Russell’s Reserve’s New Single Rickhouse Bourbon Is Here, and It Has an Unexpected Flavor Profile

(Photo: Russell’s Reserve)

On Tuesday, Russell’s Reserve announced the release of its fifth Single Rickhouse bourbon, a 120.8-proof expression from Camp Nelson D that Master Distiller Eddie Russell says has an unusually rye-like profile.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse 2026 – Camp Nelson D is available now for a suggested retail price of $300 per 750-milliliter bottle at select U.S. retailers and the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center.

The limited release comes as Russell marks 45 years at Wild Turkey Distilling Co. It is also the first Single Rickhouse release to draw barrels from five different floors of the same warehouse.

Built in 1946, Camp Nelson D is one of five historic rickhouses still standing on the Camp Nelson property. It sits on the western side of the campus at the highest elevation of any rickhouse featured in the Single Rickhouse Collection so far.

Its elevated, west-facing position leaves the warehouse exposed to consistent airflow, creating a maturation environment Russell’s Reserve says has produced a different character from previous releases.

“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,” Master Distiller Eddie Russell said in a news release. “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.”

The bourbon is non-chill filtered and bottled at 120.8 proof.

“We don’t typically draw from the first floor,” Russell said. “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,” he said.

Russell’s Reserve describes the aroma as baked fruit, apple, baking spices and vanilla. The palate brings cinnamon, clove, stone fruit and rye bread, followed by a medium-length finish with rye spice, pepper, cinnamon and spicy oak.

The Single Rickhouse Collection is designed to explore how a bourbon’s aging environment can influence its final character.

While the whiskey-making fundamentals and recipe remain consistent, Russell’s Reserve examines differences in rickhouse location, elevation and airflow to highlight how maturation conditions affect the spirit.

Camp Nelson D is the collection’s highest-elevation rickhouse release to date.

The new bourbon is the fifth expression in the Single Rickhouse Collection and continues Russell’s long-running interest in how barrels develop differently depending on where they are stored.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse 2026 – Camp Nelson D is available for a limited time at $300 per 750-milliliter bottle at select U.S. retailers and the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center.