Russell’s Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson E

Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Distillery: Wild Turkey Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Age: NAS but at least 4 Years
Proof: 128

The2025 Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse. Fifth floor. Cooler air. Slower aging. Basically the bourbon equivalent of yoga and a clean diet — except it clocks in at 128 proof and punches the yoga instructor.

Nose: Vanilla, caramel, maple — the holy trinity of “don’t worry, I’m approachable.” Then it pivots. Figs. Dried orange peel. Cola. Toasted oak. It’s like your grandmother baked a pie and then someone set it on a rickhouse beam for a decade just to see what would happen. Deep, dark fruit hangs around like it owns the place.

Taste: Dried fruit and cherry lead the charge — rich, concentrated, borderline dramatic. Then mint shows up uninvited but somehow improves the party. Graham cracker and nutmeg follow, giving it that dessert-with-boundaries vibe. It’s sweet, yes — but the kind of sweet that pays its own mortgage. The oak isn’t decorative. It’s structural.

Finish: Long. Warm. Molasses-soaked and unapologetically spicy. Black pepper flickers at the end like a mic drop. The oak lingers in a way that feels less “goodbye” and more “I live here now.”

128 proof — the highest proof Russell’s Reserve release to date — and you feel it. Not in a reckless way. In a confident, boots-on-the-table way. Non-chill filtered, because apparently we’re not watering down our personality in 2025.

Eddie Russell pulled exclusively from the fifth floor — cooler temps, slower development, more nuance. And sure, that sounds poetic. But what it really means is this thing has depth. Dark fruit, baking spice, rich oak — all balanced, none of it trying too hard. It feels true to Russell’s Reserve while still flexing like it’s got something to prove.

For collectors, it’s a trophy.
For drinkers, it’s a reminder that sometimes the top floor isn’t where the magic happens — it’s the one with just enough patience.