Russell’s Reserve is the fancy version of Wild Turkey, long time readers will remember my super accurate mid flight review of the 101. Anyways I haven’t explored the high end WT world all that much yet but when my favorite shop got in a Single Barrel Select and it was available for delivery before a work happy hour that I’d promised to bring bourbon to I couldn’t resist. Potential spoiler but I ended up picking up another bottle for my house too, just to be safe, and I’ll be nosing and sipping that one this evening.
Review
Age: NAS
Abv: 110 Proof (55% ABV)
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
Color: A deep amber
Price: $55.99
Neat
Nose: Surprisingly hot at first though big oak and toffee notes cut through the heat
Taste: Much tamer than the nose as far as heat goes and the same notes stay very prevalent
Finish: Long finish where the oak gives way to a creamy vanilla finish
On a rock
Nose: The heat is gone leaving a balanced set of oak, toffee and vanilla notes
Taste: This is where this bourbon really shines for me with an great mouthfeel and bold oak and toffee flavors that have no trouble standing up to the ice. Very tasty.
Finish: Still long and still oak fading to vanilla
Conclusion
Another great store pick from Oak Liquor Cabinet. This one is a little hot for me neat but is delicious on ice. I’d love to try a variation on this that was aged for a few more years or finished somehow to add a another note and tame the heat a bit. So far this is my favorite expression from Wild Turkey but I’ll have to try some more of their high end offerings.
2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle