New Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse B Is Its Latest Exploration of Terroir

Wild Turkey has once again delved into whiskey terroir with the third release in its Single Rickhouse Series, Camp Nelson B. The whiskey is named for the Camp Nelson Grounds, the site of an old Civil War battleground about 20 miles south of Lexington where Wild Turkey has warehouses. Camp Nelson’s elevated status as a place for aging whiskeys has become almost mythic among Wild Turkey fans; the single Rickhouse Collection debuted in 2022 with Camp Nelson C, followed last year by Camp Nelson F. These whiskeys quickly assumed collectible status, and Warehouse B is likely to follow suit.

Warehouse B was built in 1946, and it benefits from higher elevation and more sun exposure than other warehouses on the grounds, which sit closer to the Kentucky River and a shady tree line. For this one, master distiller Eddie Russell selected barrels from Warehouse B’s sixth floor, where hot air regularly permeated the wood. “The higher we went, the hotter it got, and the more oak we were getting on the whiskeys,” said Russell in a statement. “For Camp Nelson B, we wanted to make sure we were really showcasing the rich, dark honey and char notes that we tend to get from that rickhouse, and we had a feeling that the bourbon we were looking for was sitting up there, enjoying the sun. To me, this bottling of Single Rickhouse embodies the essence of Russell’s Reserve.”

Wild Turkey is among several legacy Kentucky distillers wading into the terroir pond, exploring just how specific location influences a final whiskey—Beam completed a similar experiment last year with its Hardin’s Creek series, which took whiskeys with identical mashbills, age statements, and ABVs but aged them at unique sites.

Camp Nelson B also has the distinction of being Wild Turkey’s highest-proof release ever, at 60.1%. The Wild Turkey whiskeys are beloved for many reasons, including the fact that its core Wild Turkey 101 label is, as the name implies, bottled at a hefty 101 proof, or 50.5% ABV. But the distillery generally doesn’t stray much higher than that: Its barrel proof Rare Breed expressions generally have the highest ABVs in the portfolio, venturing into the high-50% range. Russell’s Reserve ABVs have varied from 45% up to 58.6% for its 15 year old. But mostly it’s a fairly steady course, not known for big jags into the super high-proof realm. This is attributed to Wild Turkey’s barrel entry: its whiskey goes into the barrel between 107 and 115 proof, compared to the legally permissible 125 proof/62.5% ABV used by most distillers.

The Camp Nelson B bourbon crosses the 60%-ABV barrier, while it’s not quite at the level of such high-proof offerings as Coy Hill from Jack Daniel, it will certainly attract lovers of high-proof bourbons in addition to its other attributes.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Collection: Camp Nelson B Bourbon

ABV: 60.1%
SRP: $300
Availability: Limited