Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Bourbon Rating
Evan Williams Bottled in BondElijah CraigEagle Rare comparison of the two Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon reviewMeet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. Im proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Russells Reserve 10 Years Old Review
Color: Medium-pale gold.
On the nose: The nose has a delicacy that encompasses gentle floral, fruit, stone, and dark aromas. Theres a fresh springtime bouquet that melds seamlessly with some cheery scents of cherry candy. A counterpoint in the form of a mineralic whiff of limestone yields to some more brooding smells of leather, tobacco, forest floor, and tar.
In the mouth: The first impression is a sweet one, with the freshly floral aspects of the nose joining in with light sugary confectionery flavors. This becomes more austere in the middle of the mouth, where a drying chalkiness dominates for a moment before a re-emergence of richer flavors of candied fruit. Theres a hint of new leather as this transitions into the finish, where a tingly spicy heat and a lingering stoniness persist long after the final swallow.
Wild Turkey Russells Reserve 10 Years Old
I have so many plans
The scope of my ambition, however, often overwhelms my ability to execute. For example: I have six samples of Kentucky Peerless barrel picks sitting in my basement, next to the dozen bottles of various Makers Mark expressions that I am saving for the tasting-to-end-all-tastings. The weight of these tasks creates a type of paralysis its like having writers block in applied form.
I tell all our writers here that they should write only when they feel inclined to do so. This is advice that one of our former editors gave consistently, and I have maintained the practice. From our readers perspective: its easy to tell when a writer has passion for a subject. The prose flows energetically, the writers personality shines through, and the tasting notes are rich and varied.
On the other hand, its also readily apparent when theres a lack of enthusiasm. Im not talking about the weary, cynical takes that have become a part of the Malt brand even those can be full of strong feelings, albeit of the negative variety. Rather, Im referring to the reviews undertaken due to a sense of obligation or boredom, perhaps for lack of other material available. Im guilty of producing a few of these myself, though Im hoping that todays will be more inspired, as it is motivated by several topics that I feel strongly about addressing.
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Russells Reserve 10 Year Bourbon Review
I remember first tasting Russells Reserve a few years ago and at the time I was completely hung up on higher end bourbons at higher end prices. At first I blew this one off as a daily drinker but quickly back tracked on my rush to judge and realized this was a REALLY good bourbon . I sometimes think bourbon drinkers get caught up in the world of I need to pay $50 for a good bottle of whiskey when in reality there are some great bourbons under that price point and this is one of them.
I will start by saying this bourbon is very approachable even if youre new to tasting bourbon. At 90 proof its a light easy drinker that is readily available in most states. You can typically find a bottle of this for less than $40 and I typically see it somewhere between $30 $35 here in Texas.
Try These Russell’s Reserve Recipes
Bourbon Bramble
As dark and mysterious as it is refreshing, this version of the classic Bourbon Bramble is made even more delicious when using Russell’s Reserve as the base spirit.
Boulevardier
A cousin of the Negroni, the Boulevardier is a simple cocktail recipe that produces big flavor. Substituting bourbon in place of gin creates a more sweet drink that is typically drank neat and up in a cocktail glass.
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