Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 96 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 60.1% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $300.00 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2024-10-08 |
Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B Bourbon (2024) Review
The Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Series is a limited, annual bottling meant to highlight the nuanced differences across Wild Turkey’s barrel aging warehouses. (Age is what the 13 and 15-year-old versions are for, after all.) Now in its third year, the lineup features batched bourbons from single rickhouses, aged for a minimum of 10 years and bottled at barrel proof.
Russell’s Single Rickhouse launched with Camp Nelson C in 2022 and followed that up with Camp Nelson F in 2023. In 2024, the brand returned once again to the Camp Nelson campus, this time picking barrels from Rickhouse B, which was originally built in 1946. While previous Single Rickhouse releases came from lower or middle warehouse tiers, Camp Nelson B’s barrels spent their entire life cycle on Floor 6 (the second highest tier) of the rickhouse.
Higher floors experience hotter temperatures and more water evaporation. Single Rickhouse B was ultimately bottled at 120.2 proof, the highest-ever proof for a Russell’s Reserve bottling. It’s also the second-highest proof for a wide-release Wild Turkey product, sitting just 0.6 proof points behind Wild Turkey Generations.
All the whiskey in Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B comes from a mashbill of 75 percent corn, 13 percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley.
Let’s see how it tastes!
Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B: Stats and Availability
Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B carries a suggested retail price of $300 (which seems to be the norm for this line, and that’s unchanged from last year). While Wild Turkey didn’t provide an exact bottle count, it’s a highly limited release available at “select US retailers” and the distillery’s bottle shop itself. The brand has also said it will be offering limited quantities online through its website some time in October 2024.
Like a lot of limited Wild Turkey bottlings, this one may command a premium at retail and on the secondary market. However, that’s tempered somewhat by a starting price already at the higher end of American whiskey offerings. If it’s anything like the previous two releases, I wouldn’t be surprised to see bottles fetching between $400 and $500 depending on location.
Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
Sweet oak, molasses, and honey-soaked cornbread kick things off on the nose. A tinge of hot honey sits right under that first sniff, with a red pepper-forward spice that only lasts for a few brief seconds before wood sweetness takes over once again.
This almost immediately reminds me of last year’s Camp Nelson F release, but dialed up significantly in both oak and vanilla. That oak ensconces everything — toasted wood with a touch of tanned leather — even as the bourbon’s aromas transition more to fruit and spice.
Booze-soaked cocktail cherries lead the way in that next realm, with a minor component of fresh blood orange. Cinnamon is definitely perceptible, but it almost pales in comparison to the hefty dose of nutmeg, a woody/nutty flavor almost strong enough to seem like it was grated fresh on top of the whiskey.
Spearmint punctuates the final act of the nose, along with a dusted cocoa (though comparatively less than on some recent Russell’s releases, including the 13 and 15 year expressions).
Taste
A syrupy, honey-forward sweetness hits the tongue, followed by caramelized and fatty elements that build gradually with each sip. Dark oak and tannins accumulate, and once again, everything gets encapsulated by wood sugars and barrel char (though without ever drying out the mouth, I should add). There’s also a heavier-than-normal impact on the upper palate. That comes largely in the form of cooling menthol, which helps balance some of the alcohol’s heat; generally, though, this bourbon drinks a few points below its 120.2 proof.
By the third taste, it’s a brown butter bonanza, the bourbon hitting forcefully on the midpalate. That oily viscosity might almost be too rich if it weren’t for enough dark fruit to provide some tartness for relief. Blackcurrants, prunes, figs, black cherries, and baked pears move things into fructose territory with just enough sharpness to keep things balanced. Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded even more fruit at this juncture.
At and beyond the midpalate, Rickhouse B is both more grain-forward and chocolatey than on the nose (holiday spiced malted milk balls, anyone?). Creamy peanut butter also develops further on, though not so far after as to get uncoupled from the fig and cherry. Paired with residual spice and that initial honey flavor — and the nearly chewy mouthfeel — the whole experience reminds me of a fruity Abba-Zaba.
Finish
When reviewing last year’s Camp Nelson F release, I kept noticing a pronounced cola flavor on the finish. It’s back in full force here, though now with nearly enough fruit to elicit Cherry Coke. And like its immediate predecessor, Camp Nelson B features a long, oaky finish that punches above the batch’s 10-year age minimum. Adding some water doesn’t so much reduce the oak as layering in more black cherry and dark grape. I’d call it brandy-adjacent, and Armagnac fans are likely to be delighted by the heavy and rich finish that lingers for long minutes after each sip.
Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson B Rating
96/100
Recap
This is, simply put, delicious whiskey. It’s another fantastic Russell’s release, the latest from a brand that seems to get an extra base hit almost every time it steps to the plate. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste all three Russell’s Single Rickhouse releases side-by-side. After about 30 minutes of personal deliberation, Rickhouse B stands as my favorite, followed by Rickhouse F and then C. To me, however, the gap between B (2024) and F (2023) is far, far narrower than between F and C (2022). Ultimately, this latest bottling received the same (high!) score as last year’s version, even though I’d give it first place in the lineup — by a hair.
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