Review #142 - Russell's Reserve 10 Year
From the Wild Turkey distillery, we have the Russell's Reserve brand, named for Jimmy and Eddie Russell - this is the entry point on the bourbon side, a 10 year age stated Kentucky bourbon bottle at 45% ABV. It's aged in #4 'alligator' char barrels, so we should be getting plenty of oak notes.
The real draw here is the value: many other 10 year old bourbons demand a huge premium price tag, though there are a couple others (Eagle Rare, for example) that keep it reasonable. This one beats pretty much all competition on price, though: in our area, this is $30 to $35, and can even be found below $30 on the occasional sale. It's available everywhere, too, which is an added bonus.
Russell's Reserve 10 Year
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 29 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 32 (2023)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 45% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 10 months; bottles at 100%, 50%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Oaky and sweet up front, with cola and syrupy cherry, then brown sugar and caramel. There's a soft nutty character, almost dusty peanuts, but more sweet flavors overwhelm: vanilla bean, mild milk chocolate, even Maraschino liqueur. Around the glass, we do find the occasional spice like anise or nutmeg, and the oak takes on a dusty character, along with some dry corn husk.
Palate: Balanced and buttery-smooth up front, with a medium mouthfeel at most. There's still decent sweetness, with caramel, cherry syrup, and molasses; the oak is strong and occasionally slightly bitter, with a peppery and mildly tannic influence. Vanilla and red fruits come and go, and on the back end, more pepper and some licorice.
Finish: Cola, cherries, and vanilla take center stage; this has a medium length finish, and the focus shifts later toward baking spices. There's an aftertaste of dry oak tannins and dusty grain, or even a grist from freshly ground corn.
Final Note: This is a solid, but generally plain bourbon, at least in our experience. Nothing offensive, but not the most complex flavor development considering it spent ten years maturing in oak; still, it's nice and sweet, and quite easy-drinking. It's a solid entry point to the brand, and because of the price, quite good value. In search of more complex flavors, though, we'll continue looking elsewhere.
Our Average Rating: 5.9 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.38
