Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon Review (2026)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A

A quarter century ago, Wild Turkey introduced the Russell’s Reserve brand, celebrating their already famed Master Distiller, Jimmy Russell. At the time, Russell had just celebrated his 45th anniversary working at the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery. The original version was a 10 year old, 101 proof take on Wild Turkey’s bourbon stock, so essentially Wild Turkey 101 done a few years older.

Yet it was also an early project in the career of Eddie Russell, Jimmy’s son and the eventual successor who essentially cemented the Russell family as a Wild Turkey dynasty. Eddie Russell had already been working at the distillery for 20 years at that point, and this year Eddie Russell also achieved his 45th anniversary at Wild Turkey. Such occasions are typically marked by an especially splashy release, but I think Turkey is displaying better taste and more respect for their own history by marking this milestone with a special release of Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old. Excepting how the entire story circles back on itself, this is otherwise just this year’s installment of the 13 Year Old Russell’s Reserve.

Another thing is that 13 Year Old is a very Eddie Russell style, but recent creation. Introduced just five years ago, the word is the middle-aged expression was the result of Eddie playing around with incorporating 13 year old bourbon into the classic Russell’s 10 Year Old. That led to the creation of this older version, and in keeping with Eddie’s own preferences, he reached for even older bourbon to blend into it.

Recall that age statements reflect the youngest whiskey in the bottle; Russell’s Reserve 13 has routinely drawn on stocks much older than thirteen, and this time is no exception. Much of the bourbon stock used this year is 14 to 18 years old. This is also a cask strength release at 60.6% ABV.

The Bourbon
My Glencairn pour of RR13-2026 took on a dulled amber look in the glass. The base of the scent was cinnamon toast: butter, cinnamon, brown sugar. Add to that bing cherry and a herbaceous pepperiness, and you’ve got what is a well-balanced scent that comes straight to you, no chase involved. On the palate, these elements evolve into cinnamon-dusted caramel candy; raspberry jam; and added on to that is a dark baking chocolate note. The finish comes on complicated, with a boozy fruitcake character of earthy chocolate, dried fruits and raisins, with that fading down to leave a sliver of spicy oak in its wake.

The Price
This bottle should lighten your pocket to the tune of $200.