Russell's Reserve 2026 Barrel Pick vs 2025; Ep. 64 #russellsreserve #wildturkey #bourbon

Dan and Bob: Good evening. How's it right tonight? Welcome back. Bourbon Brass and Beyond. Tonight's a fun night. Father's Day Russell's Reserve. Right. Taste. So we have a little bit of a comparison tonight. you brought the 2025 OHLQ Russell's barrel pick. And what's deets on that one? let's see. They this eight years. Was in Yeah, it looks like the math is right. Warehouse TYQ floor four. what were these? 55% 110 proof. I think that one's the same. So that's Tyrone. Whereas this one, the this one we just got Saturday. Yeah. Is nine And it is the same juice, right? They just waited one year longer to put it in. And this is from the Camp Nelson warehouse. So now you can say that. What day was that? When was that distilled? It was distilled January twenty-sixth, twenty seventeen. Okay, so it's seven older than this. Yep. And this the twenty twenty six OHL Q pick. Nice. This is of those ones where I'm interested to see what the difference. This one, the new one's a year older, I guess. Well, not quite, but a year older. I really think that they've done a good job with these. I mean and we knock OHLQ all the time, but at the end of the day, there's a couple of these that were surprises. And if I remember right, the last time we did this, it was better than the regular Russell's reserve. It was I think it was better than the ten. It the only thing didn't beat was if it's even down. Yeah. The ⁓ it's the ⁓ ⁓ Yeah, the sixteen from two thousand three. Yeah. Yeah. So and that one was It's crazy good. Yeah, fantastic. Yeah. But all right, well let's do the twenty twenty five. We'll that'll be our base. thank you, sir. This one's been open for a bit too now, so I did crack this one earlier just to let it breathe a little bit. Yeah. It's got a great nose. Great nose. Fruity nose. It does everything right. Like it's like as quintessential. Yeah, it's nice. Great legs. Yeah. And these are all I mean, eight year and I again I think they math sucks, but I mean realistically seven months different. So they're giving that one a whole another year's worth of ⁓ Yeah. I mean, I don't think they're all that much different. And there is there was a lot of talk at the drop Camp Nelson's, yeah. That since this was the Camp Nelson release, Ohio got a bunch from different warehouses, but we were lucky to get the Camp Nelsons. And the fact that this was a nine year age statement. That Russell's hasn't that much. It's crazy good, yeah. Lot of vanilla in there too. Yeah. ⁓ what a nice. Nice rich vanilla on the palate. And it holds too, man. Yeah. ⁓ that's great. Let's hope the new one is this good. Right. what if I I ⁓ probably should have gone back and looked to see how good this thing did. But I if I remember right, it it beat the other things that were out there. Yep, I agree. It was in line with the eighty three wild turkey. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ that's right, I forgot that one too. Yeah, it's legit. It is. And I get like a tangerine like note on it or Like an orange peel. Yeah. I can smell. Yeah. It's not as sweet as orange, but I just get a little bit of a citrus. And what do I have always said about Yeah, ryes ryes. time. Yeah. It's a little drying, I guess, but still it's really, really good. yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. like that I'm a fan. Yeah. So that one was May second, twenty sixteen. Yeah. Right after my day after my birthday. then bottled six April twenty ⁓ twenty Yeah. So that's just look at look at that. It's literally barreled exact or bottled exactly one year later. Four seven four seven. Well, that's interesting. Yeah, and this one is just short. Correct. Yep. Yep. Of nine. Of nine years. So it's like eight years and eleven months. That's gonna be the same exact juice. gonna be the same. Good on them. Listen, this is a great bottle. Let's call it what it is. We always we liked it and it's it holds up here. Yeah. So what's new? Nothing. Family stuff going on, trying to just keep ahead of that stuff. Been busy, so nothing. I mean it is the times that you never expect to be the situations that you never expect. And I think that's the big takeaway for me. So yeah. Yep. Did you end up doing anything with kids yesterday for Father's Day? we went to Pittsburgh. I think we were down there for a couple hours. Did lunch down there, just hung out. I mean, outside of that it was pretty quiet. Came had dinner at my at our place, my mom too. So, I mean that was about it. Nothing major, quiet. I don't wanna say a lazy day, but just a quiet day. So the way I prefer ⁓ I don't need to go or do or I prefer to just stay home and work in the yard. Yeah. How about you guys? So we ended up the boys and I went to breakfast with my dad and the ficuses and ⁓ Steve and Derek and Deven and came back, got ready, went to Steph's family reunion. Okay, nice. Then came back from that and got ready and then my mom and dad and her mom and stepdad came up. Okay. for dinner. And ⁓ that was good. Yeah. Yeah, good. Nice. So had a good time. Good to see everybody, yeah. That's good. Busy. Just very, very busy. Yeah. My brother was out of town. They'd gone to Colorado for a wedding, otherwise and my gut tells he would have ended up over too, but ⁓ Hm. There are certain bottle top types that I can just you just struggle with, and this is one of ⁓ Yeah. curious what you think here. ⁓ Also from floor four. Yeah. You know. Yeah, different warehouse for floor four. So at least they're consistent is the way I see this. Yeah. So I I I take that as they're going for the middle of the road. Yep. Yeah. They don't want something that's too spicy. Well, but they're also pulling from somewhere where they know it's consistent and I mean, even though it's different but same. Yeah. It's different too. That's the crazy part. To the number. Keeps going. I think I wonder if this is one of those ones where it needed to be open a little bit more. I I know. I know. What's take? So as sweet on the nose. I think it's a little flowery more flowery and brighter. Yeah. Not as like this one ⁓ ⁓ mean I'm gonna say this is d dark and moody and this is bright and something. Yeah. I mean the the vanilla and the char is much stronger on this one. On the twenty five. Yeah. ⁓ Maybe a little bit more oxidation for being open. I think that's what it's gotta be. It's the only thing I can think. Cause the nose is Still good. It's even. So initially initially it's a little hotter and that could be for just being cracked. But there is a I'm getting a cherry finish on the palette that I didn't get on the twenty twenty-five. I don't know if I got cherry. The vanilla's not as strong. Yeah. But I think the the dark fruit flavors are a little still stick. Yeah. So to me it's like a different flavor that sticks in the palate. This thing just the first one was just smells very, very rich to me. Yeah. Hmm. I would almost this one almost tastes like a weeder. maybe ⁓ that's the sweet that we're yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It is different enough. So weird. It almost reminds me in the flavor to that Augusta weed single bro that we had. Yep. It does drink a little hotter, I think. I think it's gotta sit open for a while. But I l I I I like it. Yeah. I think it's good. A little bit more of a spice. I get a little more of the medium spice and pepper. Not the same citrus though either. No. Yeah. I would say. Yeah. Yeah, I I'm okay with that too. Yeah. Same thing though, it holds glass really well. Hmm. Go figure. Good on them. Listen, these are both good bottles. Yeah. Very good. I think that's a lot closer in flavor profile To the And that's sixteen years eighty nine point five proof. Yeah. But that's a barrel proof. Yeah. OBC. So So that means it sat on a lower warehouse floor and lost more ⁓ alcohol than it did. Hm. Listen I these are both darn good. This one needs I want this one to be open a little bit longer. I'll come back to these. Yeah. Noze is really good on this first one. Yeah. Hm. on Russell's. And this is on the list of things that it looks like are gonna be kinda consistent, kinda I mean if get this every year, this is not a bad get. No, that that's a great get. And they make ⁓ available. I mean they it wasn't in every store, but the store I went to had three cases by the time I got there at one thirty the afternoon. So there was plenty of it out there is my take. So when I went to Austintown. I mean they they had four cases. what they got in, but were still people coming as we were leaving. Yeah. They would only let us get one. Yeah. So have you heard that there's there was that big release last week, this week, that there's the bottle raffles three places in the state. Yeah, are you going? Yeah. I'm not gonna make it. I've also heard that there's potential for a release. a surprise release that day? ⁓ Well the way I heard this is that there were ⁓ Weller Twelve sitting in stores that Weller Twelve Twelve was not on that list. At least it wasn't in the picture. Actually, no, it was not on the list that they released either. So there has been that maybe that's just gonna be a special at some point. So we'll see. Yeah. Well that'd be nice. Yeah. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Well they did it at the distillery ⁓ week. What'd they have? CYPB last weekend. Yeah, on Saturday. That thing was a mess. they had on Thursday they had the Weller twelve. ⁓ that's right, yep. ⁓ Yeah, and this this whole thing with this raffle, that's a new one. Yeah. Normally it's the statewide raffle. Correct. And these ones I listen, these are I think I saw somebody say the average value of these bottles was thirty five hundred dollars MSRP. It's gonna be the hard part. You you can't bring those bottles to Youngstown, Ohio and expect them to sell. That's the hard part. Yeah. Even collectors are gonna what was Eagle Eagle Rare twenty five is Thirteen thousand dollars or some crazy number. I thought that was the thirty, was it? But they lowered it to twelve five. Crazy, yes. No matter what, ⁓ who's buying that locally, even they take it to big cities, I get it. But I also don't blame the one person one tiny little bit for doing it that way either. Well, and y you're if you're gonna buy one of those bottles, you're gonna buy it and you gonna flip it? Like a lot of those bottles have higher ⁓ MSRPs than they're trading for on second. No, not on the Eagles. I agree, on on the Wetler, like the Daniel Weller or the Weller Millennium or something like that. Yes. But I think on the Eagle Rares, I think they're going. Is anybody drinking those? You got a crazy collection. You open a $13,000 bottle, $30,000 bottle? Pro probably not. I I just view there as way, way I mean if if it if money wasn't the issue. Well, but it is. That's the problem. Yeah. Is and I understand why I'm not knocking the distilleries or Ohio or whoever for selling it. It is what it is. They're gonna sell them. Let's go and for all we know they've got one bottle of each of those. at those stores. My question is and I I didn't read all the way through it, but if you get selected to buy it and you don't choose to buy it, does it just go for whoever's sitting in line? I'll buy it. I'm interested to see how that goes. That to me is the wild card with how this one's gonna work. I mean I will I will There's gonna be plenty of people there. Right. I will say this now that if I got lucky enough to get selected for the Eagle 25 You're buying it. I'm buying I listen I ⁓ an investment it's probably ⁓ a shit investment, but as a bottle to have, it don't get much better. No. I mean call what you want about whatever else is floating around. Right. It makes the papies look cheap, even at secondary. Right. So, yeah. Right. Yeah. They don't have spot up there. ⁓ I can I find a place for it. I can readjust. We'll find a place. Yeah. I mean I've I've got I've got it filled up now, but I've got room in the other bar and the upstairs bar and Yeah. I'm I'm sure we can it'll find a place. It'll find a place. Yeah. well this is good tonight. Yeah. I like it. Yeah. the other thing that so they're doing a Stagg. The GTS Stagg is supposed to be and then the Eagle Rare seventeen. Yep. So the seventeen, the twenty and the twenty five. Crazy. And the Sazerac eighteen. Okay. Which is one of the newer ones. Of the BTAC. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ I would would love to find an Eagle Rare seventeen or ⁓ listen I eighteen. ⁓ at somewhat close to MSRP? Yeah. I mean I think I think really that's Yeah, ⁓ I agree. Yeah. Listen, they're all great bottles, they're all worth whatever. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just not in the market. I'm I'm not their target demographic. So yeah, it's like a much brighter Yeah, it is. Nose. And it's ⁓ it's not char chocolate, but it's got some sort of the first one has just a and maybe it's more oaky. Maybe that's what I got. You think the first the twenty twenty five is more oaky? it's dramatically definitely on the ⁓ definitely on the nose, I think it's more oaky, yeah. I think on the palate though, I I ⁓ think the twenty twenty six has a ⁓ I agree. I agree. And it's still fresh crack, so give it a little bit of time. Yeah. This one, listen, we liked it. Like I said, we liked this one first time around, but it's holding up and it might have gotten better. I agree. I think a number of the bottles get better. ⁓ yeah. That's why fresh crack's a thing. Gotta give it. Yeah. You keep telling Caleb's crossing. This one threw me for a loop. really did. I I tell you that ⁓ It's a and I was and I stand corrected on the last podcast. So this is a 12 year 95/5 rye. Okay. Blended with a seven year bourbon from Green River. Okay. So Do we know which one? Just a regular bourbon? Just the regular bourbon. ⁓ You've been talking about this nonstop. And David Jennings picked out the barrels and of course the ninety five five rye is Michter's Yeah. So this is the twelve year Michter's and a seven year River. Mm. And it's and it's it's very fitting to do this with Russell's reserve since David Jennings about wild turkey. Rarebird 101. I mean he is his wild turkey. So this is I'm gonna go back and compare it to this first one with its just dark and and again, I don't know if it's chocolatey that I'm smelling in there, but yeah. It's got it's got a much darker nose than this for than I would say it's a softer nose. No, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I agree. It's not as spicy hot, whatever you want to call that. Yeah. Well, it's probably a little bit less rye, too. I it's ninety five five. ⁓ well. I you know even mixed, it's probably not. Yeah, you're right. You know, I I think this is probably at least forty five, fifty percent rye. Yeah, no, you're right. Yeah. Hmm. Yeah, I get the I don't always say about the citrus that you talk about with the ryes, but this one I think I do. Definitely got that rye on it. Mm-hmm. And I'll sit with it feel that the palate change. It's got a lot of rye spice on So for me, as the rye dissipates, that pepper, yeah, that baking spice dissipates. I get this this orange nectarine peach flavor that just doesn't go away. It just stays for forever. I'll agree the flavor holds. still stuck on the rye. I don't know. It's not bad. I just don't think it's me. That ryes pretty strong in it. What's the proof on this? Hm. Mm. this is batch two, bottle three ninety two of six fifty eight. I have a couple rivers that I haven't even opened yet. I have the bourbon and the wheated single barrels. I haven't even opened So we should do a Green River. Yeah, we'll have to do a Green River. I think we need to do a seventeen ninety two too. that was the other one. Sweet wheat's supposed to show up this week too. Yeah. Hmm. should have grabbed a twelve year when I ⁓ got one. So I have it. Okay. Okay. I think it's actually in my garage right now. Listen, I ⁓ it made it into the house yet? No, it has not. She doesn't go looking, but it has not. ⁓ I'm supposed to ask, how's your slushy machine? ⁓ listen, we made Wednesday? Tuesday last week? Tuesday last week. We've not done the alcohol adult version, but we did some blue raspberry that my kids were crushing that day. So Lily spent some time figuring them out and we got the f we got one dialed in for slushie. So I think we're gonna have to figure out a lemon cello now too for the adults. Yeah. Well I also think it you know what you could do is like apple cider, I think would be freaking awesome in the in the fall. I think awes ⁓ I love apple cider, so I mean I guess that's more telling about me than ⁓ Could you just do that? There it is. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Caleb's crossing's not my it's very rye. I get it. To your point though, the flavor does hold really nice and it it does have a nice finish on it. And I guess it it's just like that surprising pepper, but but that that finish is just to me fantastic. Like I still have legs on the glass. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. it your it's in your top five now then at that point, the way you've been talking about it. ⁓ As far as a rye, you know, like yeah. Yeah. Hm. Yeah. What else? Is there anything else we haven't No, I'm good. Not eating anything yet today. Ugh. I'm in trouble. in trouble. We had leftovers. Yeah. So Wesley started conditioning this morning with freshman football. Football. So that's why. So you won't see him for the next month too? Yeah. Every morning. Yeah. Seven fifteen. We gotta leave. He's gonna for fun driving football practice. Yep. Good for him though. Yeah. Is he excited? He is. Yeah, that's all that matters. He is. Keep him motivated, g give him something to do, keep him out of the house. Well, and he's gonna dress. ⁓ is he? Good. Yeah, good freshman. So Good. You know? Yeah. Good for him. Yep. Happy for him. Yep, for sure. but now all the emails are coming out about the ⁓ So I am ⁓ gonna a basket. Okay. Possibly two. Well yeah, we I my take is whatever we gotta put in those to make it work. Yeah. You tell me how many you wanna put in there. I've got a couple, like I said, at home. So th they want the baskets to be at least like fifty dollars in value, but figure we'll put a couple hats, we'll put yeah I do have a couple buffalo trace glasses. Yeah, there you go and then we can piece them together. Yeah. So two bottles a basket. Yeah. I like it. Yeah. I think that'll work. But ⁓ yeah, so that'll be fun. Yeah. Fun never yeah, the fun never ends and it's just now starting. That's the funny part. Yeah. Be a busy boy. Yeah. Crazy. Friday nights will be fun. That's the nice part. Well, and I'm already there anyway, because Wyatt's marching. Yeah. You know, he's in the in the in the band and ⁓ he'll be a sophomore, so he's really enjoying that. Good. He's probably in the practice now too, right? Yeah, well, and now Asher, since it's Springfield, they let the seventh and eighth graders, if they would like to, march. ⁓ do they? Okay. Good. So Asher's gonna march and that's nice. So they'll ⁓ be there. ⁓ you gotta go anyways. Yeah. Go for the band, stay for the game. Yeah. the motto. This is why Lily chose not to do band, though, by the way. We're like, you you have to be outside in the rain in March, right? Yeah. Give me a wood instrument that can't be outside. Yeah. No, it'll it'll be fun. Yeah. It'll be fun. Well, I'm I'm happy with Camp Nelson. I know it's just a fresh crack. holds up though. Yeah. I I They're good. I thought that was darker for a second. It was just the way it was sitting. Yeah. I was getting reflection here. I thought the same thing a couple of times, but that was because this one was behind that one. Yeah. Yep. You know what the lights over there? And I'm a fan of the Caleb's cross. Yeah. Listen, it's not bad. It's just not me. Hopefully we'll get to talk to David about that soon. And we could probably talk about a couple of these too. Yeah. You know. So that'll be keep going, yeah. I like it. Well, thanks for watching. ⁓ have a a a great week and a good night. Please like, subscribe, share, five stars. follow us at www. And leave a comment, please. We appreciate it. Everybody have a great night. Have a good night.