Review #893; Bourbon #175: Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel “Royal Liquor Select” (Blind)

Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel “Royal Liquor Select”

This is a bottle of Russel’s Reserve Single barrel selected for Royal Liquor. Coming from Warehouse K this bourbon was distilled on 12/26/12, dumped 9/24/21, and bottled on 11/17/2021. This was aged in warehouse K, floor 3, and bottled with no Chill filtering. I had this blind so keep that in mind reading my notes.

ABV: 55%

Nose: Nutty, Tobacco Leaf, Cherry, “funk”, Vanilla,

Palate: Medium oily mouthfeel, Nuttiness, Cherry, Tobacco Leaf, Vanilla, faint green Apple, Dark Chocolate

Finish: Medium length finish, Orange Peel, Nuttiness, Vanilla, Tobacco Leaf

Rating: 7/10

Great flavors, depth of flavor and balance. Hits some of those sweeter bourbon notes but dials it in with a bit of savory bitterness.

Guess: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Private Select. 9-11yr 60-63% abv.

Reveal: RRSiB Royal Liquor Select

Darn, I was leaning that way to start but veered off. I love these bottlings and they always do very well for me. Wild Turkey is firmly in my top 3 bourbon distilleries for a reason and bottles like this continue to show why.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect