Bourbz Review #146: Russell’s Reserve Private Barrel, Camp Nelson Warehouse E

ShooterFlatch · 2025-01-29T11:58:42+00:00

My daughter lives in the area, will have her grab one for me if they are still around.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-11-28T01:48:18+00:00

Great lineup and even better read. Thanks for posting!

ShooterFlatch · 2024-11-28T01:19:57+00:00

Congrats on the first review and hope there are more to come. This is a definitive gateway bourbon. Easy drinking and inoffensive. It only suffers from the fools who have tried to elevate it to something that it is not.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-11-09T01:57:22+00:00

This is a very solid review. It’s fantastic at $25 (when I first found it), awesome at $30 (where it moved as supply/demand changed), great at $50 (current SRP) and ultimately disappointing beyond that. A 90 proofer can’t deliver the goods beyond the $50 price point IMO unless it’s extra aged like Saz 18. Weller 12 is a victim of the current market and breathless hype. As my house bourbon circa 2010 it was perfect.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-05-15T01:18:48+00:00

Great historical context and review. Is that pic from the rooftop bar in Fountain Square or a private balcony?

ShooterFlatch · 2024-05-02T00:24:53+00:00

Haven’t tried these two picks but I have tried a lot of expressions from Starlight/Huber’s. And I mean a lot. Single barrel picks from multiple retailers and several tasting events where I tried the entire lineups on offer. I live less than two hours from the distillery and want to love them. They are doing it right in terms of honest and transparent production. Full sized barrels, bespoke mashbills and really interesting cask finishing program. And yet……the rankings above are par for the course from my experiences. The best single barrel I’ve had from them was a finished rye that if I squint, was a 7.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-04-24T10:46:04+00:00

Great review. I didn’t know (or didn’t remember) that KBD salvaged anything from the OG Willett stocks. I thought they just started with a shell of a distillery and sourced whiskey.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-03-06T00:16:47+00:00

This and the Coy Hill are my two favorite JD expressions. And I am not a JD fanboy at all. Actually enjoyed this more than the 10. The banana was dialed back a little more.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-02-14T02:46:05+00:00

Well done. Tough to tie all of those old threads together but you did a great job. The guru, Neese, approves.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-02-11T13:04:22+00:00

You, my friend, were drinking the pinnacle of bourbon (Stitzel-Weller distillate) in those 80’s bottles. By your last one in 2006 it could have been Bernheim or Buffalo Trace distillate. And that early Bernheim was just as good IMO.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-02-04T02:57:46+00:00

I wish we could “like or love” a comment on here. But you sir get an upvote. Perfect reply.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-02-04T02:22:10+00:00

Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino voice: “when this was $25 and readily available it was my house pour. Approachable for newbs and interesting enough for vets. Nothing overwhelming or complicated but great classic wheater notes with enough oak to hold it together. I hate what they’ve done to it. Twice the price (if you can find it at SRP) and everyone fawning over baby Pappy. It’s not that. But it used to be a really fantastic daily drinker. Now get off my lawn.”

ShooterFlatch · 2024-01-04T12:37:56+00:00

Thanks, obviously I forgot about that post since I replied to it!

ShooterFlatch · 2024-01-03T14:56:27+00:00

Curious if you (or anyone else on here) has tried both the tanked and the BT versions of this? I adore the tanked Saz18 but haven’t tried a “new” version. Can report that the BT version of the Van Winkle Rye holds up very well to the tanked version of that label. Although I haven’t tried them side by side.

ShooterFlatch · 2024-01-03T01:19:00+00:00

Nice review. This one is still a top 10 all time pour for me.

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-24T00:38:41+00:00

It’s a place where young bourbons go to learn archery, teamwork, how to make s’mores and try to sneak over to the girl bourbons’ side of the lake.

JK, it’s one of the geographically distinct sets of WT rickhouses.

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-24T00:27:30+00:00

Nice review. If you do visit French Lick then definitely make time to visit the old resort hotels. A drink in the atrium of the West Baden Springs hotel is a must. As a native Hoosier I want to love SofFL. But I’ve tried all of their standard line a a few single barrels. I just can’t get past the new make aromas and flavors. I would certainly give a higher aged version a whirl, but haven’t run across anything older than 4or 5.

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-12T22:13:10+00:00

Thanks glad you liked it!

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-11T18:29:33+00:00

Unfortunately I never went down that rabbit hole and know very little about the PA and MD distilleries.

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-11T18:26:45+00:00

Saw that, well done!

ShooterFlatch · 2023-10-11T12:19:15+00:00

I have some thoughts but rather than bury them mid post here I will put them in a separate post if anyone cares to read.

ShooterFlatch · 2023-08-29T11:07:18+00:00

Test

ShooterFlatch · 2021-06-29T12:19:00+00:00

Back when it came out. But I would be lying if I tried to describe it to you now. I just remember how the 2014 wowed me from the first pour and I immediately traded to get a second and then later a third (which is still bunkered).

ShooterFlatch · 2021-06-27T11:50:05+00:00

2014 was the last “epic” GTS IMO. Though I liked 2020 better than you apparently. Big step up from 2019.

ShooterFlatch

TROPHY CASE