American Whiskey Review #89: Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel /r/bourbon Pick “Dessert Parlor” 8 Year

Image Credit: /u/crocodilerunge in his review posted here

Distillery: Wild Turkey.

Region: Kentucky

Age: 8 Year. Distilled on November 21, 2011. Bottled in October of 2020.

ABV: 55.00%

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/MarrowX

Barrel Number: 20-0766

Color: 1.6, Mahogany/Henna Notes.

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Nose: There’s a very interesting note of a dried herbal mix. The main one I pick out is parsley, but that might also be because I’d just used some on dinner. There’s a bit of rye bread along with a trace of cherry. A hint of ethanol lingers and I couldn’t seem to quite shake it.

Palate: The nose teased a bit of rye and it didn’t lie. There’s a lot of big rye flavors, with a ton of baking spices everywhere. It’s mixed in with a note of cherry which makes me think of a well spiced cherry pie filling. Tannins pop in afterwards with a bit of a drying effect. There is a bit of heat so a bit of water is helpful to calm things a little bit here.

Finish: Medium to short in length. More tannins and tons of spices. It’s like the spices just get caked on your tongue before vanishing away.

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Conclusion: Oh how different two casks, even two so close in number, can be. Yesterday, I reviewed the other /r/bourbon pick of Wild Turkey (“Fruit Stand”). That one was full on caramel and vanilla, all of the standard bourbon flavors done nearly to perfection. This one, on the other hand, shows off a heavy rye influence from start to finish. The spiced cherry pie filling is quite nice and the oak influence showing a bit more helps dry things out. Quite enjoyable, though I have to say I prefer the other guy a little more. Thanks again to our selection panel for another job well done!

Final Score: 78.

American Whiskey Review #89, Bourbon Review #67, Whisky Network Review #383

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.

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