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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Dusty Thursday: Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 10/101 - What is a Dusty?


I talk about dusties every Thursday but I don't think I've really spent any time defining what a dusty is. If you ask most people, they would say it's a hard to find or out of production bottle of whiskey. But if you really talk to people about dusties, many would say that what they are looking for are bottles that were out of production before they started drinking (or seriously drinking) whiskey.

Enter Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 101. Unlike many of the dusties I've covered here, this bourbon was available when I started becoming a whiskey fan. In fact, it was the first bottle of bourbon I ever purchased. Around 8 or 9 years ago, I had been drinking Scotch for a few years and was trying to learn about bourbon; a friend recommended this ten year old version of Wild Turkey 101; I think I picked it up for around $35. Needless to say, I loved it and I was on my way to bourbonland. A few years later, they repackaged Russell's Reserve at a lower proof (45% abv). Since then, the 101 proof version has become a dusty treasure, but it's hard for me to think of it as a dusty, since I remember seeing it on the shelves.

I haven't had a sip of the Russell's Reserve 101 since that first bottle, so I was excited to get some and see how it compared to my memory.


Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve 101, 10 years old, 50.5% abv.

The nose is candy sweet with a good measure of wood. The palate is rich and woody with some rye notes. There is a lot of age on this for ten years. Tasting blind I would likely guess it was older. I'm getting sentimental now, this really reminds me of why I started drinking bourbon. It revealed what bourbon could be and shaped many of my early opinions. I'm lucky I started with this. If I'd picked up something else, I might never have bothered to buy a second bottle (then again, maybe that would have been a good thing - at least I'd have more available closet space).

This really is a great bourbon and it saddens me that it's no longer around, but Dusty Thursdays can be bittersweet, especially when the whiskey comes with memories.
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9 comments:

  1. GregApril 19, 2012 at 5:07 PM

    You picked a good one. My favorite in rank order of older WT offerings; 8/101, 10/101, 12/101. Older Turkeys are some of my favorite bourbons.

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  2. skuApril 19, 2012 at 5:19 PM

    Greg, I haven't had the pleasure of the 8 or 12 (that's the split label right?). I've only heard good things though.

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  3. AnonymousApril 19, 2012 at 7:35 PM

    Wild Turkey line has slumped since the warehouse fire.

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  4. GregApril 20, 2012 at 4:26 AM

    Shoot Steve. We'll have to remedy that. Not sure I have any 12 year open, but I have a couple years of 8 year that I can probably sample up or ya.

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  5. SteveBMApril 20, 2012 at 8:04 AM

    I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Russell a few days ago. Great guy. Talked about the 101 Rye shortage at length. He is amazed at the surge in popularity for rye. Said lots of distilleries feeling the effect. It'll be awhile before we see a steady supply of product (he mentioned a few cases here, a few cases there) but it'll be back. They are doing the 81 to compliment the 101 much like the 81 and 101 bourbons. Looking forward to popping into Wild Turkey on my next Louisville trip.

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  6. tmckenzieApril 22, 2012 at 2:46 PM

    I just wonder how the new modern distillery will effect the flavor of WT. I cannot help but think it will hurt it. I think anytime you automate natural processes you loose something. I remeber when this bottling came out. Sadly I never bought one. Wish I had now.

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  7. BmacApril 24, 2012 at 7:27 AM

    I must admit that WT products have been surprisingly good for their price range. I finally got around to getting Rare Breed. I wasn't convinced by the reviews until I got myself a bottle and it is now one of my favorites. I haven't gotten RR because everyone balked about the lowered proof. However, I wonder if it's really that bad?

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  8. jwb-mi.January 26, 2013 at 5:40 AM

    Had the pleasure of meeting Jimmy Russell in Louisville many years ago and had him sign one of my WT RR 101 .. infact, I have one bottle left that I have saved and opening tomorrow, Jan. 27, my 60th BD. It has been too long and can't wait any longer.
    It's unfortunate it's no longer around .. but I was fortunate to meet the man responsible for such a great bourbon. JB

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  9. skuJanuary 26, 2013 at 7:12 AM

    Happy 60th jwb-mi! What a great way to celebrate it!

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