By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
(Credit: Campari)
Lately it has come into vogue for major distillers to cultivate limited edition series based on their warehouse properties. Only a major distiller can do this, since craft distillers often have just the one barrel house, and even if they have more than one, the geographic and construction differences between them are trivial. In fact, having some variety to use for a series of this kind is not guaranteed even for a major legacy distiller. Take Four Roses: they mature everything at their Bullitt County property in uniform, one-story warehouses.
Wild Turkey has that diversity of location needed to do a series of this kind. The distillery itself sits atop the Kentucky River Palisades, so the rickhouses there either directly overlook the Kentucky River or else are just on the other side of a crest or reverse slope. Another property they own is at Camp Nelson, located in Jessamine County and miles from any river, due south of Lexington. That is the basis for this fifth installment of Wild Turkey’s Single Rickhouse series, with the batch having been drawn from barrels aged on all six floors of Camp Nelson’s D rickhouse.
Camp Nelson D is an immediate post-war era building, erected in 1946, and it is one of the five historic rickhouses still standing on the Camp Nelson property. The building has some special characteristics, even compared to its neighbors, differences which are not related to how it was built. Positioned on the western side of the campus and at the highest elevation of any rickhouse featured in the Collection to date, Camp Nelson D sits apart from the surrounding warehouses. Its elevated, exposed, west-facing position creates strong, consistent airflow, contributing to an aging environment not previously explored through the Collection.
“Camp Nelson D was the first rickhouse I ever worked in at Camp Nelson when I started as a union employee 45 years ago, so coming back to it for this release meant a lot to me,” said Master Distiller Eddie Russell. “We set out looking for those sweeter notes we know and love, but the rye spice notes immediately stood out. It’s the most different Single Rickhouse release we’ve created, proving how every rickhouse can shape whiskey.
We don’t typically draw from the first floor. But some of the barrels we tasted down there contributed an earthy character that helped build the spicy, rye-like profile we found ourselves chasing. Once we realized what was developing, we leaned into it. This is the first Single Rickhouse release where, tasted blind, you’d bet it was a rye.”
The Bourbon
Single Rickhouse releases are bottled at cask strength, which for this batch is 120.8 proof. Despite that ballsy proofing, the bourbon has an almost rye-like look to it, taking on a bright, middle amber coloring. It was perfect for October, actually, leaning hard on orange as it did.
The nose opened musty and with a strong current of herbaceous spiciness: cinnamon and clove tethered to spicy basil and spearmint. Behind that was a foundation of a sweet side, with vanilla and nectarines. I can get why Eddie Russell says this bourbon could be mistaken for a rye whiskey, because insofar as the look and scent are concerned, I agree completely.
The palate turned away from that herbal-spicy character. It’s still spicy, but not herbal. Cinnamon and clove are joined by rye spice, plus a hefty helping of pepper drying things out. It’s a touch oaky, but only a touch. The fruity-cum-vanilla foundation holds steady. The finish rolls off that dry, spicy current, but that fades swiftly and leaves behind just the sweet aspect. A non-descript herbal note returns on the last dot of the finish.
The Price
The MSRP on this offering is $300 a bottle.
