Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8-Year-Old Bourbon Review/Tasting Notes

Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8-Year-Old Bourbon generally praises its balanced, approachable character. It highlights a rich blend of caramel, baking spice, and fruit notes, with a smooth finish that showcases the classic Wild Turkey profile.

Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8-Year-Old Bourbon generally praises its balanced, approachable character, highlighting a rich blend of caramel, baking spice, and fruit notes with a smooth finish that showcases the classic Wild Turkey profile, making it an exceptionally drinkable and well-rounded bourbon that many consider a fitting tribute to Jimmy Russell's legacy as a master distiller. This 8-year-old Bourbon is a fitting tribute to one of the most talented, hard-working, and humble Master Distillers - the Buddha of Bourbon.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The sweet scent of honeyed oak meets the spice of cinnamon. Notes of apple strudel, orange, vanilla, light brown sugar, an underlying peanut, and caramel give this a classic Wild Turkey nose. This is one of the best Wild Turkey noses I've ever experienced.

Palate: Sweet toffee flavors paired with Flan, honey, and caramel candies. Fruit notes come by way of baked apples and orange citrus oil. Tannins include oak and a hint of leather. In my second sip, I get more caramel, honey, orange zest, and milk chocolate, which jump to the forefront. It has a buttery, thick, viscous texture with a gentle, well-balanced heat. This bottle provides everything you want with clove, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, peppermint, and a hint of anise.

Finish: Oak, a hint of leather, cocoa, and a pinch of dried tobacco leaf give the finish a lasting tannic character but with a surprisingly sweet and pleasant ending. The lingering sweetness is helped along by some of the soft orchard fruit flavors. As with many Wild Turkey products, the spice component can help with the lingering sweetness, but it also has an adequate sweetness to leave the final impression. Balance is the name of the game. The finish is long and lingering, and each sip is so well-rounded.

Summary: I'm glad Campari released Jimmy's 70th Anniversary at a reasonable price point. Previous 50th and 60th Anniversary releases celebrating Jimmy's tenure at Wild Turkey were rare and expensive, whereas the 70th Anniversary price is $59. Wild Turkey Jimmy Russell's 70th Anniversary 8-Year-Old Bourbon features 8-year-old, 101-proof Bourbon and blends 8- to 9-year-old whiskeys. This Bourbon that's packed full of flavor is accessible and makes the drinker not want to put their glass down. I'm delighted to have this bottle in my Bourbon collection.

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