Actor Matthew McConaughey has teamed up with Wild Turkey Distillery to announce the introduction of Wild Turkey Longbranch, a collaboration between the brand’s creative director and its master distiller, Eddie Russell.
The rare, small-batch Kentucky bourbon, inspired by McConaughey’s Kentucky and Texas roots, is refined with Texas Mesquite and oak charcoals.
Wild Turkey Longbrand is the latest collaboration to come from the mulit-year partnership with McConaughey, who has served as the brand’s creative director since 2016, according to a release. The name is formed from friends that form the longest branches of family trees.
“Longbranch, in its simplest form, is an extended hand, inviting a friend into your family,” McConaughey says. “So the branch that was extended to me from the Russells was a long one, one that reached from Kentucky to Texas and back again. I offered the Mesquite from my great state to add to their legendary Kentucky whiskey and together we made Longbranch.”
To create Longbranch’s signature flavor, Russell and McConaughey spent hours sharing notes and after two years of testing, perfected the process to give Longbrand a smooth and full finish.
“Matthew McConaughey has been ingrained in the Wild Turkey brand as creative director for several years now,” says Bob Kunze-Concewitz, CEO at Campari Group, owner of Wild Turkey. “As a lover of bourbon, and an integral part of the team, it was a natural next step for Matthew to partner with Eddie to create a new product for Wild Turkey. We are proud of the work they’ve done and have great expectations for this amazing new whiskey.”
The new Wild Turkey Longbranch will be available on shelves in the U.S. in May.