Russell's Reserve Single Barrel - A Thrill of a Whisky That Has Complexity

Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Wild Turkey Distillery
Taste Score: 96
Category: American Straight Bourbon, High Proof
Whisky Cabinet Score: ★ ★ ★ ★

To get the beauty of this drink, you need to nose it like a scotch drinker. That is, don’t breathe in, just let the vapours naturally come to you as you lift the glass to your nose. You can practically smell the soil the grain were grown in, the grains themselves, the fermentation process, and all those condensed flavours that were fortunate enough to survive distillation. Additionally, you can smell the rick house, the barrels that whisky was aged in, and the metal pipes it was poured through before bottling (I am, completely, exaggerating the last part). This whisky has history, and it’s in the nose.

On the palate, the most beautiful part of this whisky is the husky grain middle to finish. It takes you on this beautiful adventure. The flavour is there. The start, the middle, the finish. It’s all there. The finish is beautiful. If a scotch drinker thinks bourbon is too simple, give him a pour of this. After a few sips, the scotch drinker will have that ‘wow, wait, what?’ moment followed by a ‘Daaaamn… what just happened?’ moment. It’s there. Pure beauty.