Skymecca
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
October 23, 2020 (edited May 30, 2021)
So I've only tried a standard Russell's Reserve Single Barrel and I thought it was spectacular. So much so that I decided to seek out the only store pick in my area from Bitters & Bottles in South SF. It's called Eddie's Pick and is about 8.5 years old, warehouse A which I believe means Tyrone warehouse, not the legendary Camp Nelson.
Anyway, on to the review! This has a lighter, smoother nose of spice, vanilla and cherry than the standard bottle I had, which didn't have much vanilla and had a little something sour like dill which was its only flaw (and it isn't even fair calling it a flaw because the bottle was great). The palate on this store pick has similar cinnamon, red fruit and orange to the standard, plus more caramel and vanilla. This one has a closer profile to Rare Breed due to the caramel. Finish is spicy but less so than the standard, with more vanilla and caramel. Totally delicious, ridiculous value as usual. I think I like this even more than the standard bottle I had. Considering they're all single barrels, it is probably a fools errand to compare and track but maybe I can learn something about the warehouses and dial in my favorite of these wonderful bottles.
Not even a Camp Nelson and a total hitter. If I get my hands on a store pick of one of those I may get to my first 5. I love these bottles - they're the best I've come across up until now!
65.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Skymecca It seems like people are usually prepared to pay the extra $5-10 for SiB releases even when the regular one has that information anyway, but I can definitely believe that's true for releases like Elijah Craig that aren't truly SiB since that's a big part of the appeal of the pick. That said, holding that information back definitely does make me more inclined to buy a pick :)
@ContemplativeFox I was wondering that as well. How hard could it be to list the rickhouse at a minimum? Then again, there is a premium on the store picks so listing the age and warehouse may provide that extra incentive to part with $5-$10 more than the standard shelf bottle.
Yeah, some ridiculously good value here. I am a bit confused as to why the regular SiB bottles don't have rockhouse information on them though.