Whiskey of the Week: Russell's Reserve 13 year old (Spring 2026)

The Russell’s Reserve brand was first introduced by Wild Turkey in 2001 to honor master distiller Eddie Russell’s father, the legendary Jimmy Russell, who had just celebrated his 45th anniversary at the distillery. Since then, Russell’s Reserve has become a force of its own, showcasing the distillery’s traditional bourbon mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley at older ages. It was also an early showcase of Eddie’s personal blending style, which tends to lean more heavily toward sweeter, creamier ultra-aged whiskey than Jimmy’s historically younger and more spice-driven approach.

The original release was a 10 year old bourbon that was bottled at Wild Turkey’s signature 101 proof and slightly older than the flagship bourbon, which typically is around 6–8 years old. Today, 10 year old Russell’s Reserve is bottled at 90 proof, and is cherished by whiskey lovers as one of the great go-to pours of the bourbon world. Rye entered the picture in 2007 with a 6 year old and single barrel in 2015, but the line’s focus is very much still on well-aged bourbons like its annual 13 year old and terroir-focused Single Rickhouse series. As Eddie celebrates his own 45th year at the distillery, Wild Turkey is commemorating the event with the latest batch of Russell’s Reserve 13 year old (RR13.)

In a new tradition that began last year, each RR13 batch carries its production season on the bottle, and this release is designated as Spring 2026. As a commemorative release, it has a small side profile of Eddie on the bottle’s lower label, where the “RR” tree logo typically sits. Russell’s Reserve expressions historically contain much older liquid than what’s stated on the label—previous batches have contained whiskey upwards of 20 years old—and that’s also true of this one. The youngest component is just shy of 14 years old, while a large chunk of the recipe aged for 16–18 years. It was bottled at 60.6% ABV, which is relatively high for a Russell’s Reserve release (historically bottled around 57.4%) but still lower than last year’s release, which, at 61.2% proof, was the highest-proof expression ever released by Wild Turkey.

RR13 seems like a fitting choice to commemorate Eddie’s anniversary. The original expression was first introduced back in 2021 as a collaborative release between Eddie and Jimmy. The story goes that Eddie had been blending a small amount of 13 year old bourbon into Russell’s Reserve 10 year old for quite a while, but he eventually got the idea to make that older component the main ingredient for a separate expression. In keeping with his preference for very old whiskey, Eddie blended some 19 year old barrels into the first batch, which made up around 35% of the total volume. It was intended as a one-off, but it quickly reached unicorn status, and Wild Turkey decided to bring it back as an annual offering the following year. It has stuck to that schedule, except for in 2024, when an even rarer 15 year old version was released, which was said to be another one-shot deal.

In addition to the bottle, Wild Turkey is celebrating Eddie’s anniversary with a special documentary named “His Own Way: The Story of Eddie Russell.” The film, which will debut at select Alamo Drafthouses only on June 23rd, documents Eddie’s journey from being a temporary employee at the distillery in the summer of 1981 to master distiller and whiskey luminary today. As Eddie’s son and associate master blender Bruce Russell explains, one of the barrels featured in the film was used to make this year’s RR13 batch. “While we were filming, Dad actually pulled an 18 year old barrel, and we tasted it together—of course, it was exceptional,” he explains. “That barrel made its way into this year’s 13 year old release. It was one of those moments that felt so true to who Dad is and what he does best.”

“Russell’s Reserve has always been deeply personal to me. It started as a way to honor my dad and everything he taught me,” said Eddie. “Now the opportunity to celebrate my own 45 years with a new release of the 13 year old—a bourbon that really showcases how I approach the craft, and to see my story shared on film, is incredibly special.”

How Does Russell's Reserve 13 year old Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon (Spring 2026) Taste?

94 Points
ABV: 60.6%
SRP: $200
Availability: Nationwide, but limited

This brawny bourbon comes out swinging with a dark and seductive nose of dark chocolate, black cherry, car leather, butterscotch, cola, ground cinnamon, and charred oak. The palate follows suit with fudge, double chocolate-chip cookies, raspberry jam, caramel, and spice, with a bit of dark roast emerging toward the midpalate. Cinnamon and nutmeg come to the fore on the finish, with even darker notes of leather, cacao, and affogato al caffè, all perfectly framed by oak. The considerable proof gives the whiskey a truly explosive personality, but it never comes across as being too hot.