I’ll be honest. I didn’t like Wild Turkey up until about a year or so ago. I’d had way too much 101 in college, mixed with Coke, and just considered it bad.
Then I had the pleasure of meeting the brand’s master distillers, Jimmy and Eddie Russell, who have been making bourbon since before your Dad was born, and fell in goddamn love.
They just make good booze. And that’s it.
It appears Bro King Matthew McConaughey had the same experience, travelling to their whiskey cathedral in Lawrenceville, Kentucky. So much so that he decided to stay down there and become their creative director. You can watch his journey in the video above. Via The New York Times:
Mr. McConaughey — Oscar winner, Texan, renowned bongo player — has signed a contract with Gruppo Campari, the premium spirits company, to serve as creative director for Wild Turkey bourbon. The multiyear deal goes far beyond pitching a product, as Mr. McConaughey has recently done for Lincoln. This time, in addition to appearing on camera, he will write and direct the spots. He has also involved himself in recording music for the campaign, which will be introduced in September.
He will also appear in an online documentary about the history of the 161-year-old brand and will have a say in how Wild Turkey bottles are photographed for still ads. Moreover, Campari wants his take on developing new Wild Turkey products, with a Matthew McConaughey-branded bourbon as a possibility, he said.
“I told them, ‘I don’t want to be just a face. I have ideas. I’m an idea man,’” Mr. McConaughey said. “The brand is a little dusty, and in some ways I’m shaping a full-on reintroduction.” He continued: “The great news is that Wild Turkey hasn’t changed in all these years — it’s totally authentic. And that appeals to millennials. Because they can smell fake. Some manicured, bearded hipster soliciting them? No, thanks.”
Seriously, give it a try. I can’t guarantee you’ll love it like I did, but Wild Turkey ain’t care.
The new marketing campaign will not “suddenly get all hoity-toity and alienate our core drinkers,” Mr. McConaughey said. Instead, it will emphasize that “this drink is unapologetically itself, and if you’re living your life that way as well, then Wild Turkey will probably find you.”
The official tag line for the campaign is “It’ll Find You.”
I, personally, recommend you find the Rare Breed.
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