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Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
February 6, 2021 (edited February 10, 2021)
N: Cinnamon, caramel, honey, candied orange peel. Toffee and bread pudding with a caramel drizzle. Oak and vanilla, hint of char. Bit of ethanol, but probably less than expected for the ABV and not at all off-putting. Might be some nuttiness in the nose too.
P: Sweet caramel corn, cinnamon, vanilla fudge. Banana bread. Oaky, but remarkable soft on the tannins. Baking spices develop above the caramel, but below the cinnamon - cinnamon rules everything here. Heavy, oily, coating mouthfeel that leaves a lot of residue. Bit of bitterness on the sides of the tongue that feels like something other than tannin. Orange or maybe another citrus fruit pops late and just barely above the radar, might bring a hint of chocolate with it. Finish is mostly cinnamon, but that bitterness lingers and the citrus bite comes so late it may as well be finish. The caramel hangs in to the end (with the cinnamon) too.
In some ways, this very much tastes like an elevated Wild Turkey. Profile feels the same, but the good things are amplified and a few new tricks emerge. It is a bit dangerously easy to drink for 110 proof. All in all, I would expect that each barrel is a little different and I would love to get one that brings that citrus out a little more, but this is excellent and very tasty. Worth repurchasing every now and then to see how the character can change from barrel to barrel. (On that note, would be really nice if WT would put some barrel info on the bottle - I can't find any on mine.)
Thanks to @WhiskeyLonghorn for the year end reviews and great recommendations.
52.0
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per
Bottle
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So glad you’re enjoying the bottle. Cheers!
@Skymecca I'll have to look for that.
FYI you can get barrel information if you buy a store pick.