Russell's Reserve 6 Year Rye

Rating: 16/23 N: The nose is rich and full with an herbal emphasis. I get black licorice, thyme, vanilla, and spices (cinnamon, black pepper, and clove). There's some wood and a bit of sweetness, but not a ton. There's something tart and maybe a hint of peanut and a dash of smoke. It's a little difficult to dig into, but it's a solid nose. It reminds me of a less floral, woodier, drier, slightly upgraded version of Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye. P: It's spicy (cinnamon, pepper, and clove), but smooth with a big woody presence and some herbal flavor (including black licorice) with nice big dose of vanilla. There's a hint of toastiness like a dash of peanut and a waft of smoke passes through as well. And of course there's that bit of floral flavor and maybe a tiny bit of green apple bringing in some sweetness. It's super balanced with a nice amount of complexity. F: The finish tends toward the herbal flavor with the vanilla hanging on too. It's nicely balanced between bitter and sweet with some cinnamon and pepper remaining. As soon as I opened and tasted this the first time, I knew it was good. It's balanced, rich, and full with a good amount of flavors that can be distinguished. It reminds me a bit of Jim Beam Pre-Prohibition Rye (I've never tried the old, discontinued Jim Beam Rye that everybody hates), but with a more assertive flavor as less floral character. I'd say that the changes are strictly improvements, so I'm pleased to put this one just a bit higher. It isn't as rich, savory and smoky as Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye, but it has more balance and complexity. If the Knob Creek were at a lower proof, I suspect that I'd rate this higher, but that higher proof really does help the Knob Creek. I go back and forth between the two, sometimes putting the Knob Creek higher and sometimes putting this higher. I do generally put the Knob Creek at least as high as the Jim Beam though. For the price, I'll probably stick with the Jim Beam, but this is a nice rye that demonstrates balance and complexity with some nice flavors. Only on a rare occasion have I ever thought that this or the Knob Creek was as good as Pikesville though. I think I need to give this and Knob Creek the same rating, just above Jim Beam. At the low end, I can see that rating being a 14, but really I'm thinking more of 15 to 16. 17 seems vaguely plausible, but not at all likely. Normally, I'd look at what I just wrote and go with a 15 since it's the closest to the middle, but I do think in this case that the quality here is more of a 16. VFM could be better here, but it's still good.

Smooth, light

Nose: It starts with a hint of maple syrup. With earthy tones on the end. Taste: it hits with a sweet light caramel instantly. Followed by a nice tease of rye spice. I can’t decipher much more individual notes out of it. It’s smooth and has no bite to it. Overall , it’s a good drink. It’s not quite as complex as I would like. Not sure that it will hold up in an old fashioned. The flavors are to mellow for mixed drinks based upon this tasting. But I will try it in an old fashioned in the future and upgrade my rating.

Last time I reviewed a rye, I compared the style to an abusive ex-girlfriend one keeps going back to. I think that was for a bottle of Pikesville. Here we are again, my getting drawn back to the category, with hopes that a rye offered by one of my favorite bourbon makers, Wild Turkey, yields better results than my previous outings. Nosing this is a wild nostalgia trip for me. When I was growing up, my dad used to take me back to the neighborhood in Queens he grew up in, and the nose on this rye takes me back to the deli he used to frequent. Fast forward to grad school, and I lived down the street and around the corner from a deli in Ann Arbor called Zingermanns which baked all of its own bread and I would wake up to the smell of fresh baking rye bread every morning. The nose on this rye takes me right back to those places, with its bready, yeasty (in a good way), spicy goodness. Good start. As it enters the palate, it's not like other rye's I've tried before that just obliterate your palate with the spice, leather, and tannins found in some other ryes. It's smooth, predominantly caramel on the palate, like a whisky version of a macchiato. Near the finish, there's a surge in spice (baking and pepper) that settles into a coating and warming finish of a moderate length. Color me surprised! I like this one! For $40, it was a good purchase. This is the entry level to Wild Turkey's upper end ryes, and I wanted to make sure I liked this one before shelling out for the RR Single Barrel or the Masters Keep Cornerstone. I'll keep working through this one, but I like what I've got so far, and hope it continues to develop. Cheers!

It tastes like rye for sure. It's a bit brighter than most with a dry rye presence taking the front line alongside a strong mineral flavor. It has that Russell's Reserve cinnamon spice punch to be sure. There's enough sweetness, but not enough robustness. There's a little wood here, but not much. It isn't very complex, unfortunately. This could use a lot of work.