It’s funny to think that Russell’s Reserve, master distiller Eddie Russell’s offshoot of Wild Turkey, started off to commemorate the retirement of his father, the even more legendary Jimmy Russell. The special batch of bourbon was laid down in 1998 to celebrate Jimmy’s 45th year at Wild Turkey, with the intention of bottling and releasing it when he decided to take his leave. 15 years later, Jimmy was still sharing the title of Master Distiller with Eddie, with no retirement in sight. The commemorative bourbon eventually came out in 2014, sans commemoration, as Russell’s Reserve 1998 — now one of the most acclaimed and sought-after of all Wild Turkey bottlings.
In 2024, Jimmy shows no signs of stopping, though his duties nowadays are mostly limited to greeting well-wishers and signing bottles at Wild Turkey’s visitors’ center. And Russell’s Reserve is back with another 15 year old bottling that’s already a sensation among bourbon fans and the secondary market. Officially, Russell’s is a collaboration between father and son, but in practice it’s really Eddie’s baby, especially the older expressions, which Jimmy largely eschews in favor of Wild Turkey classics like 101 and Rare Breed. Eddie tells a story that illustrates the differences in their approaches to bourbon: “When I first started tasting with Jimmy in the lab.... I'm like, ‘I get this super rich dark cocoa —’ ‘I didn't put none-a that in my whiskey!’”
Eddie Russell has made a terrific bourbon, even if his father Jimmy doesn't necessarily agree.
“Jimmy ... he’d just taste it,” Eddie elaborates. “But I always talk about the journey, starting with the nose, because if you walk into a restaurant and it smells good, you’re already thinking it’s gonna taste good. With taste, I want something up front, something in the middle, and something to finish, but I also want the comeback taste. So for me I want creaminess right up front, whether it’s some kind of sweetness or it’s fruity — vanilla, butterscotch — anything like that. And the mid-palate, I want some of the traditional Wild Turkey spices. And then the finish, Jimmy’s big on the super-long finish. This one has that very long finish. You definitely get some of that oakiness in there. Aftertaste is a big part of it to me, too.”
Russell's Reserve's 15-Year-Old 2024 Limited Release Bourbon (actually a blend of 15 and 16 year old bourbons, but only the youngest drops in the bottle can be mentioned) ticks all of Eddie’s boxes — and mine, for that matter. And if you love bourbon, most likely yours as well. More than a dozen or so years in the barrel puts any bourbon at risk for excessive oakiness, characterized by a dry, tannic, often astringent flavor. But here, sweet cherry and vanilla notes dominate on the palate, with a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. At 117.2 proof (58.6% ABV), it’s no shrinking violet, and the oaky spice picks up midpalate, but it complements the sweeter flavors rather than overwhelming them. It finishes off with long, lingering toffee and oak notes. It even looks pretty spectacular, with a deep, dark, reddish amber color that resembles motor oil more than your typical bourbon.
The 15 year old is a replacement for the 13 year old expression that’s been released on a regular basis since 2021, but don’t expect a sequel of the 15 in the near future — there was only enough on hand for one bottling, the quantity of which hasn’t been made public by Wild Turkey or its parent company, Campari. At $250, this bottling isn’t cheap, and bourbon fans being as zealous as they are, it definitely won’t be easy to find once it hits shelves on July 1. But it’s more than a collector’s item, it’s a fantastic bourbon that’s worth the hunt and the dent in your wallet.
