Time to pass the torch. Tonight we say goodbye to a great @russellsreservebourbon store pick and welcome the next. I went into these pours blinded/randomized for fairness. Will I be able to recognize my old flame? Will the new taste steal the show? Let’s find out!
Left Glass Review:
Nose: Delicious peanut and cherry forward. I could be smelling a Booker's batch here. Spice cut with a nice marshmallow. Rich syrupy plum and some herbal funk. Sweet confectionery sugar. Chocolate. Perfect puffy campfire marshmallow note in the back. Yum!
Palate: Syrupy cherry with a big whiplash of citrus and spice. Cinnamon hots at the back of my mouth. Nice mouth feel of vanilla where some of that peanut profile can shine on the palate without being overpowering. Nice citrus proof rising well again here. A good balance somewhere between peanut and vanilla where everyone just gets along!
Right Glass Review:
Nose: More mellow than the left glass. Caramel and vanilla perfectly blended. Light dusty earth and oak. Citrusy proof that leaves a light sting in the nostrils. Nice clear raisin coming through. I'm reminded here of the smell of a cotton bed sheet, flapping on the clothes line on a breezy summer day. Caramel ties well to the herbal molasses blend. You never have to dig long for some nice notes here. Slight peanut late in the glass; maybe a wave hello from the left glass. A similar marshmallow says this bottle is ready to be kicked!
Palate: Wow, rich citrus bite on the tongue. Beautiful caramel and molasses herbs work over much like the nose. Slightly metallic mouth coating; maybe attributed to a unique mix of citrus and anise. Definitely the easier sipper of the two, but that may be due in some part to oxidation.
Final Ranking: Right Glass > Left Glass, but both are fantastic offerings
Reveal: Left Glass = Liquor Junction
Right Glass = Rapid Liquors
Left Glass
Company on Label: Wild Turkey
Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley
Proof: 110°
Age: 8 years
Further identification: Liquor Junction store pick Barrel 20-0213. Distilled 11/22/11, dumped 04/02/20, bottled 04/29/20 from Warehouse G, Floor 4.
Right Glass
Company on Label: Wild Turkey
Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley
Proof: 110°
Age: 8 years
Further identification: Rapid Liquors store pick Barrel 20-0164. Distilled 09/19/11, dumped 03/31/20, bottled 05/21/20 from Warehouse E, Floor 4.