Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye
Rye
Wild Turkey // Kentucky , USA
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Fafnir187
Reviewed January 19, 2021 (edited March 27, 2021)Pretty faint nose with the predominant note being a grassy rye grain; like someone grabbed a fresh stalk and ran it through a grain mill. Digging deeper there is some citrus zest, vanilla, and ginger. This is a decent nose, but quite frankly I want a lot more of it. Palate pops more than the nose, opening with some caramel, vanilla, and lemon peel, transitioning in the mid-palate to candied baking spices in the form of ginger, nutmeg, and a little clove. Not a lot of herbs with this one, just kind of an underlying alfalfa note which brings a welcome earthiness. Just when you’re thinking “is this going to just taste like a high rye bourbon?”, in comes a really long finish of orange peel, oak, and a blast of black peppery rye spice that definitively answers that question. A delicious hint of flan when the pepper fades. The mix between sweet and spice is nearly perfect. Mouthfeel is silky and creamy. I really enjoyed this, primarily for the balanced profile as it is neither a sugary 51% barely rye or a herbaceous mint bomb, but right in between. I picked this up on clearance for $52, and at that price it would literally be a staple in my cabinet. When not on clearance we are looking at $74 and there I feel a strong “meh” on the rebuy prospects. To be fair, my rating will reflect the price I paid. Oh and for those who are wondering how it compares on an A/B test with Rare Breed rye, I got you. As expected, the flavor profiles are very similar. Rare Breed loses the creamy mouthfeel, as it’s much grainier. Russell’s is more balanced and integrated, while RB is spicer and punchier. Which I prefer would probably depend on my mood. Do I want the smooth ride of a Ferris Wheel or the thrill of the Tilt-A-Whirl? I do see myself buying the Rare Breed more often to get this profile as for some reason Rare Breed goes for about $55 in my area, making the price for RR just...dumb.52.0 USD per Bottle -
hjdogsrcool
Reviewed January 4, 2021 (edited April 23, 2021)Caramel, tobacco, and butterscotch in the nose. Some cinnamon spice mixed in with the initial heat in the taste. Some butterscotch sweetness being that finishing up with some lingering tobacco/leather. @aboutbeverages -
russf44
Reviewed January 2, 2021 (edited January 18, 2021)Nose: Tobacco and Vanilla Taste: Very peppery but not super hot with tobacco and a bit of vanilla. Long taste -
JWHayter
Reviewed December 29, 2020 (edited January 4, 2021)Nose is fruitcake, spruce and mint. The longer it sits, the sweeter it noses and smells like Christmas! The palate is spicy pepper, Wild Turkey Dust/Must, sour apple and mint. Finish is pretty good with more Turkey Dust, tobacco, pine and mint. Darn good rye for the money!54.99 USD per Bottle -
IndoAaron13
Reviewed December 29, 2020Nose is sweet, with honey and spice doing the heavy lifting. On the palate, that sweetness quickly gives way to spice from the rye and an interesting sour note I can’t quite place my finger on. It doesn’t stick around with you long, with a short but pleasant finish. -
Skymecca
Reviewed December 25, 2020 (edited August 17, 2021)This is my first ever rye - at least since I've been paying attention enough to rate something. It's different that anything I've had before. Assuming this rye is like others, I finally get why the bottle is green. There is so much pine and spearmint in this rye that it is incredible. And this is only a barely legal rye from what I understand. The nose is subdued, fresh and clean. It is almost exclusively spearmint and pine as previously noted. The palate is similar at first, but if you let it sit in your mouth, it just builds and builds. All of a sudden, in addition to the spearmint and pine, you start to get white sugar. Then spice. Then strong pepper. And it just goes on and on, tingly and wonderful. After it's all said and done I can get mint tea. This is unlike anything I've tasted before, but again I have hardly had any ryes. But I love this because it is so different than the scotches and bourbons I've tried, and it's even different from what I thought rye was - super spicy. I mean, there is spice, but the green notes and the gentle nature of this just take me by surprise. Maybe others with more experience with rye won't be as shocked as I am, but it really is unique to me - at least until I get my hands on a Pikesville which I hear is as good or better than this. Wonderful stuff, recommended.61.0 USD per Bottle -
magicalpoet
Reviewed December 4, 2020 (edited January 30, 2021)Advent calendar blind, day 3. Fruity notes of cherry, oak and Wild Turkey funk. Sweeter than expected for rye.
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