This week I picked up Russell’s Reserve 15 Year Old 2024 Release form Hokus Pokus. I am a big fan of Russell’s Reserve and am excited to try this one, but I have gotten mixed reviews from people I know. Some say it is great; other say it is over-oaked, which can happen when bourbon spends that much time in a barrel. Again, this if 15 year old non-chill filtered Wild Turkey bottled at 117.2 proof, which I would assume has not been proofed down and is likely batch strength. This cost me $250, which is just the trend for limited releases from Wild Turkey.

The first thing I notice is the lovely color on this – a very lovely mahogany color reflecting this bourbon’s years in the barrel. On the swirl there is just a thin film with very little in the way of legs at first, but the legs slowly develop and defy gravity for a long time. On the nose if vanilla and lots of dark fruits; almost jammy; some oak, and some yeasty bread notes. Very intriguing and deep. On the palate, the cherries become dominant, with vanilla, caramel, leather, clove, star anise, and oak mingle. In reminds me a great deal of the 17 year old bonded Wild Turkey Master’s Keep release of four years ago, and I don’t find it over-oaked at all, but then again oak notes on a bourbon are a feature and not a bug to me. On the finish, the cherries mingle with cloves and cinnamon which lingers and lingers.

As a value proposition, inflation has taken its toll on so many things, including bourbon. In 2020, the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 year old bonded bourbon was $160. But, given how inflated everything is, and how good the Russell’s Reserve 15 year old is, I am not mad about the price and am glad to have this bottle in my collection.