When we’re talking about living legends of the whisky industry, I’m betting a lot of people will immediately picture folk the likes of Jim McEwan, Billy Walker, David Stewart or Richard Paterson. Folk with decades of experience, who often made their fame by climbing the ladder and went through the ropes of all and everything that comes into play when producing whisky. It seems they are something of a dying breed, as many other (obviously equally capable, knowledgeable and fantastic) people holding key positions in whisky these days will likely have had some academical background (likely in organic chemistry or something similar). Of course I’m not suggesting one is better than the other or that one holds more merit over the other or anything (as in the case of, say, Billy Walker, it’s both of these), but (by lack of me finding a better description) there’s a certain romantic appeal towards those who learned their trade very much hands on. Those who know what it’s like to get their hands dirty and blistered by coopering barrels, cleaning stills or shovelling and raking tons and tons of barley.
Obviously, these legends exist everywhere in the world of whisky, and depending on what floats your boat, some names will be more familiar than others. From a Scotch enthusiast’s point of view, I’m always more than happy to broaden the horizon. Every day is a school day, after all. And I think it’s fair to say that everything I just wrote about the McEwans and Walkers of today, also applies across the pond to Jimmy and Eddie Russel.
Russel’s reserve 10 yo, Kentucky straight bourbon – (45% ABV, Charred New White Oak, app. €60-€80)
Indeed, what Billy Walker et al are to Scotch, so are father and son Russel to bourbon. And much in the same way David Stewart is forever connected to William Grant’s Balvenie, so too are the Russels intertwined, synonymous almost, with Wild Turkey. The particularly interesting bit when talking about Jimmy and Eddie Russel and what they are to bourbon, is not only the fact that it’s a father and son collaboration, but also that they both learned their trade from the bottom to the top. Jimmy Russel grew up a stone’s throw away from the distillery where his father also worked and today, with a career spanning almost 7 decades, he’s generally recognised, celebrated and revered as the longest serving active master distiller in the world, creating celebrated expressions for Wild Turkey such as ‘Rare Breed’ and ‘Kentucky Spirit’ along the way. Eddie, Jimmy’s youngest son, seems a chip of the old block if ever there was one, as he joined his father at Wild Turkey in the early 1980’s. Much like his father, he worked his way up the ladder to eventually form a father and son tandem as Wild Turkey’s master distillers. Little wonder then, that back in 2001 Wild Turkey deemed it appropriate to have them create not just a bourbon baring their name, but rather a whole branch of bourbons and ryes. A batch of 23 barrels was initially selected and put aside as a retirement project when Jimmy was approaching his 45th years as master distiller (which obviously never happened), and were eventually released as a 15 yo bourbon around 2014 or 2015 (a release that is now the stuff of legends, with a price tag to match it). These days, you can have your pick of a 6 yo rye, to the standard Russel’s Reserve 10 yo bourbon I’m reviewing today (shoutout to the wonderful human being that is Stefan Nowak who provided the generous samples), all the way up to the NAS, cs ‘Single Barrel’ bourbons and ryes and some rare and hard to find (and therefore expensive) cask strength stuff, anywhere from 8 to some 16 yo.
Nose
Initially floral and fragrant, with a very pleasant balance of wood notes, caramel & fudge, demerara sugar and crème brûlée. An ever so faint soapy - acetone note, but it’s all but buried under notes of cherries and red apples. Hints of wax and polish, and more obvious notes of vanilla oil and honey. There’s not one particular note jumping out above the rest, which makes this baby hum like a well-tuned orchestra. Lovely stuff.
Palate
Coming in with a fresh palate it has a very crisp, almost sharp arrival (but only when coming in cold). Overall there’s less sweetness here and particularly the deeper notes from the nose- the wood (tropical wood and cigar boxes), leather and tobacco notes are more upfront, along with a cherry-like fruitiness. Interestingly, the mouthfeel develops significantly from a waxy texture at first to an increasingly drying one.
Finish
Warming, gently prickly with a touch of pepper and ginger, before those darker woody-tobacco like notes linger on.
Final thoughts
An absolutely wonderful nose and while the palate was slightly less impressive, the difference between nose and taste was interesting. Perhaps what I appreciate most about these bottlings, is that they are meant as an actual tribute to the people who make them (much like Elmer T. Lee having his own signature bourbon at Buffalo Trace). Now, obviously I’m well aware that there is a good dose of well thought through and cleverly marketed ‘romantic appeal’ to releases like these, but I much prefer it to the utterly meaningless and tedious ‘distiller’s select/choice/reserve/whatever…’ nonsense that’s befallen so many big Scotch whiskies. Because not only do these tend to be the absolute entry level, run of the mill, bog standard expressions, using a fancy title in order to ‘seduce’ unsuspecting supermarket customers into believing that what they are holding in their hand is the absolute pinnacle of whisky, but also, as a consequence, it does these master blenders and distillers short. Now I’m not suggesting that something baring the name ‘ Russel’s Reserve’ is de facto the best Wild Turkey has to offer. I’m not that naïve to believe that there isn’t a hefty dose of branding and marketing involved as a good story always helps to push sales, especially when there’s a big conglomerate like Campari (which acquired Wild Turkey in 2009) behind things, but unlike so many ‘distiller’s select’ releases, there’s a real story and a background to this thing, a touch of genuine tribute and homage, if you will.
Perhaps it’s European humility, but for whatever reason the best we can come up with is having the signature and name from the blenders and/or master distillers somewhere in small print on the back label of a bottle of Scotch. I for one would love to see a bottling of something very personal and dear to some of our modern heroes in whisky (on the premises that it actually is something they blended and created themselves and are happy and proud to present to the world; something akin to what Michael Henry’s doing with the small batch ‘distillery editions’ at Loch Lomond, for instance). Sure, we’ve had the Micky Heads farewell bottle from Ardbeg a while back and Arran did a few releases celebrating the now retired James MacTaggart, but why don’t we see similar things appear on a more regular basis? Something of an annual limited release - a ‘Greg Glass’ signature Fettercairn perhaps, or how about a Rachel Barrie blended malt made out of Glendronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh. Distillers’ and master blenders’ pet projects, if you will, showcasing what a distillery can offer if the people who know what’s what are given carte blanche, embracing batch variety rather than shying away from it?! The idea sounds neat, doesn’t it? Just planting seeds…
Meanwhile, for this one, Stefan’s sample was a really generous one, allowing me to give it several go’s and therefore give it a score of 83, possibly even 84/100.
Next week: a double bill from the iconic Blanton’s.
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