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When Wild Turkey announced a new Russell’s Reserve vintage label in late 2020, bourbon enthusiasts had mixed feelings. This 16-year-old bourbon wasn’t merely another limited release for limited release’ sake, it marked the end of an era for Wild Turkey’s famed low-entry-proof barrels.
If you aren’t up to speed on what I’m talking about, there was a period of time where all Wild Turkey bourbon entered the barrel at 107 proof. In 2004, Wild Turkey’s decision makers announced a shift to a barrel entry proof of 110. They raised it to 115 proof in 2006 where it remains to this day.
Ask any Wild Turkey fanatic what made the old juice so much better than the stuff they make today (because there is absolutely a difference) and they’ll bring up things like cypress wood fermentation tanks, the old column still and the barrel entry proof as proof that the old way of making their bourbon was the best way. So when the last official bottling that was made up 100% of those old barrels happened, there was a great realization in the enthusiast community that we’d never get back what we once had.
Russell’s Reserve 2003
Known colloquially as “RR2003” among enthusiasts, only 3,600 bottles of this 16-year-old bourbon were produced. The label on the front says that the source of the barrels was from “Tyrone Warehouses,” but Rarebird101 reported that some of those barrels came from Camp Nelson warehouses and were relocated to the Tyrone Campus at some point in their lives. I don’t have any reason for including that bit of information in here other than to say that I’m a Camp Nelson fan and if this bottle turns out to be good, I’m going to blame it on those barrels being the reason why, haha.
While everyone knows that Jimmy Russell is the legend at Wild Turkey, it was his son Eddie Russell that actually created Russell’s Reserve. He also had a hand in crafting the two previous Vintage releases from 1998 and 2002. This would be his third attempt. These would become both benchmarks for this style of low-entry-proof bourbon and collectors items. But hopefully more people have opened and enjoyed them since then.
Is a barrel entry proof of 107 really that big of a deal?
For enthusiasts who have experienced “Dusty Turkey” – essentially Wild Turkey produced from the 1960s up to the late 1990s – there is no finer bourbon out there. These same people will begin to drool at the mere mention of Donuts, Pewter Tops and Cheesy Gold Foils. That last one is what Eddie compared RR2003 to and it ignited a frenzy of anticipation in the bourbon world.
What made the 2003 release the most intriguing to me was its unusual barrel strength—just 89.5 proof. In a scene dominated by high-proof bourbons, this lower number kind of shocked enthusiasts. But then again, releases like Diamond Anniversary (91 proof) and Master’s Keep 17 Year (86.8 proof) were also very close to barrel proof and enthusiasts still snapped those up (well, eventually). Maybe this low proof wouldn’t be such a big deal. So was it? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: The first thing that stands out on the nose are the caramel and vanilla notes. That’s pretty standard for Wild Turkey products, so what else is there? More sniffs produce some fruit notes like apricot, cherry and baked orchard fruit. That last one is going to get me in trouble because the last time I said a Wild Turkey product had orchard fruit notes, the comments section came unhinged. But I swear it’s there. The baking spices are well-rounded and consist of cinnamon and oak spice. Speaking of oak, it might take a couple sips and sniffs, but the tannins inside the liquid begin to come alive as the session goes on. There is a softness on the nose rather than a harsh or pungent character. It kind of reminds me of the dusty turkey’s I’ve tried… but barely.
Palate: Rich oak and varnish notes hit my tongue first. This tastes every bit the 16 year age statement on the label says it is. The more I drink, the more I find that the varnish note attaches itself to almost every other flavor like cherries and strawberries. Spice notes add layers of flavor like cinnamon, chili oil and clove. Sweetness comes from brown sugar butter and pie dough. Semi-sweet chocolate chips and vanilla stop by to say hello as well. If this is your first pour of the night and you have the time to savor it, you’re in for a treat.
Finish: A surprising amount of baking spices takes control of the finish. For under 90 proof, this finishes like it was 100 proof. The “hug” is more than I expected. Tannins are still the primary focus on the end with lovely pipe tobacco, leather, oak and varnish notes. Vanilla fades to the back and I’m not really finding much by way of the fruit from earlier. Sweetness is just enough to make you not feel like you were sucking on an oak branch.
Score: 8.1/10
This is the kind of bourbon that rewards patience. It doesn’t smack you like a 120+ proofer. Instead, it glides in, lets the oak and baking spices alternate in the spotlight and then everything gracefully takes a bow. The tannins sit right on the line of being too much, but I never thought things got bitter or overwhelming. It seemed like the perfect ratio was found.
Of course, if you had any bourbon before drinking this, it’s going to taste watered down. That’s just the nature of these low-proofers. It’s something I knew coming into this, so I did my tasting notes accordingly. But I’ve been in rooms where this is being poured halfway through the session and people tend to bash it by being overpriced and underwhelming. You have to know when to drink this and when to keep it on the shelf or you will miss out on what Eddie was trying to show you.
Final Thoughts
I had two final thoughts on this bottle. The first is that I wonder if we will ever see another Russell’s Reserve Vintage label again. It’s been five years since 2003 came out, so I’m guessing that’s a “no,” but I would be very curious to have a Vintage bottling that used only barrels that were filled from 2004 to 2006 at 110 proof. That was such a blip on the timeline of Wild Turkey that I think everyone has forgot about it. But it would be super interesting to taste.
The second thought is a feeling I got about Russell’s Reserve 2003 feeling like both a farewell from one era and a welcome to another. Farewell to the era of 107 entry proof stocks and welcome to an era of bolder, higher-proof statements like Russell’s 13 and 15-year releases along with those yummy Single Rickhouse bottles. Every year it seems like we get a new Wild Turkey product that sets the record for highest barrel proof ever. Have any of us bothered to look back at the low proofs of yesteryear? Or are we satisfied with the direction we’re going? Because they sure don’t make ’em like they used to.
