A little background

Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the newest release by Master Distiller Eddie Russell. This release is a tribute to the distillery’s heritage and the legacy pioneered by Eddie’s father, Jimmy Russell. It showcases Eddie’s talents and expertise to develop flavors through careful aging and a nose for identifying the highest quality barrels.

Manufacturer: Wild Turkey
Mashbill: 75% corn / 13% rye / 12% malted barely
Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Proof / ABV: 114.8 / 57.4
Price: $70.00

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Mahogany

Nose

Baking spice with toffee and heavy dark fruit with a hint of citrus

Palate

The palate is heavy and creamy with oak, butter, and light brown sugar up front with more sweetness coming mid palate with leather coming through on the back end.

Finish

Heavy oak immediately mixed with leather which leads to dark fruit and a steady heat with rye spice.

In closing

Eddie Russell continues to amaze with his releases and this one definitely sets the bar high. The nose is amazing with tons of dark fruit and baking spices coming through without an ounce of ethanol. The drinker can literally bury their nose in the glass without a hint of burn from the 114 proof whiskey. The palate is rich and creamy with oak and butter rushing the salivary glands with a sweetness that builds from subtle on the front palate to rich and sweet on the back. The leather note comes in to cut the sweetness and melds well with the heavy oak right up front on the finish. Dark fruit on the finish seems to last for an eternity with a steady heat rising from the chest and turning to rye spice in the back of the throat. In between sips the fruit note becomes more intense with oak and char aftertaste making for an extremely long and enjoyable finish.

At $70 dollars retail I would buy every bottle I could find, however, these have become extremely hard to find. The complex flavors mixed with a higher proof well aged whiskey and I find myself at a lack for words to say anything wrong with this release.