r/bourbon • u/BourbonTournaments • 22h ago
The Ultimate Russel’s Reserve 13 Tournament: Batches 1-7
Some of you might remember my recent ECBP tournament posts. Last year, I did a similar project with the first six batches of Russell’s Reserve 13, comparing them blind and then doing a couple additional head-to-heads to help sort out the rankings.
Batch 6 ultimately won that tournament. When batch 7 came out this year, I put it against the reigning champion twice to see how it would hold up.
Both times, batch 7 edged it out. But more on that below.
Methodology
I started with a six-bottle single-elimination bracket, with every matchup tasted blind. Afterward, I did additional blind comparisons between batches 2 and 5, and batches 1 and 3, to help place the bottles that had been eliminated. The attached graphic shows the complete progression. Scores use the t8ke scale.
I own bottles of batches 3, 6 and 7. The rest I obtained samples from freshly cracked bottles from a friend.
The Original Final: Batch 2 vs. Batch 6
Batch 2: Nice dusty note on the nose, with a little funk on the front palate. Good mouthcoat and a great finish, although I wished there was a little more going on through the mid and back palate.
Score: 6.75
Batch 6: Very similar nose, but a sweeter flavor profile on the palate. Classic Russell’s for me. The mouth coat was OK, with a pretty good finish.
Score: 7
Batch 2 had plenty going for it, particularly the finish, but batch 6’s sweeter profile gave it the edge here and the tournament win.
Final Rankings: Batches 1-6
1st: Batch 6
2nd: Batch 2
3rd: Batch 5
4th: Batch 4
5th: Batch 1
6th: Batch 3
These reflect the original tournament and the additional comparisons rather than simply the order of elimination.
What Stood Out?
The biggest recurring issue for me was that some of these batches just tasted thin. There were flavors underneath that I liked, but they didn’t always come through with much intensity or develop into anything particularly interesting.
Batch 3 was the clearest example. In one blind, I wrote that it tasted like an 80 proofer, with almost no mouth tingle or finish. In another tasting, ethanol was the predominant note, with only some basic vanilla and caramel lurking underneath. Overall, just a disappointing experience, which is interesting because at least in my local whiskey community, batch 3 is rather revered.
Batch 2 was my favorite of the earlier releases. Dusty notes, some funk, and a more mature whiskey character showed up at different points, although it could still have some astringency or leave me wishing for more development.
Batch 5 was probably the biggest pleasant surprise. Going into the tournament, I hadn’t been all that impressed with batches 1-4 after trying batch 6. They generally tasted less full-bodied in comparison, and I expected batch 5 to fall into that same category.
It didn’t. The flavors came through immediately, with a vibrant front palate and good mouthcoat and finish. Batch 6 ultimately had more richness and maturity for me, but batch 5 was much more competitive than I expected.
The New Challenger: Batch 6 vs. Batch 7
After batch 7 came out this year, I blinded it against batch 6 twice. The notes below combine those two blind comparisons.
Batch 6: Familiar dusty character on the nose, with good flavor up front and brown sugar/sweetness on the back palate. Generally well balanced, with a great mouthfeel, although in the second tasting there was more ethanol through the development and it wasn’t quite as well integrated as the other glass.
Score: 7 in both tastings
Batch 7: Excellent dusty nose that was particularly prominent in the first comparison. Some funk through the development, with a nice floral note showing up in the second tasting. The front palate had more flavor pop in the first matchup, although it came across a tiny bit thin in the second. Nice mouth tingle and a pretty good finish. Overall very pleasant and crushable.
Scores: 7.1 and 7.25
These were very close. After the first comparison, I wrote that the result could probably flip on any given day. Batch 7 won that one for a little more flavor pop; in the second, its better integration gave it the edge.
After the first reveal, I also wondered whether some of that extra flavor pop could be attributable to batch 7 being more recently opened, while batch 6 had been open for about a year. I can’t say whether that played a role, but it’s worth mentioning given how small the margins were.
Still, two separate blinds produced the same winner, so batch 7 takes the crown in my book.
Thoughts on Value
While I’ve enjoyed the better batches of Russell’s 13, overall I don’t think the lineup warrants the reverence or secondary prices it commands.
I know Wild Turkey has a somewhat cult following, and I really enjoy some of their products, but most of their limited releases have felt overpriced for what they actually are. For a $200 MSRP, I want something that scores at least an 8 on the t8ke scale (excellent). None of the seven Russell’s 13 batches have gotten there for me.
People have asked if I’ve blinded my favorites against Russell’s 15. I haven’t, and honestly, I think they’re so far apart that it would be a pretty futile exercise. Russell’s 15 is simply on another level. It’s my highest-rated Wild Turkey product by far, and the only one I’ve scored above an 8.25.
The better Russell’s 13 batches are great pours. But at this price, I want more than great.
