‘It’s Like a Second Home’: The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience Opens its Doors to the Public

Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey shared that The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience was opening to the public. (Photo: Wild Turkey Distillery)

Wild Turkey announced on Wednesday that it opened its visitor center, the Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience, for public tours and tastings. The campus was named after the brand’s master distiller, Jimmy Russell. The opening is particularly timely, as Russell recently celebrated his 70th anniversary with the Wild Turkey.

“For our family, this isn’t just a place to visit; it’s like a second home,” Wild Turkey Associate Blender Bruce Russell said in a news release. “We’re thrilled to now be able to open our doors a little wider and welcome more folks into this community. The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience is a perfect tribute to granddad and his life-long commitment to spreading the word of bourbon.”

The 12,000-square-foot visitor center boasts three indoor and outdoor bars and a retail shop where guests can purchase limited-edition and collectible whiskeys.

The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience features an outdoor courtyard and bar with views of the Kentucky River, Jo Blackburn Bridge and Young’s High Bridge. A History Walk has been added with a video hallway that educates visitors about the history of bourbon and the significant milestones for Wild Turkey.

The brand introduced the Generations Lounge, which is a “contemporary mixology lounge,” that hosts panoramic views of Kentucky and the program has an ever-changing craft cocktail menu with classic and modern libations.

Wild Turkey shared it was expanding its guided tour series, and guests can participate in tastings of premium whiskeys, tour the brand’s production facilities, explore its rickhouses and partake in a Russell’s Reserve maturation tour.

In 2023, Wild Turkey announced it was implementing major renovations. The bourbon brand shared it would be building another distillery campus with production capabilities of 5 million additional gallons, and Campari invested over $160 million into the brand to help meet demand.

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