The traditional gift for a 70th anniversary is platinum, and it's hard to think of a more apt way to describe the newest Wild Turkey whiskey, gifted to bourbon lovers on the 70th anniversary of master distiller Jimmy Russell's first day at the distillery.
Russell's 70th Anniversary Bourbon is a unique and personal limited-edition blend of Jimmy's favorite whiskeys, a marriage of barrel lots from his favorite warehouses, tailored to his specific tastes. And this fall, for around $50 a bottle, we can all taste Jimmy Russell's excellent bourbon.
Russell, who will turn 90 in November, stepped into Wild Turkey distillery on September 10, 1954, and from day one he has been responsible for some of the finest bourbon whiskey to come out of Kentucky.
To celebrate Russell’s 70th year on the whiskey watch, the blending team at Wild Turkey has mixed Russell’s signature 101 proof bourbon with eight- to nine-year-old whiskey batches carefully selected from Jimmy’s favorite corners and honey holes on his favored docks.
The distillery’s tasting notes indicate that the flavor profile falls somewhere between Russell’s Reserve and Wild Turkey 101, which is to be expected, as in many ways this whiskey is exactly that.
According to Wild Turkey, the bourbon offers “rich aromas of oak, honey, cinnamon, and tobacco.” The flavors “begin with notes of sweet cream, butterscotch, and black tea, then transition into bitter chocolate, dark cherry, and burnt sugar.”
Russell started the distillery at the age of 18 with a broom and a dustpan. He rode out the near-collapse of the bourbon industry during the 1970s and 1980s, refusing to embrace the so-called “light whiskey” trend of that decade, in which bourbon was diluted with neutral grain spirits like vodka. His predecessor, Bill Hughes, once said that Jimmy “didn't change a thing.”
Danny's Hold
Russell and his bourbon survived into the Renaissance, and both continue to receive the accolades they have long deserved, holding the title of longest-serving master distiller in the whiskey world.
The only criticism of this limited edition is its name. Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell’s 70th Anniversary 8-Year Bourbon is a pretty long moniker, even for the often-chatty world of whiskey.
It’s hard to pick one phrase to pull from that name, but it’s also easy to pull off many of them. After all, Russell’s name is deeply woven into the fabric of bourbon, and any modern liquid bearing the Wild Turkey name is here because of Jimmy’s labor and guidance.
There would be no Wild Turkey without Jimmy Russell. Jimmy’s DNA is both literally and figuratively present at Wild Turkey distillery, with both his son Eddie (who shares the title of master distiller with his father) and grandson Bruce (now assistant blender) working at Wild Turkey.
Bruce Russell explained in a statement that it was difficult to put into words his grandfather’s influence on the industry. “Making great whiskey with the ones he loved the most? It’s not that hard.”
“I can’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate this milestone,” Bruce said. “We’ve selected a special blend of whiskeys from a few of his favorite rickhouses, and at 101 proof, it’s going to be exactly what he loves most about bourbon. We can’t wait for fans around the world to enjoy it, and in the words of Grandpa himself — if you don’t like it, he’ll drink it.”
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