Wild Turkey’s Master Distiller Celebrates 45 Years With Special Edition Batch Of Coveted Bourbon

The 121-proof collector’s bottle delivers “bright fruit notes of cherry and citrus, followed by spice notes of nutmeg and allspice, with sweet notes of cola.”

Eddie Russell, master distiller at Wild Turkey and Russell’s Reserve, is celebrating 45 years at the distillery this year. To commemorate the anniversary, he’s releasing an extra special version of one of the most important whiskeys in the portfolio: Russell’s Reserve 13-Year Bourbon. 

While the Russell’s Reserve line was created by Eddie to honor his father Jimmy Russell in 1998, Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Bourbon debuted in 2021, and was immediately praised for its depth and complexity. Each year since then has seen high demand for the limited quantity. 

“Russell’s Reserve has always been deeply personal to me,” says Master Distiller Eddie Russell. “It started as a way to honor my dad and everything he taught me. Now, the opportunity to celebrate my own 45 years with a new release of the 13 Year Old — a bourbon that really showcases how I approach the craft — and to see my story shared through this film, is incredibly special.”

The film in question is a short-form documentary, His Own Way: The Story of Eddie Russell which will be screened at the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center on June 30 alongside a special tasting. It will also appear nationwide at Alamo Drafthouse theaters alongside a limited run of Field of Dreams on June 23.

As for the whiskey, it’s expected to be delicious as usual. One of the reasons that this bourbon receives so much praise is that the Russells really treat that 13-year age statement as a jumping off point when it comes to the final batch. Previous releases were said to include significantly older whiskeys in the collection of barrels batched to make the final product, and this year’s release is no different, according to Eddie’s son and Associate Master Blender Bruce Russell. While we were filming [the documentary], Dad actually pulled an 18 year old barrel and we tasted it together,” said Russell. “Of course, it was exceptional. That barrel ended up in this year’s 13 Year Old release.”

Russell’s Reserve 13 Year is batched annually, so there’s some variation from one release to the next. This batch of Russell’s Reserve 13 is bottled at 121.2 proof. Tasting notes from the distillery describe aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, and coffee over hints of orange peel and oak. On the palate, this whiskey delivers “bright fruit notes of cherry and citrus, followed by spice notes of nutmeg and allspice, with sweet notes of cola.” The finish is said to be full of caramel and toffee, with hints of drying oak tannins.

At a suggested retail price of $200 (up from $150) this is still a well priced bottle, and a great bourbon value from a distillery that has acquired a lot of respect over the last half century. Fingers crossed that Russell’s Reserve 13 Year and Eddie keep it up for the next 45.

G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for whiskey reviews and trends, perspectives on drinks, and stuff.