Russell's Reserve 13 Year - Review

The Details

Russell's Reserve (LL/JL)

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Barrel Proof

Single Barrel

13 Years Aged

Non-Chill Filtered

Wild Turkey Distillery - Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

114.8 Proof

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

Price: $129.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Ruby Amber

Nose: Pound Cake, Vanilla, Lemon Zest, Sweet Cream, Honey

Palate: Brown Sugar, Creamy Caramel, Rich Vanilla Bean, Earthy Spice (Funk), Slight Oak

Finish: Very warm, viscous with a long linger and a slight white pepper spice.

Overall: The hype was completely real with last year's inaugural Russell's Reserve 13 Year release. The bottle blew me away upon my first sip and easily landed itself in my Library Top-5 of 2021. This year's release makes no exception. Quality, consistency, proof and downright deliciousness has "funked-up" my senses. The pour starts on the nose with a buttery sweetness and some lemon zest and honey that transfers to a brown sugar, vanilla and caramel delight on the palate. The finish does exactly what I wanted it to do...LAST FOREVER. Okay, forever may be a little dramatic. For sake of argument, let's say it lasts quite a while. But it's not just the linger on the finish, it's also the amazing white pepper and rye spice that coats the back of the tongue that had me smacking and licking my lips for at least a minute to secrete a little more saliva to taste beyond the finish. (Like the 'Beyond' section at Bed Bath & Beyond).

If you happened to be lucky enough to find this bottle at or very close to retail, you already won. This is one to celebrate with friends for special occasions or one to be completely selfish with (I'm not judging), pull up a comfortable chair, light a medium-bodied cigar, listen to some Miles Davis and just drift away for the next hour and a half.

Will this land in my Library Top-5 for a second year in a row?

Library Rating: 9.0 / 10

Bushwood Spirits Front 9 - 7 Year Bourbon - Review

The Details

Bushwood Spirits Front 9

Premium Straight Kentucky Bourbon

Black Label

Single Barrel

7 Years Aged

Bushwood Spirits - Stanford, Kentucky

Distilled in Kentucky

95 Proof

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley

Price: $129.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Dark Gold

Nose: Light Fruits, Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Roasted Peanuts

Palate: Smooth, Creamy Caramel, Corn Flakes, Grass and Honeysuckle

Finish: Medium Finish with a peppery rye spice on the side palate

Overall: Playing through!! Why is it that every time you attempt to play through the slow group in front of you, you get stage fright and always seem to top the ball or hit it in the water? Clearly golf is 87% mental and only 43% skill ... yeah, have another sip if you're calculating that in your head right now. The pressure of hitting in front of a group other than your own always gets in my head. But there is a cure...more bourbon!

Bushwood Spirits impressed me with their Stillwater Rye and Long Ball. Throw a 7 year age statement on the Front 9 and we are in business. This makes hitting the halfway house at the turn a little more enjoyable. Honey roasted peanuts and light fruits mixed with a slight citrus zest brings in your senses. Upon the first sip, Corn Flakes with a touch of sugar and some smooth creamy caramels entertain the sides of the palate while finishing with a beautiful peppery rye spice to round things out just right. There's no need for a "Breakfast Ball" off the first tee if you're looking to score well on the Front Nine.

Appreciate the hookup from my friends at Bushwood Spirits! This is one I'll be sharing on the course in the very near future.

Library Rating: 8.2 / 10

Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon - Review

The Details

Castle & Key

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Small Batch

Batch 2 - Bottle 00780

5 Years Aged

Castle & Key Distillery - Frankfort, Kentucky

98 Proof

Mashbill: 73% White Corn, 10% White Wheat, 17% Malted Barley

Price: $59.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Golden

Nose: Creamy Vanilla, Butter Cake, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Honey

Palate: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Anise, Caramel

Finish: Warm medium viscosity with a sweet finish

Overall: Wheated bourbon always gets my full attention. I'm a wheated fan. You know it and I know it. Am I biased towards wheated bourbons? No. I will always speak my mind when it comes to how I feel about certain products. Let me tell you about something that needs to be tried: Castle & Key Batch 2, Wheated Bourbon.

From the second I saw this posted online, I knew I needed to make a push and find a bottle. A big shoutout to Liquor At The Lake in South Carolina for getting this in. I wasted zero time picking this up and opening it. I was also careful to sip on this on two different occasions before jotting down my notes for this review. My overall impression of this, you ask? Okay, I'll give away my secrets...Toblerone Candy Bar. It's all I could think of enjoying sip to sip. With the White Corn and the White Wheat coming from Walnut Grove Farm, I ventured down a bit of a rabbit hole while doing a little research on the grains. Reading more and more on hominy and the healthy benefits of white wheat, all of a sudden my glass was empty. What did I take away from all the reading I did? I determined this whiskey was healthy for me. This review took me a little while longer than most others because I wanted to be sure of the notes before publishing them. Initial thoughts and tastes followed through both times. I'm a fan. When you are immediately able to pick out a memory or a flavor from a sip of whiskey, you know you won't be able to think of much else to talk about. Well, I'm fine with that mainly because I love Toblerone, but also because I love wheated bourbon. Have I already mentioned that? Well done, Castle & Key!

Library Rating: 8.3 / 10