Robert_McKay
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
September 14, 2023 (edited September 15, 2023)
This was a sample, so I don't know what it cost the person who gave it to me, but here in Albuquerque Total Wine lists it for $87.99. The mash bill is 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. It's 110 proof, and in the glass the color is copper. If there's an age statement on the bottle I don't know it, of course, since it was a sample.
NOSE: Butter! right off the bat, like I was actually smelling a stick of butter. Then came vanilla, roasting ears, birthday cake (I couldn't be more specific than that, though I tried to determine what flavor of cake and icing the note was indicating), and something else warm and sweet that I couldn't identify. Perhaps over time I could sort the nose out better.
MOUTHFEEL: Thick and creamy.
TASTE: Cinnamon, brown sugar, oak, red pepper, and a faint honey note.
FINISH: Medium, beginning with oak and a little honey, just plain alcohol heat, and finally lingering oak.
SUMMARY: This strikes me as being less complex than I expected, but it's definitely good bourbon. I'm not sure that it's better than some standard whiskies - that is, not single barrels or other special expressions - but it is good, and of course single barrels do vary, so another bottle might be better (or worse) than this. I will say that though I like it, I wouldn't pay nearly $90 for it, but at $50 I'd call it a good deal.
RATING: On my hick scale, it's the fifth (counting from the bottom), which is Good. That translates to 3.125 stars, or 62.5/100, or 6.25/10, if you prefer those kinds of ratings.
87.99
USD
per
Bottle
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I love this as well, but haven't seen it that expensive in my neck of the woods.
I really enjoy this one, but at $50-60. Eighty-eight dollars is silly.