russell's reserve single rickhouse CN-B

You might notice that the header of this page is slightly different than my others for one particular reason: Only one tasting. That's because I don't own a bottle of this. I've never even seen one on a shelf (nor, in a more likely scenario, behind a counter). In fact, I've never seen any of the single rickhouse series in the wild. Through an alchemy of my flagrant and unapologetic love for Wild Turkey whiskey and the fact that my friend Mac is a kind soul (mostly that second thing), I was given a 1 oz. sample to try my first ever in this series. Thank you once again Mac, I genuinely appreciate your generosity.

A week passed since I was given the sample bottle and I had been contemplating how to best analyze this particular bourbon. I considered the premise of the single rickhouse series. In my understanding, these releases are meant to embody the spirit of the different aging locations where Wild Turkey barrels live. The true nature of the aging environment, and the intricacies that set apart one from the others. Therefore, I thought my best course of action would be to pour a Russell's Reserve Private Selection bottle I've got that was also aged at Camp Nelson Warehouse B. It was a private barrel pick from a local restaurant called Bourbon & Bones.

One thing to note, however, is this: Whoever does picks at Bourbon & Bones... Well, they know what they like. They laser target a very medicinal profile. A beautiful profile to be sure, but unfortunately there is no way for me to know whether the Russell's Private Selection I've got embodies the true CN-B spirit, or if Bourbon & Bones went for an off-profile barrel to hit their target.

Nevertheless, the sample Mac gave me is a barrel proof, unfiltered Tukey bourbon from the top floor of a Camp Nelson rickhouse. Even if I'm unable to investigate the premise, I knew from the moment he handed it to me that I was in for a damn good bourbon at minimum. 

Nose A spectacular aroma. Beautiful aged oak swirls around with the intermittent hit of rye spice and bergamot. Herbal black tea rests on the deepest layer of the nose. I'm invited to sip by whispers of leather rubbed with orange oil.

Palate The oak develops nicely from the nose and a noticeable char blooms throughout the whole palate. Fresh vanilla bean ice cream and dark maple syrup appear by mid-palate. Somewhat surprisingly, a crescendo of bold plum flavor ignites on the deep palate just before the finish. There is also an undercurrent of black cherry cola that flows well into the finish.

Finish The black cherry cola flavor is the foundation for an exceptionally high stamina finish. It drinks just about on proof, and there are herbaceous kicks: Clove, star anise, bergamot, cinnamon, and a slight medicinal bitterness.

Notes I can say with certainty that the aforementioned Russell's Private Selection from Bourbon & Bones is very much more medicinal than this bourbon. However, in my mind, that is more so an indictment of the Private Selection than it is of this one. This is an exceptionally good whiskey, as expected. I'll be keeping an eye out for more bottles known to come from Camp Nelson B, because I thoroughly enjoy the strange (strange for Turkey at least) herbal profile. Anise is one of my favorite notes to experience in a whiskey, so this was a delight.