Forgiven is one of bourbon's better origin stories. As Eddie Russell tells it, a Wild Turkey worker was supposed to be moving 8 year old bourbon and accidentally added 6 year old rye to the tank — a mistake that should have meant a dump, except when Eddie tasted the resulting blend he decided it was simply too good to throw away. Hence the name: the worker was forgiven, the whiskey was bottled, and Wild Turkey added an unintentional new product to the line.
Released in 2013, Forgiven sits in that interesting half-space between bourbon and rye. The blend is reportedly somewhere around 78% bourbon and 22% rye, bottled at a generous 55.1% ABV with no age statement on the front label. It pours a bright copper, lively in the glass, and the nose tells the whole story: brown sugar and vanilla on one side, a green snap of rye dill and pepper on the other, the two leaning into each other like old friends who don't always agree.
The palate opens sweet — caramel, baked apple, a touch of honey — and then pivots sharply as the rye steps in with clove, white pepper and a herbal lift that keeps the bourbon's sweetness from going soft. It's a deceptively complex pour for what was, technically, a workplace blunder.
The finish is long and warming, surprisingly dry, with pepper and mint dancing alongside toasted oak. Forgiven is a fun, characterful bottle and a good reminder that some of the best things in whiskey come from the moments when the plan falls apart. Eddie's instinct was right — this one earned its bottle.
