Russell’s Reserve 15 Year
I’m less inclined to write typical nose/palate/finish style bourbon reviews these days, mainly because everyone does it, some of them do it well, and frankly they’ve become so stale.
Do you really wish to read one more post that mentions caramel, vanilla, medium-bodied, medium-finish, well blended with almost too much oak/char that oxidizes quickly in the glass like it was a dusty decanter?
Well, you just did, and there’s the review.
I highly recommend several frequent small pours on this one, as it oxidizes quickly and comes to an odd mineral note on the back palate and finish.
When I drank this of course I took some mental notes (listed above), but instead of the focus on dissecting this highly coveted bottle, I thought about where I would stack rank it compared to some other notable releases from other distilleries.
Many of you know by now that I’m a fairly obsessive BeamNut, so naturally I’d like to compare it to some older Beam products as well as some of the other fantastic Turkey releases.
Here’s the quick list (that will not include Hardin’s Creek, or the Master Keep series), and we’ll dive in a bit below.
Knob Creek 12yr
Knob Creek 18yr
Russell’s Reserve 13yr
Russell’s Reserve 15yr
Knob Creek 15yr
Please note that the gap between the top 4 on this list is very narrow and could change based on the time of day, or what chicken sandich I ate. Knob 12 to me is practically the perfect Bourbon, but then the others are so freaking close. There is however a very big distance between the RR15 and the Knob 15, and allow me to explain.
Many folks I know that love KC, typically find the 15yr offering to be very heavily overly woody. I personally enjoy it for that reason, but find that it’s off balance compared to the KC12. So here is where Turkey’s RR15 release shines. While it does have a lot of wood to it, it isn’t overbearing like the Knob 15. It allows other notes to have their moment thus avoiding being a one trick pony.
One could make the argument that RR15 is better than RR13 or vice versa, based on your own personal palate preferences. I found the 13 overall better because it didn’t oxidize as quickly as the 15, and was less “minerally” which is a note I do not enjoy at all, hence why I don’t love Widow Jane.
Definitely don't drink this out of a rocks glass, you want less air exposure, unless you're drinking fast.
Ultimately I have to say that Turkey has a big hit on their hands, and the aftermarket appears to agree. These are easily closing in the $500-600 range (before buyers premium/tax/shipping) right now which is not a surprise for the hype bottle du-jour.
I cannot recommend the purchase outside of suggested retail pricing simply because Knob Creek is typically available, comparable in quality, and costs far less. I also don’t believe that RR15 offers much that’s different or compelling over the RR13.
To avoid the critique of this solely being a Turkey vs. Beam argument, I’ll suggest it’s simply better to stick with comparable quality and save some scratch. There are still Russell’s store picks out there that don’t cost $500+ and to me are far more enjoyable.
Something I often feel when it comes to Turkey’s higher end offerings is weighing on me here, namely that their standard releases are of such high quality, it’s very difficult for them to improve things to an extent that warrants extra stacks of my scratch.
NOTE- I did NOT purchase this bottle with my own scratch, but was graciously offered two glasses by my pal who did NOT overpay for this with his own scratch.
Feel free to share your thoughts and/or tell me to kick rocks.
- Mickey Pinstripe