Wild Turkey produces a lot of whiskey, some inexpensive bottle and some above the $100 mark. While we haven’t picked up any of the high end bottles yet, but we found one that had a pretty high rating from Zach, although it was not Angie’s favorite. This bottle is Total Beverage’s Single Barrel Russel’s Reserve. Let’s go right into it. We are going to split the reviews, since we did not fully agree on the flavors.
Total Beverage typically has a good spread of single barrel whiskeys that they bring into the store, and this one is another very good pick.
Color: A dark, slightly opaque brown/amber pour.
Nose: The aroma on this whiskey has a lot of sweet corn notes, and you can tell there is a bit of heat as the alcohol smell comes in a bit. There are some vanilla notes, and the only way we could think to describe is a Wild Turkey smell. Very inviting.
Palate:
Zach: This bourbon starts off with a lot of sweetness on the front, flavors of toffee and vanilla really come through. The mid palate is full of rye spiciness, and the bourbon is very full bodied, especially on the mid. The finish is a little bit sweeter, with some oak notes and bit of sweetness. The sip on it’s own did have a good amount of heat on it, a definitely straight alcohol type flavor that comes through.
Angela: The start on the whiskey is very sweet, and the mid palate has a lot of rye spice. The finish is all heat from the alcohol.
Nose W/Water: Very similar, less of the alcohol smell is noticed however.
Palate W/Water:
Zach:The sweet toffee flavors explode right off the start, really coming out more once the water was added. The vanilla also grows a lot more, making the start sweeter. The spiciness on the mid palate from the rye stays, it isn’t brought down at all, and the whiskey stays full bodied and has a great mouth feel. The heat on the end is reduced a lot with the water added, making the oak and sweet finish much more enjoyable. The bourbon really opens up a lot after a bit of water is added.
Angela: The start is sweeter, candied flavors come through a lot. The mid palate is still full of rye spiciness, and the sweetness is still there as well all the way through the end. The finish is sweet and oaky, and the heat is much lower after the water is added.
Ratings:
Angela: Split rating, Before water: 72/100 After Water: 84/100– Average: 78/100
Zach: 94/100
Overall: 86/100
This is one of the first whiskeys that we really disagreed on in terms of enjoyment. Angela did not think that the flavors there were enough to overcome the heat. The heat is definitely something we agreed could turn off some people, so this is one that we recommend to enjoy with a bit of water, or on the rocks.
