Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old - The Scotch Drinker's Bourbon

Photo by Suresh Doss

Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old Small Batch
Wild Turkey Distillery
Taste Score: 95
Category: American Straight Bourbon, 10-12 Year Old
Whisky Cabinet Score: ★ ★ ★ ★

I started out as a single malt scotch drinker. When drinking bourbons, nosing became less important. It’s not that bourbons don’t nose well, it’s just that they generally smell very similar. That’s not the case for this whisky. There’s this beautiful yeasty bready note to Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old that hits a wonderful spot. It’s like entering a restaurant, and smelling freshly baked bread and seeing white tablecloth tables. You know you’re in for a treat. You settle down, and show patience, because it’ll be a long dining experience. Russell’s Reserve needs that patience.

It starts ever-so softly. It builds through in flavours you might expect from a well-aged bourbon (nutty, toffee, bright with zest, spooling in spice), through to this dark creamy-rich long cinnamon-spicy finish. My wish in life is to have a compromise between the 10 Year Old (45% ABV), and the younger Single Barrel bottled at 55% ABV. That might be just the perfect drink! Until then, I’ll happily enjoy Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old.

At this price-point, and relative availability, this is definitely one to have around.

The Whisky Cabinet Rating is based on the following:

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  Not recommended
★ ☆ ☆ ☆  Good whisky, but not a ‘must-have’
★ ★ ☆ ☆  Your great regular rotation whisky that'll come and go
★ ★ ★ ☆  Excellent, a near must-have
★ ★ ★ ★  Extraordinary, memorable, and original