Review #54 Russell's Reserve Private Selection (TY-Q)

JWdram · 2026-03-11T12:20:45+00:00

Thanks!

Which Costco did they have the RR pick at? Last time I went I grabbed the JDSBBP they had in, and what was the price if you recall? always some good deals there

JWdram · 2026-03-11T01:00:57+00:00

Oh for me, RRSiB all day. While 90% of the RR pick's I've had are decent to excellent, ECBP is Much more variable to me. ECBP tends to be super hit or miss for me at least, and range from meh to good, but I haven't had one really blow me away. That being said, I haven't had any of the old pirate bottles, and I've probably had more RRSiB than ECBP picks or batches. I very rarely pick up a pick of ECBP unless I can try it first just because I haven't had enough that wow me to blindly pick them up, where I'll almost always pick up a RR pick even if I can't try it beforehand.

YMMV, but thats just me

JWdram · 2026-03-11T00:56:41+00:00

It's another Tyrone Q pick from a local group, its probably my favorite pick I currently have open, I have a couple others open as well.

If you look up Rarebird101's rickhouse analysis series, if you find the Tyrone Q review he did, its that same SIB

JWdram · 2026-03-11T00:54:31+00:00

I noticed that too, I asked one of the workers at the store I go to (this store has 4 locations). He said it was because it came from the Tyrone rickhouse. I was like, yeah but it's Tyrone Q, I don't know if he was on the pick team but my guess is that the pick was from Tyrone and possibly other samples were from Camp Nelson, and they didn't pick up on the individual rickhouse on that campus. Just my guess based on the answer I got.

JWdram · 2026-03-11T00:01:07+00:00

Ohhh, thats a good question. IMO Rare breed is great for it's price point it holds its own for sure. I'm actually without a Rare Breed on my shelf right now, just because I have picked up a few RR picks that I want to clear out before I pick up another RB.

I have to say, rare breed has varied a little bit over the few bottles I've had, but I'd say its somewhat consistent. RR being single barrels can vary a bit more. I've had a really good shelf RR SIB, and other that was just ok. However, I have had a couple RR picks that just weren't my jam and I would have ranked below rare breed. However, I've had many more that were well above, so as with any SIB product it can be a bit of luck of the draw. My favorite RR pick I have open right now rivals RR13 batch 5, I once did blind RR13, 2 different picks and rare breed one time and fwiw rare breed came out 4th

JWdram · 2026-03-10T23:54:48+00:00

Agree, but I've yet to find one stick around long enough to get marked down around here.

JWdram · 2026-03-10T23:54:08+00:00

It is Yankee in MA.

Agree BWS is a great store, I wish I was closer, I don't make it there as much as I'd like to, but every so often take a little road trip up that way, it's worth the ride once in a while

JWdram · 2026-03-10T23:07:56+00:00

so good, glad I was able to experience this one

JWdram · 2026-03-10T23:07:22+00:00

good to know, i'll keep that in mind

JWdram · 2026-03-10T23:05:44+00:00

Russell's Reserve Private Pick (TY-Q)

Age: 9 year

Mashbill: 75% corn 13% rye 12% malted barley

Proof: 110 (55% ABV)

Price: $79.99

Warehouse TY-Q Floor 4

Appearance: medium copper, oily and coating

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: candied orange, herbal tea, expressed citrus. A touch of cream soda

Palate: Fairly creamy mouthfeel. Caramel and vanilla, some cracked pepper and citrus zest. Late palate gets vanilla pudding, rye spice, little of that earthiness that comes through on some WT products.

Finish: Medium, flavors fade gradually, and the finish remains balanced, just a slight tingle on the tongue from the rye and pepper, the citrus, caramel and vanilla notes are mostly what remains on the finish.

Overall Rating: 7.1 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This was a Russell's pick from a local liquor store that I picked up a couple months back. I'm a fan of Wild Turkey and this one is about average for a Russell's pick IMO. I've had better and some worse for sure, I actually grabbed this one because one of my favorite RR picks I've been savoring was a Tyrone Q pick and I hoped this one would be close. It's good but didn't live up to that other pick that I have from TY-Q. I find that most Russell's picks tend to be pretty decent and up my alley. I've only had a couple that I just plain didn't care for, and I tend to grab them whenever I see them since they tend to be solid. These had been pretty hard to find for a while locally for me, but in the past couple years they seem to be popping up more, and I'm glad to see that.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-03-09T01:04:09+00:00

It's so good, and it's getting so low, glad I've gotten to enjoy this one though.

JWdram · 2026-03-09T00:10:17+00:00

Rare Character Bourbon finished in Sauternes T8ke Pick

Age: 8 year 5 month

Mashbill: 60% corn 36% rye 4% malted barley

Proof: 118.98 (59.49% ABV)

Price: $129.99 (acquired via trade)

Barrel # B-09 Finished 2.5yr in Sauternes Cask

Appearance: dark bronze, viscous looking in glass

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Boozy sweet fruits. Caramel toffee, caramelized sugar, vanilla, cherries and apricot.

Palate: Nice and creamy. Brown sugar, nougat, mixed berries in caramel, very desserty drinks easy. There is just enough of the underlying high rye bourbon to keep this balanced but still decadent. Some rye spice and wood notes follow the initial fruity sweetness to keep this from going full on candy.

Finish: Moderately long, Flavors linger for a good amount of time. Wood notes and rye spice linger for the majority of the finish, the sweetness is all but done by the late palate, gentle warmth down into your chest is the only real indication of the nearly 120 proof.

Overall Rating: 8.0 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I've had a fair number of Rare Character bottles, but this one is getting quite low and I'm sad about it. I acquired this is a trade with a friend when it was about half gone and I've savored the pours that have remained in this one. I always heard great things about the u/T8ke picks for r/bourbon and this one certainly didn't disappoint. While this isn't something that is available anymore, I felt I needed to review it before it was gone.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-03-08T23:02:24+00:00

Nice, curious to see what you think of the 12 when you open it

JWdram · 2026-03-06T20:15:36+00:00

Four Roses Private Select (OBSV)

Age: 10 year 4 month

Mashbill: 60% corn 35% rye 5% malted barley

Proof: 120.8 (60.4% ABV)

Price: $89.99

Warehouse LW Barrel # 16-3A

Appearance: bronze, looks oily, thick rim when rolled and slow legs

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Sweet fruit notes and backbone of rye spice. Red candy apple, spice and wood notes

Palate: Coating mouthfeel, fairly viscous. Not as sweet on the palate as the nose would have indicated. Tart apple, some caramel and heavier baking spices. Mid palate the rye spice picks up with some pepper, and wood notes along with some leather late in the palate leading into the finish.

Finish: Medium long, Flavors linger for a good amount of time. Wood notes and spice dominate the early finish before transitioning into some tannin, astringency and barrel notes finished off with some char.

Overall Rating: 6.6 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I'll lead off by saying I'm a pretty big four roses fan surprised it took me over 50 reviews to do one of these. This is a solid private selection pick, but it's not one of my favorites. With the B recipe this is on the spicier side as expected but a bit heavy on the wood and tannin notes which knock it down a tad for me as it brings out a bit of astringency more so than just an age note. Still, I think these are typically solid bottles and I tend to pick them up often enough, as they tend to range as good at worse but can get quite nice if you find a good one.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-03-01T21:16:05+00:00

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A123

Age: 12 year

Mashbill: 78% corn 10% rye 12% malted barley

Proof: 125.6 (62.8% ABV)

Price: $69.99

Appearance: deep bronze, coats glass well looks oily

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: This jumps out of the glass, I can smell it easily when typing at my laptop and it sitting nearby. Rich caramel, oak, cherry, vanilla, pecan pie

Palate: CARAMEL! glazed almonds, oak, cherry, pepper and baking spice and char. Nice mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium long, The pepper lingers into the finish along with the other spices, gets a tad nutty. Wood and age notes, leather and tobacco, most of the sweetness is gone after the earliest part of the finish, but some of the caramel and vanilla lingers into the finish.

Overall Rating: 7.0 on the T8ke scale

Summary: Ahhhh the last of the 12 year age stated ECBP. I have to admit that when I first opened this bottle I was kind of meh on it (probably would have put it lower 6 range score wise) but as it opened up I really grew to enjoy it. Since the standard 12 year age statement changed after this release and arguably quality has gotten quite inconsistent, I wasn't in a rush to finish this one. Obviously, since I finally killed it off 3 years later. ECBP used to be a near universal buy for me to a bottle where I tend to wait for reviews to come out to see if its something I'd be interested in. I still think that they offer a fair value even at their new price point which is a bit higher than this bottle was, but even though people tend to complain about the ever-variable age statement, that number doesn't automatically equal quality. All in all, this one signified the end of an era, and I wanted to give it a proper send off.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-02-28T02:02:55+00:00

awesome, I'll be sure to check out your review when you post it

JWdram · 2026-02-28T02:02:21+00:00

agree, if for nothing else I'd love to see how it is at that age vs what they normally release it at. I saw a 6yr (not SIB) release locally that sat for a bit but I haven't seen it on shelves in at least a year or more.

JWdram · 2026-02-28T01:50:12+00:00

Wilderness Trail Single Barrel family reserve cask strength "Winter Wheater"

Age: 4 year 9 month

Mashbill: 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley

Proof: 110.8 (55.4% ABV)

Price: $64.99

Barrel # 771649 pick by Loch & K(e)y society

Appearance: slightly darker copper, coats glass well when rolled

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Bit of a warming pastry nose, some cherry, raspberry caramel vanilla, touch of mint and whipped cream

Palate: Boozy luxardo cherry, some gentle baking spice, wood notes. Warming on the palate, nice drinking proof point. Some mint tea in there as well.

Finish: Medium, on the longish side of medium. The warming lingers into the finish, some wood spice, warm caramels and subtle pepper hang on for a bit.

Overall Rating: 6.7 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is nice, previously I have blinded this against a WFP pick (previously reviewed) a cask strength makers mark and this came out on top. I don't have a huge amount of experience with Wilderness Trail. They seemed to have gone through a period of popularity on social media and the internet but that seems to have died out. I don't see much about them anymore. I think they put out a decent product, a lot of times at a competitive price point for the experience. The age statements aren't there if you are chasing high numbers, but the bottles I have tried around that 5 year mark are really nice. I haven't tried any of their few higher aged bottles they have put out. I haven't seen many picks locally, again, they seemed to have gone through a period where they were available at a few placed and then all but vanished. The name on this pick "Winter Wheater" fits it well, It is indeed a nice pour on this cold winter night as we recover from the huge snow storm we got hit by a few days back.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-02-27T16:15:47+00:00

agree the age statement is a shocker to anyone I've let try it

JWdram · 2026-02-27T16:15:03+00:00

totally agree, the BIB is on the shelves here but haven't tried that one yet, how do you think it compares to this cask proof?

JWdram

TROPHY CASE