Russell's Reserve 13 Year Bourbon (2022 Release)

The aroma begins with aged leather tomes, carrot cake adorned with thick cream cheese icing and citrus peel, followed by sweet cinnamon pastries dusted with brown sugar and covered in dark chocolate glaze. A faint scent of recently lit pipe tobacco mingles with cooked apples and flaming cherries, evolving into spearmint, spice, and buffed wood, accompanied by a potent alcohol presence. The palate presents a viscous texture, starting with old leather books, carrot cake featuring luscious cream cheese frosting and orange zest, then a rich mocha with a kick, fresh pipe tobacco, and a toasted almond pastry. This is followed by baked apples and cherries jubilee over vanilla ice cream, shifting to spearmint, ginger, spice, and polished wood, with a strong alcohol sting. The finish is enduring, commencing with sautéed caramel apples atop vanilla ice cream and spicy mocha. It then mellows into notes of cloves, ginger, and spearmint, alongside pipe tobacco, musty leather-bound volumes, and polished wood, persisting for a considerable time. This is an extraordinary bourbon, apparent from the initial whiff. Its opulent and decadent nose features a prominent aged oak foundation, masterfully complemented by creamy citrus, subtle rye spice, and sugary confections. This carries through to the taste buds with a syrupy richness and the addition of spicy mocha, leading to an extended finish that starts sweet with delicate earthy notes before receding into undertones of rye, barrel spices, and aged, dusty oak. A friend provided a taste of the earlier version, and another's kindness allowed me to experience this current bottling. These bottles typically vanish from stores and command inflated prices in resale markets. Personally, this recent bottling achieves a superior equilibrium compared to the previous one. My recollection of the prior version suggests a less substantial texture and a more pronounced tannic oak presence than I prefer. This newer release has rectified those shortcomings, truly offering something remarkable. Both expressions are excellent and definitely justify their suggested retail values, but I would hesitate to pay the inflated resale prices.

It took me a while to open this bottle, but the short version upfront is – it was worth the wait... Although I'd tasted this at a bar previously, this is a spirit to be enjoyed with ample time. The aroma is immediately vibrant... and unmistakably reminiscent of Turkey, but in a positive way. It offers abundant caramel, damp oak, fruits (apple and berry), and a slightly funky, yeasty note at the edges that rounds it out nicely. The aroma is quite potent, and while not strictly necessary, a few drops enhance it slightly without altering it significantly. The flavor is also quite appealing... a bold pour that, like the aroma, feels very 'Turkey' from start to finish. Plenty of sweet fruits, caramel, vanilla, and barrel notes are upfront, transitioning into very dry oak before a dynamic experience unfolds... considerable heat, bursts of sweet caramel, and an exceptionally long, enjoyable finish. If I were to be critical, it's a bit heavily oaked and certainly feels aged. It doesn't become unpleasant or overly oaked, but I can understand if it might be too much for some. I actually found it to be an excellent pour, likely bottled at its optimal stage of development... and the aroma and finish are the highlights... Is it worth the price? At retail, yes. Is it worth the effort to find? Probably... this one came to me by chance, and I'm very glad it did...

I'll review it under this, I suppose. Since there are occasionally two batches annually, this approach won't work effectively. Nose - Dignified yet also young and off. It has aspartame, vanilla, caramel, and a surprisingly strong oak alongside a funkiness. This is unmistakably wild turkey! Turned up to eleven? I detect red fruits, cinnamon, hazelnut, and it's delightful. Taste - Unlike the nose, where I might have concentrated too much on the funk, the taste leans heavily into it. Notes of old whiskey with excessive oak and rich, funky aspartame again, plus more custard-like funk. I adore this spirit. It's a wonderfully aged yet not aged and stately whiskey! Turkey has managed to capture age without refinement, but with considerable power and vigor. I recently compared it to knob 12 CS and ECBP C923, and it doesn't quite measure up. However, as its own entity, I love it. 2.75. Fantastic cask strength fun, but not exceptional.

Incredible. Simply incredible. I've sampled several fine bourbons (e.g., Cowboy, ECBP, though not Pappy or BTAC yet), but this ranks as my new favorite bourbon ever. Regrettably, it was only a small pour. Nose: maple syrup and caramel apples. An amazing aroma that compels you to keep smelling it. Taste…remarkably balanced between fruit and oak. The intensity is heightened, but it's not aggressive like Cowboy or ECBP…it possesses a greater elegance. Truly a masterful display of balancing fruit and oak. While I haven't tried the RR10 or their single barrel, I suspect they don't compare to this. This demonstrates exceptional cask management and selection, along with appropriate rickhouse aging. Cost is a factor…the MSRP is only $100, but retailers are selling it for 6-8 times that amount.

I've largely stopped pursuing rare and expensive bourbon, but I managed to get this 13-year-old Russell's Reserve through a state lottery. As a Wild Turkey enthusiast, I was keen to try it. It exhibits the classic Wild Turkey character with a good balance of sweetness, spice, and oak. Nothing particularly stood out, though it is very good. It's just not significantly better than other Wild Turkey products. I haven't had Rare Breed in a while, but I don't believe the barrel-proof RR 13 is substantially superior. I'd like to conduct a blind side-by-side comparison. This was just my initial tasting, so my impression might change with subsequent pours. Ultimately, at its current price of $149, it's overpriced, and even more so at secondary market prices around $300.

Blind tasting, neat, compared directly with batch 1. Conclusion: Out of three attempts, I chose batch 1 each time. The character is noticeable, and it comes down to individual taste. B1 delivered fruitiness, liveliness, caramel, cherry, oak, hints of vanilla, and oak. It was a burst of flavor. B2 is quite good, but it's a touch drier and has more barrel influence than B1. It's more like classic Wild Turkey, while B1 felt more unique to me. Honestly, I've experienced better Russell's SiBs than what B2 provides. That said, this is an amazing, down-to-earth, wonderfully funky Turkey bottle! I'm not unhappy to own it; it's just that B1 excelled in every aspect where B2 was slightly drying. The saving grace: I added about 7 drops of water to a 2 oz. sample, and B2 became exceptional.