Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon Review

The last few years have been banner ones for the Russell’s Reserve brand, the success of which has catapulted Wild Turkey into seemingly a new tier of whiskey geek adoration. I’m old enough to remember when Wild Turkey (and by extension Russell’s) was one of those brands that was routinely overlooked by the bourbon curious, thanks to a lingering stigma attached to Wild Turkey 101 in particular, which was associated with being either party fuel or “old man” bourbon. Suffice to say, those days are long gone, as a procession of fantastic Wild Turkey Master’s Keep releases and Russell’s Reserve special releases has helped to reshape wider perception of the company. Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon is just the latest in that lineup of luxe releases, joining the likes of the Single Rickhouse series.

And naturally, I was pretty excited to see the initial press release on this one, because the higher age-stated Russell’s Reserve releases have been some of my favorite whiskeys of the last few years, bar none. It’s safe to say that I would cite Russell’s Reserve 13 in particular as one of my personal favorite bourbons, so Russell’s Reserve 15? That’s seemingly a no brainer. After tasting it, though, I can’t help but wonder if this particular series has just about reached its apex, butting up against the limits of what an ascending age statement can still do for it.

In terms of the specs, there’s nothing revelatory of gimmicky about this release, it’s just an even more mature version of presumably the same liquid that went into various Russell’s Reserve 13 batches, from Wild Turkey’s classic mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. The barrels were drawn from the popular Camp Nelson rickhouse location, which is a cult favorite among Turkey devotees, and actually includes some 16-year-old distillate as well. It was bottled near cask strength at 58.6% ABV (117.2 proof), which is an increase from its initial distillation proof of 115, but some minimal amount of dilution was still added to meet Eddie Russell’s desired flavor profile. It carries a big MSRP of $250, which is still a touch under the now sky-high price of the Single Rickhouse series, but you can expect the secondary pricing to reach outlandish, stratospheric levels–not to mention the prices set by price gouging retailers.

So with all that said, let’s jump into tasting what is no doubt going to be one of the most hotly desired American bourbon releases of 2024.

On the nose, the first things that jump out at you are bold impressions of both fruit and spice, which is a hallmark of these releases to me. It’s impressive how much brightness there still is in the fruity dimension of this bourbon, with lots of vivacious red reaspberry and darker blackberry compote, swirled with vanilla whipped cream. I’m also getting no shortage of toasted oak and nutty cocoa, along with toasted brown baking spices and wafts of marshmallow sweetness. The spice, meanwhile, begins to suggest ginger nut cookies, while traces of French roast coffee play on the edges. All in all, it’s a really great nose, hitting many elements that I love to find in Russell’s Reserve releases.

On the palate, that fruitiness persists up front, while being simultaneously joined by big pepperiness and serious, chile-like spice and heat. I’m getting raspberry and cherry here, along with dark vanilla. This is joined by tons of roasted oak and a little smoke, in a way that continuously seems to grow throughout. This is where things take a turn into a more oak-driven dimension that begins to strain the enjoyability of the palate in my opinion, particularly when the damp oakiness takes a turn into overt tart, sour woodiness. Spice eventually regains more of its composure, with waves of hot cinnamon and clove, but the tannin contributed by these 15 years of aging is pretty serious, and it dries out the palate pretty substantially from sip to sip. There’s no missing that the oak has become a more commanding presence here than it was in the Russell’s Reserve 13.

At the end of the day, this is another impressive limited release out of Wild Turkey, but for my own taste I think this distillate has probably passed its peak in terms of wood exposure. The Russell’s Reserve 13 profile remains one of my personal favorites, but this one may be forging into territory where the oak is beginning to cover up more of the character I enjoy in the previous releases. There’s still a whole lot to love here, particularly in the wonderful nose of this bourbon, but I find myself hoping that this isn’t leading to a Russell’s Reserve 17 or 18 Year Old release as the next in the series, or diminishing returns could really begin to set in. Of course, that’s just one person’s taste. If you love both the Wild Turkey profile and deeply oaked American bourbon, this is one you’ll obviously want to hunt down.

Distillery: Wild Turkey/Russell’s Reserve
City: Lawrenceburg, KY
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 58.6% (117.2 proof)
Availability: Limited, 750 ml bottles, $250 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident brown liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.