Wild Turkey and Matthew McConaughey launch first collaboration whiskey

Wild Turkey has announced the launch of Wild Turkey Longbranch, a collaboration between the whiskey brand’s creative director Matthew McConaughey and Master Distiller Eddie Russell.

Inspired by McConaughey’s Kentucky and Texas roots, the small-batch bourbon is refined with Texas Mesquite and oak charcoals – a unique method that Wild Turkey says “deepens the flavor and complexity of the whiskey.”

The launch also marks the first time that Wild Turkey has unveiled a product that bears the signature of someone other than Master Distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell.

Made with eight-year old Wild Turkey Bourbon, Longbranch is described as an “exceptional bourbon” with a “bright gold color and aroma that is a balanced blend of vanilla and spices.”

“When we were creating Wild Turkey Longbranch, we talked at length about how to make a product that represents elements of both Texas and Kentucky,” said Eddie Russell.

“Our goal was to make a straight bourbon whiskey with a soft sweetness that was still unmistakably Wild Turkey. The result was a bourbon that we both truly enjoy drinking neat, and look forward to sharing with others.”

With McConaughey serving as the brand’s creative director since 2016, Longbranch is the latest collaboration to come from the high-profile, multi-year partnership – and a release that Eddie Russell himself teased at when he visited Australia in September of last year.

Set to be released in the US in May, it’s likely an Australian release isn’t too far away either, with Russell commenting at the time: “I think it’s going to be really great for Australia because he [McConaughey] like a little over proof so it’s probably going to be over 80 proof.”