Russell's Reserve Private Barrel Selection (Barrel #25-0954 - Riley Children’s Hospital) - Rare Bird 101 & Keg N Bottle Private Barrel Pick 750 ml

OVERVIEW:  Rare Bird 101 (David Jennings)

Back in August, Kurt and Trent from SLB Drinks met the Renegades at Wild Turkey for a very special barrel selection to support Riley Children’s Hospital. If you follow SLB Drinks you’re likely aware of the backstory and how much that organization means to their family. After an incredible day sipping whiskey straight from the barrel with Eddie and Bruce Russell, we eventually landed on our favorite - an eight-year bourbon aged on the fourth floor of Camp Nelson’s rickhouse D. 

If you’d like to read more about our adventures that day, there’s a special write-up on my blog. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already, as we had a blast. The post also covers my time on the Russell’s Immersion tour with Wild Turkey’s Bo Garrett (something else I highly recommend). But since most of this is old news to you guys, I’ll move on to why you’re likely reading this in the first place - the whiskey!

BARREL DETAILS

• Distilled - 01/12/17
• Dumped - 09/29/2025
• Bottled - 10/03/2025
  
• Warehouse - Camp Nelson, D, 4th Floor
• Age - 8 Years, 262 Days
• Proof 110 (117.9 @ barrel selection)

TASTING NOTES

• Overall:  warm caramel, boozy trail mix, candy apple, rickhouse oak, baked brown sugar & cinnamon; butterscotch toffee, syrupy charred oak, spiced apple cider, autumn spice, hints of dried citrus; medium-long finish w/ peppery vanilla, toasted caramel, creme brulee, oak spice, singed tangerine peel 
  
• Impression:  Well, I couldn’t be happier. In fact, the minute I tasted this bourbon from a glass, I sent Kurt a text to let him know it was the winner we remembered. Caramel, candy apple, trail mix, and rickhouse oak are the predominant aromas of this Russell’s Reserve private selection. That being said, no single note steals the show, as they seemingly arrive in synchronized harmony. 

   

  • The nose transitions exceptionally well to the taste, with chewy, sweet toffee up front and autumn spice accompanied by dried citrus following shortly behind. And like clockwork, another seamless transition - this time from the palate to the finish. I’m discovering a lot of “toasty” notes here, such as creme brulee, oak, and singed tangerine peel. As for the finish’s duration, it’s just about perfect - far from short and just long enough to keep you hanging on for another sip. 

    If you’re interested in this Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel selection, it will be available soon at Keg N Bottle for $99.99. With the base retail price at $72.99, that’s $27 from each bottle going to Riley Children’s Hospital. If that’s too much of an expense to swing, no worries. Since this is a barrel split between Russell’s Renegades and SLB Drinks, I don’t foresee any issues with this selection moving. And if you’re interested but happen to miss out, worry not! We have another five Russell’s Reserve barrels in the Keg N Bottle pipeline. More details to come!

    Cheers and TGIF!