Russell's Reserve

Russell's Reserve carries the names of Jimmy and Eddie Russell, the father-son Master Distillers whose combined tenure at the Wild Turkey Distillery spans more than a century of bourbon-making in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Created in 1998 as the premium expression of their work, the brand gives the Russells a line built specifically to their own standards, separate from the flagship Wild Turkey portfolio.

History & Heritage

The Wild Turkey Distillery sits at 1417 Versailles Rd in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, on a bluff overlooking the Kentucky River. Jimmy Russell began working there in 1954 and became Master Distiller not long after; his son Eddie joined him on the production floor and the two have distilled side by side for decades, an unusually long father-son run in American whiskey. In 1998 the distillery introduced Russell's Reserve as a bourbon built to showcase what the Russells considered their best barrels, distinct from the standard Wild Turkey line that had defined the distillery since Prohibition-era production resumed there.

Ownership of the distillery has changed hands more than the family's role on the production floor has. Wild Turkey, and with it Russell's Reserve, was previously controlled by Austin, Nichols & Co. before the Italian spirits conglomerate Campari Group acquired the brand in 2009. As of July 2026, Russell's Reserve and the Wild Turkey Distillery remain owned and operated by Campari Group, with Jimmy and Eddie Russell continuing to hold central roles in the whiskey's production and public identity even after the corporate change of ownership.

The Whiskey

Every Russell's Reserve bourbon is distilled from the same mash bill used across Wild Turkey's bourbon production: 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. The whiskey enters new, charred American oak barrels at a relatively high barrel entry proof, typically between 107 and 115 proof, and ages in the distillery's Kentucky rickhouses before bottling.

The core lineup includes Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, bottled at 110 proof and non-chill filtered so the whiskey retains its full character straight from the barrel. Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon is a small batch release currently bottled at 90 proof, down from an earlier 101-proof formulation. On the rye side, Russell's Reserve 6 Year Old Rye is a 90-proof small batch expression, while Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye is bottled non-chill filtered at 104 proof.

At the top of the range sit the limited releases. Russell's Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon is a non-chill filtered, barrel proof bottling with proof that varies batch to batch, reflecting the natural variation of extended aging. Russell's Reserve 15 Year Old Bourbon is issued in similarly limited quantities. The Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection is an annual limited bottling that isolates whiskey from a single rickhouse, letting drinkers taste how the specific location of a barrel within the warehouse shapes the whiskey inside it.

Why It Matters

Russell's Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon has drawn some of the strongest recognition in the current bourbon market: Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2023, Gold at the Spirits Business American Whisky Masters in 2022, Spirit Silver at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2023, Double Gold at the New York International Spirits Competition in 2023, and a naming as Fred Minnick's #1 Whiskey of the Year in 2021. That density of accolades for a single expression is notable even in a crowded field of Kentucky straight bourbons, and it reflects consistency built over a father-son distilling partnership that predates most competing brands' current production runs.

Visiting the Distillery

Wild Turkey operates a visitor center at the Lawrenceburg distillery, overlooking the Kentucky River, where tours and tastings are available to the public. Beyond the standard distillery tour, Wild Turkey also offers Russell's Reserve-specific immersion tours that go deeper into the brand's history and the Russell family's role in shaping it.

The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library carries Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, the non-chill filtered, 110-proof expression that represents the brand's core single barrel offering for those who appreciate good whiskey.