Review #146: Russell’s Reserve Private Barrel, Camp Nelson Warehouse E
Review #145: Russell’s Reserve Private Barrel, Camp Nelson Warehouse E
COST: $60 for 750mL bottle
AGE: 9yr 2mo
MASH BILL: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
PROOF: 110
A local liquor store, Liquor Xpress, got this 9 year Camp Nelson warehouse
E single barrel pick and it was well reviewed locally. I held off getting it
for a while as the “Wild Turkey funk” can be a bit off-putting for me at times.
However, a few bottles of this sat around for a while at one location, and
after digging into the various Camp Nelson warehouses, I decided to go ahead
and pull the trigger. (Warehouse F seems to generally be the fan favorite, but
warehouse E is in a similarly low elevation location as warehouse E and closer
to the Kentucky River.) Let’s see what
this CN-E single barrel is all about.
This bottle was from barrel 23-0533. It was distilled on 12/04/2014, dumped on 02/23/24, and aged in warehouse CN-E on the 4th floor. It was bottled on 3/15/24 for Liquor Xpress in upstate South Carolina.
Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.
NOSE: Brown sugar, spicy oak, black pepper, and orange peel. I get
a slight salty note that makes me think of a margarita rim, along with subtle
hints of cherry syrup and Triscuit crackers. That Wild Turkey funk that I
talked about in my intro isn’t as abundantly present as I was thinking it would
be (not sure I would pick this to be WT just by the nose alone).
PALATE: There’s that funk! Brown sugar, the bite into a fresh cherry,
charred oak, a tart citrus note, salted chocolate, and Earl Gray tea. That Wild
Turkey funk is there, albeit mild (a sort of leathery, umami note is how I
describe it). This is a very complex palate that is teaming with notes that don’t
necessarily all meld well together as I type this, but somehow aren’t off-putting
either. If I were to describe it in a few words, it leans sweet with some
salty, earthiness.
FINISH: It’s a short to medium finish and is fairly sweet. Raspberry sauce and brown sugar reduction soaked into seasoned oak. There’s a slight orange peel twist along with a sort of buttered coffee/black tea vibe.
RATING: 7.1/10
VALUE: 7.9/10 (This is an attempt to take into account price, tasting rating,
age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details.)
OVERALL: First of all, I’ll say that reviewing anything by Wild Turkey
always feels intimidating. As far as hardliners go, the Wild Turkey diehards I
feel like are second to none. The Buffalo Trace taters are going to always be
there if you “hate” on their bourbons, but the Wild Turkey fans are prepared to
school you on your lack of WT understanding. So, with that, I’ll just say now
that I’m not necessarily a WT fan, and I would even go as far as saying there’s
a character to WT products that just doesn’t always resonate with me. That
said, this bottle is noticeably better than RR10 to me. The complexity is rare.
I’ve picked up a saltiness in other whiskies but none as out of place as this
one and yet I still don’t mind it. Salt + cherry isn’t something I’d recommend anyone
to ever try, but that’s what I’m getting at points in this sip and I’m like, “wtf
is that??...Strangely, it works…” So, overall, the nose is fantastic, the
palate is just a bump below the nose, and the finish is the weakest part of
this bottle. Overall though, this CN-E bottle has been well worth the $60 for
something that engages my brain as much as it does.
1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level
2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage
3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28
4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select
5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated
6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare
7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB
8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11
9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ
10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08
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