Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon
Damn. This is just…damn.
15 years old is about where I top out with my bourbon and American whiskey choices. After that, the woodiness really sets in, possibly my least favorite note in a whiskey (at least of the ones that are expected).
This, though, floats right on that edge, with oak body and a touch of tannin and lacquer, with a bold proof that cuts off those tannins at just the right time.
The biggest surprise to me, though? The MSRP is $250 - and I’d be happy to pay it.
In my review of the first Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old in August of 2021 (almost exactly 3 years before this review) I looked a gift horse in the mouth. At a $69.99 MSRP, a 13-year-old cask strength bourbon from a heritage Kentucky distiller was less of a steal and more of an outright heist. Granted, few saw it at that price, but since I don’t account for price in my ratings I could afford to complain about secondary prices.
To me, the 13 Year Old was somewhere between a Master’s Keep and a regular Russell’s Reserve 10-year-old, with the packaging and hurrahs of the former and the profile of the latter, just slightly older. It was, in a few words, good but not exceptional, like Wild Turkey was tentatively pushing the upper limits of its aged stock, with an emphasis on tentative. It felt unfinished, a good idea not taken to completion. The second batch was moderately better, but still not quite there.
The 15 is - in a single word - brilliant. It has all the depth and balance that the 13 Year Old lacked and more.
I’ve got some friends who are into dusty Turkey hunting. I’m not usually among them, preferring the modern Turkey to older stuff (I don’t like varnish flavors or textures), with two exceptions: the 1855 and the Kentucky Legend, a.k.a. the “Donut”. Second to the Donut, this might be my favorite Turkey product I’ve ever had.
Thank you to Wild Turkey for providing this sample free of charge. All opinions are my own.
Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Producer: Wild Turkey Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 117.2 (58.6% ABV)
Age: 15 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon Price: $250
Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark amber maple syrup. Few if any rims or legs, sloughing liquid down.
Nose: Well-polished old oak furniture. Dark artisinal caramels you find at a farm stand. Mild proof up the nose, pomegranate molasses, dark and syrupy fruit with a tart edge. Vanilla extract and a cedarwood cigar humidor.
Palate: Right at the edge of being too old/oaked, but remains quite fruity, dark, and surprisingly not woody on the palate. Prunes and a hint of mint on the back palate. Dried strawberries and an intensely reduced berry coulis. Coating as hell, lacquer and feels like an amaro’s texture. Decadent milk chocolate ganache spiked with bourbon, full-bodied and sits on the mid-to-back half of my tongue.
Finish: Long, date-forward with coffee syrup undertones emerging late. Blueberry glazed donuts, the nose becoming like walking into a donut shop where you can choose all your own toppings and frostings. Confectionaries and assorted fruit candies. This thing just keeps going.
Overall: A contender for bourbon of the year. Damn this is amazing. Complex, evolving, rich, fruity, oaked without being woody. Proof is well-paced, giving that extra balance against the confectionary tones towards the end. Has a depth that the Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old lacked. Second to the Donut (Kentucky Legend), might be my favorite Wild Turkey product I’ve ever had.
Final Rating: 8.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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