Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon

Bottle Shop barrel pick

Nose: Vanilla, oak, spices, citrus zest, cereal, brown sugar, leather, roasted nuts. It's a sweet nose with an almost barley-sugar aroma in the background. Water emphasizes the oak. Palate: A full, rich oaked arrival that develops deep fruity flavours - red berries, sour cherries, melon, raisins - along with a bowlful of roasted mixed nuts. Milk chocolate tempers the experience, which is very palatable even at the moderately high abv. Water brings out oak tannins and makes the palate drier. Finish: Long, fruity, spicy, toffee, chocolate and minty. There's a fresh herbal quality to the finish which is very nice. Water adds a prickly, gingery and peppermint spice note that is unexpected but very agreeable. I've tasted this three times in the last two months from two different bottles and I've been surprised at the difference in character between them. The first bottle had an overall raisin/orange character - fruity, rich and enveloping with the focus on dark fruit. The second bottle, whilst just as good in its own way, was much more "lean" in character - more cereal-forward and with heftier floral and spicy rye characteristics. This is to be expected in a single barrel batch expression, of course. I've tried to give my overall impression of both bottles in the tasting notes above. The nose is less overtly woody than the 10 Year Old, but is also more layered and aromatic. It's a NAS whiskey (I believe around 6 years old) but it tastes more like a 10. A fine whiskey - intense, complex and interesting. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Dark amber colored. Full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel. Nose: ripe apple and caramel sweetness. Vanilla, cinnamon, and a hint of cocoa. Palate: smooth Caramel and apple sweetness at the front. Milk chocolate and vanilla join in the middle. Finish warms up with some cinnamon spice, leaving chocolate and fruity sweetness behind. 4.6/5 = 5 on here. A great whiskey from start to finish. Really rich, tasty, and smooth.

Color: Dark Amber Nose: Ripe Apple, caramel, and vanilla sweetness. Palate: Medium bodied. Creamy mouthfeel. Caramel and apple at the front are joined my vanilla and milk chocolate, warming up to a cinnamon and spicy finish.