangered species but now inhabits most areas of America. Its comeback has been called one of the greatest conservation success stories of the century.
This, says the Bourbon Information Bureau, is why it was chosen as the symbol of this fine Kentucky bourbon. Further reading suggests that the original distillery was sited on Wild Turkey Hill and that bourbon proved so popular at an annual wild turkey hunt staged by a group of North Carolina business tycoons, that they convinced the distiller to market the brand using the Wild Turkey label. Whatever, it's a better brand name than Bald Eagle.
For a faddish social phenomenon, Kentucky bourbon packs quite a punch. Wild Turkey, for instance, makes a major selling point of being aged for eight years and achieving the awesome alcoholic strength of 101 proof, or more than 50 per cent alcohol.
John Senter, director and distiller of Wild Turkey, illustrates the potency of his brew when he explains how proof rating was devised. "Proof was originally determined by mixing equal quantities of liquor and gunpowder and applying a flame. If the gunpowder failed to burn, the spirit was too weak. If it burned too brightly, it was too strong. If it burned evenly with a blue flame, it was said to be '100 per cent proved right'. Thus the phrase '100 per cent proof' entered the American language as the standard by which the strength of distilled spirits is gauged."
At 101 proof, Wild Turkey is not the perfect accompaniment for a flambeed dessert.
Bourbon whiskey takes its name from Bourbon County, a region of Kentucky where bourbon was first produced and it's the Southern Americana image that has made it so fashionable. Let's face it, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels somehow seem to have more pizazz than David Frost and Gordon Jackson.
The strong American heritage of the product is derived from two major factors - the raw materials and the distilling process. Sweet corn, the primary ingredient of bourbon whiskey, is the major grain crop of North America. And charred-barrel ageing, the unique process used to impart the rich amber colouring and subtle vanilla palate of bourbon, is an American innovation.
Wild Turkey drinkers have created something of a loyal brotherhood and should be approached with caution. Like their patriotic figurehead, they can outrun a horse in a short sprint and are respected for their courage ... especially after 101 per cent proof times six.
Around the world, a bar that serves Wild Turkey is the natural gathering point for expatriate Good 'Ol Boys. In fairness, some of them are not that old, but then again some of them are not that good, either. Patron of the NSW chapter of the Wild Turkey Veneration Society is Dr Jim Lowry, a Virginian gentleman working with the Australian Museum.
His area of specialisation is amphipods, a form of marine crustacean, but he admits to having his interest in ornithology regularly aroused ... and most often by thoughts of Wild Turkey. It's the smooth, earthy flavour of Kentucky bourbon that attracts Dr Lowry, something akin to the Papal kiss of the native soil.
And so much for Winston Churchill's mother. Ask Dr Jim Lowry what the best thing to add to Wild Turkey is, and he'll tall you, "Hell, more Wild Turkey, of course". Now there's a man who knows what he likes.
© 1989 Sydney Morning Herald