BACKGROUND: Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon is produced by Wild Turkey Distillery, which has an interesting origin story. At the end of the American Civil War, the Ripy Brothers, James and Thomas, returned to their native state of Kentucky and opened a distillery in Lawrenceburg. Following the repeal of Prohibition, Thomas McCarthy, an executive with whiskey wholesaler Austin Nichols, took some samples of maturing bourbon from the distillery's rickhouse on a turkey hunting trip with a group of friends. The following year, his friends asked him to bring "some of that good wild turkey whiskey," so the the distillery and its bourbon were later renamed Wild Turkey after the Austin Nichols company purchased them. Many notable figures throughout history have been devoted Wild Turkey aficionados, and among them are former presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson, screen legend John Wayne, gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson, and legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, who carried a hollow cane filled with the bourbon. Since 1954, Wild Turkey Distillery has been operating under the guidance of Master Distiller Jimmy Russell, and, in 2015, Russell’s son, Eddie, was promoted to the same title, which made them the only father/son master distiller team working side-by-side within the industry. Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon was first introduced to the market by Eddie Russell in 1998. The bourbon is aged for at least 10 years in virgin American oak casks that have been charred with the strongest #4 “alligator char,” which makes the inside of the barrel resemble the pattern of a gator hide. Each batch of Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon is made from only a handful of casks, each of which is personally selected by the Russells from the choice center cut of Wild Turkey's rickhouse. Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011. In addition, it earned a score of 95 points — tying Pappy Van Winkle's 20 Year Old Bourbon — at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. NOSE: As one would assume from a bourbon aged for a decade, the nose is dominated by oak, which is followed by scents of dark molasses and nuts that instantly bring pecan pie filling to mind. Some citrus follows along with just a bit of banana that is more reminiscent of Brown Forman products than Wild Turkey. The nose also carries the unmistakable smell of age that I have often likened to the odor that engulfs you when first entering an antique book store. I would take a bath in this nose if I could. PALATE: The palate, like the nose, is consumed by oak and large flavors of citrus. Some maraschino cherry sweetness peeks through from time to time. Vanilla and some soft caramel round out the palate. FINISH: The finish is, once again, oak-heavy, but barrel char is more obvious. A firecracker pop of rye spice is followed by an abundance of mint, almost as if you’d eaten a roll of peppermint Life Savers. The finish is not a long one, but it also does not carry the backend bitterness or oak tannins that many well-aged bourbons possess. FINAL ASSESSMENT: I have often said that dollar-for-dollar and sip-for-sip, Wild Turkey products are among the best values in bourbon today, and at around $40 a bottle, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year certainly adds solid evidence to that claim. With that said, I much prefer the Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel, which carries a higher proof and a price point that is about $20 more, but the 10 Year is a pleasing alternative.