American Bourbon

Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's Reserve, 10 yo Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, 750 ml, 101 proof, $25-30.



Wild Turkey makes some of the highest proof line up of bourbon available in the US. Except for the 80 proof version of standard Wild Turkey everything is either 101 proof or "barrel proof" at about 110. Russell's reserve is no exception. The oldest dated Wild Turkey at 10 years (Rare Breed has 12 mixed in with 6,8 &10) finds the extra time in the cask smooths out the flavor but not any of the kick.

To quote from the Distillery "Russell's Reserve is deep amber in color with a nose that is rich in vanilla, oak, toffee and a touch of old leather. The body is huge, and the palate is very spicy with notes of chili peppers, tamarind, almonds and cumin." Now I don't know who writes things like that but I do agree on a few things. The flavors are smooth and complex with hints of caramel, vanilla and toffee and the body is huge. I never caught the taste of cumin or taramind though even after 4 or 5 test shots .

This is one bourbon that will stand up to water or ice without becoming watered down, in fact, I prefer it over ice myself. With so many high quality bourbons available this is one that deserves a try the next time you out at your favorite watering hole. Pair it up with a cigar that has some kick and I can almost guarantee an enjoyable experience.

Wow. When you said the body was huge, you weren't kidding. Picked up a bottle of this bourbon this weekend. One of those that I have been wanting to try. I found it to be serious powerful...just too much to drink neat. It was much better with a couple of ice cubes. I found the taste very oaky and smokey (huh, that rhymed). I also found it to be harsh on the palate, not smooth as it went down. Now, it is possible that I am just a bit wimpy, but this was not the bourbon for me. The flavors were OK, but the harshness just wouldn't let me enjoy it very much.

I think to finish off the bottle, I'll have to cut it with a bit of ginger to even it out. Keeps the flavor of the bourbon, but takes away the harshness.

I'm still looking for others on the review list to try. Thanks AVB.

Thanks for the review, more than one opinion is always good. I'm glad you liked my review but sorry your purchase didn't turn out the way you hoped. Try a 3:1 cut with water, 3 shots of the bird and one of water and see if that doesn't make it a bit better for you. That mix will cut the proof down to about 75 which is close to most bourbons norm of 80.

Thanks for the advice. I'll give that a try this evening.

So how did that work for you?




Maybe it worked too well and you don't remember. :laugh: :laugh:

cigardawg said:

Thanks for the advice. I'll give that a try this evening.

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Unfortunately or fortunately, my GF had a glass of Jefferson Reserve waiting for me when I walked in the house yesterday evening. Didn't get to try the Russells Reserve. Maybe this evening or weekend.

I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on the Jefferson's Reserve sometime in the future. I reviewed that one in June of last year (here).

Cigarpass

My comments on jefferson reserve are above.

Damn, another brain fart. I gotta take some time off. :0

AVB said:

The oldest dated Wild Turkey at 10 years (Rare Breed has 12 mixed in with 6,8 &10) finds the extra time in the cask smooths out the flavor but not any of the kick.

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I have a bottle of Wild Turkey Tribute here at home that's dated at 15 years. It's great by the way.

It also was released on June 24th, 2004 which is after this review was made.

ejquin said:

[I have a bottle of Wild Turkey Tribute here at home that's dated at 15 years. It's great by the way.

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Oh. Sorry.

AVB said:

Thanks for the review, more than one opinion is always good. I'm glad you liked my review but sorry your purchase didn't turn out the way you hoped. Try a 3:1 cut with water, 3 shots of the bird and one of water and see if that doesn't make it a bit better for you. That mix will cut the proof down to about 75 which is close to most bourbons norm of 80.

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OK, I tried the Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve according to the recommendation above...Wow, what a difference. It cut the burn while leaving all of the bourbon flavor. Hell, I think it actually enhanced the bourbon flavor of this one. I was able to taste past the oak and get at some of the more subtle flavors, including vanilla and maybe a hint of licorice. Very nice. Drinking it in this way, I think I would buy another bottle sometime in the future. Thanks for the advice.

Now all I have to do is get you started on Scotch.

Greetings - I enjoyed the review.

I've been a Turkey buff for some time. Russell's Reserve is one of my faves. Two fingers.....neat, please..... One of my favorite beverages to pair with a good cigar.....

Always tasty, lots of good bourbon / oak taste....complements but doesn't overwhelm a smoke. As I said, one of my faves.

Regards - B.B.S.

How do people feel about Russel's since it's been cut down to only 90 proof?

I've been wanting to try a bottle, since I've tasted every other WT offering and liked them, but every review I read of Russel's (though stellar) is from back when it was 101 proof.

I haven't had the 90 proof version yet as I'm still working on my last older bottle. You could do a review for us though.

I just picked up a bottle of the 90 proof today. I'm not a huge bourbon fan, but I really liked this. I usually add more water to my scotch than most people, but I think this drinks pretty well neat, which really surprised me. I dropped in one ice cube, and it smoothed out and I could pick up a few more flavors. I did have to pull the cube back out after a couple minutes because I felt like it was getting a little too watered down.

I would say this is the first bourbon that I have really enjoyed. I bought this bottle to have around for a couple smoking buddies who come over on a regular basis, but I think it might make it into my regular rotation.

I haven't tried that one so I'll have to put it on my list. I thought I'd seen higer proofs so a grabbed the bottle of Bookers off my empty bottle shelf. Bookers is a single barrel bourbon so each batch has a different proof, this one was 126.6 proof and 8 years 2 months old. Talk about a kick!