Wild Turkey Wrap Up - Jimmy & Eddie Russell's Aus Tour

The Grain Bar, Sydney hosting Jimmy & Eddie Russel

The Father & Son Master Distillers of Wild Turkey , Jimmy Russell & Eddie Russell, have been to old Sydney town. I am sure there was few bourbon appreciators in Australia that did not hear the thunder of these big guns rumbling into town.

Through just over a week or so Jimmy and Eddie held well over a couple of handfuls of events for both PR and public to press the good word in Kentucky Bourbon in both Sydney to Melbourne. Yes it is a pity they did not have more time to get all around all of Australia but I am happy they at least got my neck of the woods.

Whisky and turkey everywhere

Just after Jimmy Russell’s arrival I had the opportunity sit down for a one on one interview for just over an hour at the Campari HQ in North Sydney. It was a great opportunity and I learnt a good deal of things from the Master Distiller. To keep this write up as short as possible you may read more about this interview in full with questions and answers over at my Sydney whisky appreciation business Dramnation's website: An Interview With Jimmy Russell. At the time Eddie was not available with duties calling in Melbourne for Whisky Live but I had several additional chances to speak in the coming days.

The following week I saw Jimmy & Eddie again for the official PR launch of the tour at The Grain Bar, Four Seasons Sydney. During this event we enjoyed the spectacle of father & son working their magic. Moving through the crowd Jimmy & Eddie were shaking hands and chatting to complete strangers like they were old friends. Jimmy & Eddie both emphasised the point that it is people that make the whisky and that their market (you and I) are their most important focus. There was no shortage of Russell time that was for sure.

Eddie and Jimmy Russell presenting at The Grain Bar, Sydney

This event was also a launching platform to see both the new Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel and the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep entering our market. The Single Barrel is a great addition to the Russell’s Reserve Family delivery a rich vanilla body sitting close to the flagship profile. Chewy, sweet, decadent and affordable.

The Master’s Keep on the other hand is a limited release of a 17 year old aged bourbon created by Eddie Russell under the watchful eye of his father. This will not a be a permeant line with Wild Turkey and has been drawn from stocks of whiskey that were stored in brick warehouses. Jimmy & Eddie had told me the story of how Wild Turkey was running out of storage pre the new warehouses being built so they had to store a good quantity of barrels in these older brick warehouses. Due to the brick insulation the barrels were not ageing as fast or to the profile needed for any of the Wild Turkey expressions. As they sat longer and longer they developed more and more mellow wood characteristics. Jimmy had mentioned many a time about how he does see a need for Wild Turkey bourbon needing to display obvious intense wood characteristics which caused a problem with what to do with these longer aged barrels. Eddie would chuckle every time Jimmy spoke about aged bourbon while commenting heartedly about how he was so lucky to have gotten this past his father at all. Both parties had moments of jovial eye rolling during this discussion while cheerfully laughing at the situation.

Some of the action including whisky bloggers

Later that week on the 29th July, 2015 we saw Jimmy & Eddie return to host a public event aimed solely at connecting with the consumer market. The event titled “Meet The Masters” saw individuals like myself enter a competition online by submitting reasons why we should meet the masters. I was lucky enough to win these tickets well before being asked to interview Jimmy or to attend the Grain Bar launch so I was pretty stoked just be part of the audience for a change. The event was held in the upper floor of the The Argyle in The Rocks, Sydney and I arrived super early (as always) to scope out the scene and get a good spot.

On arrival we were generously handed a bottle of Russell’s Reserve to have personally signed by Jimmy & Eddie. In many cases one bottle was not enough as fans arrived hauling wheeler luggage bags packed with Wild Turkey paraphernalia. My jaw dropped at some of the things being pulled out. Yeah I thought, this is what this is all about for these guys. Jimmy had noted to me earlier in the week that these events, the ones for the fans and consumers are what they are here for. “They are the most important people” Jimmy had said. Latter that night in speaking with Eddie again he had also said “We love these people. This is what Wild Turkey is all about. We have all the time in the world for these people”. To see the smiles on peoples faces as the audience got to shake the hand of the maker was pure gold. The Meet The Masters events were held in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Meet The Masters activities

Many have said this may be Jimmy’s last global tour as Eddie takes over the rein’s as Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. This maybe the case but I cannot recall hearing any comment like that coming from Jimmy’s mouth or from Eddie. From what others have said about Jimmy including my own experience I think it would be almost impossible to stop Jimmy from getting out there and mingling with the crowd. This father and son team clearly are enjoying the experience working together and I hope it continues for some time to come. In either case I am so glad to have had such a great time meeting these lads over those several days.

Thanks to Wild Turkey Australia, Campari Australia, and Trish Nicol Agency for putting on a great show.

The Baron.

D.T.W.C. was invited as a guest these events. All views and opinions are our own unless otherwise stated.

Get out and try it - Russells' Reserve 10 Year Old

Russell's Reserve Small Batch 10 Year Old

Bourbon is making serious inroads into Australia these days. Not that bourbon never was here but rather being taken more seriously as a premium product. Ok yeah Bourbon and cola tastes great and is a marriage mad in heaven but it is not the be all end all. of how it should be considered. The spirits companies have been their own worst enemy in Australia, setting this view point that Bourbon should be consumed with cola as the primary message. Well if you are a regular ready of my posts you will already know I have a soft spot for bourbon as do most of our club members. As always I say step back, take another look, and reinvigorate your appreciation for Bourbon. And where can you start? Why not jump in to Russell’s Reserve Small Batch 10 Year Old Bourbon.

Russell’s Reserve, as the name suggests, is the bourbon that celebrates the family name and the Wild Turkey icon Jimmy Russell. Like all Wild Turkey products this is a premium product but unlike the other family members is declared small batch in production. Each batch is about 150 barrels specially selected then married to create the Russell’s Reserve Signature taste. Though the barrels are selected on an individual basis the original spirit off the still is exactly the same as what you will find in all Wild Turkey. The grain is the same, the mash is the same, the yeast which is over 40 years old is the same, the stills are the same and of course the warehouses are the same. It is simply the ageing of the spirit in the barrels that deliver the most characteristic changes. Aged at a minimum of 10 years Jimmy feels this is as far as bourbon spirit should be aged while delivering the zenith of Wild Turkey flavours.

Russell's Reserve new packaging September 2015

On the shelf the bottle is solid and squat making it very clearly different to the regular Wild Turkey releases. Directly above the table you will spy raised lettering displaying Jimmy Russels signature. Jimmy never really wanted a bottle named after him so for the collector it is worth noting that Jimmy’s signature has now been removed from the bottle. Jimmy wants this to be just as much about his son and family as it is his and the fact is it is both Jimmy and Eddies creation. According to a discussion I had with Jimmy Russell back in July 24th 2015, the signature will be replaced globally with the line ‘Russell Family Reserve’. Of course the flavour profile will remain exactly the same. Here in Australia there is still a mass of the old bottles getting around so snap them up while you can as the design has been significantly amended. Backing up on the change to the bottle we will also see releases of the Russell's Reserve 6 Year Old Rye, Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, and Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye.

Meeting Jimmy Russell in Sydney

The man himself Jimmy Russell is a loveable chap, always willing to give you an ear and listen to what you have to say and ask. I discovered a lot of things about Jimmy and Wild Turkey during our interview so without repeating, If you would like to find out more about my interview with Jimmy Russell, then head on over to my article on Dramnation: An Interview With Jimmy Russell - A Humbling Experience.

Russell's Reserve Small Batch 10 Tear Old
Distillery: Wild Turkey
Location / Region: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky USA
Alcohol / ABV: 45%
Type: Small Batch Bourbon

Colour: Flame Orange

Nose: Sweet rich oak vanillas, saturated oranges and warm buttered popcorn. A spice of mild fennel and peppercorns lurks.

Taste: Super rounded, fruity with rich vanilla on initial taste. As the whiskey moves into the palate sweet toffee and smooth buttered corn kernels with some high grain nippy on their heals.

Finish: Long and warm with mild spicy oak tannins that delivery a earthy texture. A grain element sits in the high points with fleshy fruits in the mouth before the finish extends with a soft dryness.

Overall a great value small batch bourbon. At just over $60AU a bottle you cannot go wrong with this whiskey. If I was to give a dram 6 out of 7. I really enjoy this whiskey anytime of the year.

There is much to appreciate with this bourbon and the value for money is perfect. Get out and try it if you have not already and remember those older bottles will be disappearing from the shelves very soon.

The Baron