Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon (Batch 4, 2023) Review

For the longest time, it seemed like Wild Turkey was a distillery known for two things: Offering very high values in everyday, bottom shelf bourbon brands, and having its most sought-after releases be one-off international bottles that were mostly being pursued by a small cadre of intense Turkey devotees. But this all seemed to change in 2021 with the first release of Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old Bourbon, a special release extension of the Russell’s Reserve brand that was notable mostly for what it was lacking, which was any particular theme or gimmick. There were no new, proprietary finishing techniques on display here, or special ingredients. It wasn’t even tied to any specific anniversary or colorful reason to exist. It was just an extra-mature batch of Russell’s Reserve, but there was magic in that bottle. It was one of my favorite bourbons of the last few years, and it quickly gave the company a highly sought-after and hyped release of the kind that Wild Turkey doesn’t often experience.

It was only natural, then, that subsequent limited release batches of “RR13” would follow in the next few years. This being the bourbon world, populated primarily by drinkers who seek out reasons to be disappointed whenever possible, consumers widely claimed that the larger follow-up batches of Russell’s Reserve 13 Year weren’t as good as the original. Perhaps they were just incensed by the MSRP increasing from its original starting point of $70–man was that a steal–or by the outrageous gouging that each batch subsequently received on the secondary market and in package stores. Who’s to say, but we can at least note with certainty that drinkers are still very, very thirsty for more RR13 batches.

Enter, this newest release from June/July of 2023, described in most places as Batch 4 of RR13, though some drinkers note that there seem to be multiple bottling dates, meaning that some anal drinkers are already arguing over whether this is batch 4 or 5. Regardless, this is the brand as it exists today: Still 114.8 proof (57.4% ABV), which constitutes barrel proof for Wild Turkey, still with the 13 year age statement, but now with an MSRP of $150, more than double what it was in 2021. What can we say? The jump was inevitable, especially in comparison with other, similar limited release bourbons on the market today. It is what it is, and the price is still low enough that you can expect to see retailers trying to gouge for double or triple this dollar figure.

All that’s left to do, then, is taste it, so let’s get to it.

On the nose, this batch of Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Bourbon leads off with sweet maple, mocha and roasted oak, announcing itself with a flair for the darkly dramatic. I’m immediately noting that this one doesn’t seem as fruit forward, or at least as brightly fruity, as the previous version I remember from 2021. There is some fruitiness, but it has more of a vinous nature, segueing into dark dried fruit suggesting raisin or prune. It’s a dark and multifaceted nose, with savory impressions of tobacco and leather, leavened by fudge and spice–cinnamon, allspice and Biscoff cookie butter. There’s just a hint of stinging ethanol.

On the palate, I’m getting big dulce de leche cake sweetness and heavy baking spice, combined with glazed nuts and loads of dark vanilla/buttercream frosting. The sweet impressions are big and up front, with sweet oak and marshmallow tamed a bit by intense char, giving that marshmallow a more campfire roasted quality. Likewise balancing is the earthiness, with leather, tobacco and savory rye trailing out to old oak. There is a fruity dimension, but it certainly feels less like a starring player here, with the overall profile feeling more about heavily caramelized sugars and antique oak. That still makes for a delicious backdrop, with modest ethanol intensity for the proof. At the same time, it does warm one’s insides in a notable way, just a radiating glow of warmth in the chest.

All in all, this is still very good, arguably among the year’s best releases to date. The flavor profile is indeed somewhat different from the version of this bourbon I’ve tasted in the past, but if each iteration is on this level in terms of quality, then those variations will be something I begin to view as a feature rather than a detraction. What is clear is that extra-mature Russell’s Reserve bourbon is capable of hitting several different styles of bourbon sweet spot, something that Wild Turkey/Campari will no doubt continue to exploit in the future. Now, if only there was some chance of finding any of these at MSRP … even the newly raised MSRP. Then we’d really be getting somewhere.

Distillery: Wild Turkey/Russell’s Reserve (Campari)
City: Lawrenceburg, KY
Style: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
ABV: 57.4% (114.8 proof)
Availability: 750 ml bottles, $150 MSRP

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident brown liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.