Final 12 months Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve launched a curious particular version — a bourbon produced from a single rickhouse in its Camp Nelson campus. This 12 months, the model is again at it, drawing this 10 12 months previous bourbon from constructing F as a substitute of C, a construction which:
…sits decrease than its friends on the Camp Nelson grounds overlooking the Kentucky River. The airflow and wind currents coming off the river profit the barrels growing old inside, that are identified to ‘breathe’ greater than most. Because of this, the rickhouse has lengthy been a favourite within the distillery’s personal barrel choice program. For Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F, Eddie chosen barrels from the rickhouse’s middle reduce – flooring 4 and 5 – of the seven-story constructing, yielding a well-balanced but complicated bourbon with a sturdy, oaky taste profile. The ensuing bottling is a testomony to Eddie’s 4 many years of mastery of craft bourbon and an appreciation for the distinctive nuances that every Single Rickhouse brings to the whiskey growing old inside.
“We knew we had huge footwear to fill with our second Single Rickhouse launch after our first bottling from Camp Nelson C,” stated Eddie Russell. “I didn’t anticipate we’d launch two Camp Nelson whiskeys back-to-back, however after only one sip from these Camp Nelson F barrels, I knew we needed to convey this whiskey to our followers – it’s too particular to not share. I wish to assume that Camp Nelson C mirrored my private taste preferences – extra dessert-like with candy notes of caramel, crème brûlée and toffee – and with Camp Nelson F, we’ve gone the other way – huge, daring, spicy and oaky, it takes on a distinct persona fully. We’re actually enthusiastic about this one, and hope everybody enjoys it as a lot as we do.”
Other way is perhaps an understatement, if that’s attainable. Whereas I discovered Camp Nelson C to be peppery up entrance and backed by the sweetness that Russell mentions above, right here the script is reversed. An aggressively candy assault paves the way in which with speedy aromas of cinnamon and butterscotch candies, with an underbelly of crushed tea leaves to comply with. Barrel char is properly represented however not overwhelming; it’s nothing I’d instantly describe as “oaky.”
The palate bursts with vanilla and cinnamon earlier than sliding right into a daring, creamy peanut butter character. Chewy and nonetheless fairly candy, a while in glass permits the woodier components to return into focus, although they really feel a lot properly built-in into the general program. There’s ample alcohol current, however I by no means felt the necessity to attain for water. Chocolate, cloves, and a touch of licorice make the end really feel considerably extra grounded, with a pinch of pepper to shut issues out.
It’s not the unicorn that final 12 months’s Camp Nelson C was, however Camp Nelson F stays a top-shelf providing that I didn’t need to put down. That stated, at an asking value of $300 (and absolutely rather more on the secondary market), arguments over whether or not this 10 12 months previous whiskey is an indication that we’re certainly at peak bourbon aren’t misplaced.
117.6 proof.
A- / $300
Russell’s Reserve Bourbon Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F
$300
