Russell’s Reserve 2002 Review | The Daily Pour
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92Excellent

Russell’s Reserve 2002

Bourbon Wild Turkey
  • Distiller

    Wild Turkey

  • Bottler

    Wild Turkey

  • ABV

    57.3%

  • Age

    15 Years

  • Price $200+

This is a limited edition release from Wild Turkey that is focusing on trying to create a blend of barrels that could top Russell's Reserve 1998.

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Aggregated Reviews
  • Raided Score: 90
  • Wine Enthusiast
  • By Kara Newman
  • The resiny midpalate is tinged with espresso, finishing with hints of cigar wrapper and sweet spices.
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  • Raided Score: 80
  • The Daily Pour
  • By t8ke
  • I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in this. It's oaky, dry, a bit thinner on the palate than Id like and also a bit hotter than I think it should be.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 95
  • Drinkhacker
  • By Christopher Null
  • Lately it’s become fashionable to release very sweet whiskeys that mask any flaws lingering in the underlying spirit. Russell’s Reserve 2002 says that’s all bull, and that real bourbon has some muscle to it. As for RR 2002: Does it ever.
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 94
  • WhiskyCast
  • By Mark Gillespie
  • The finish is long and smooth with lingering spices and touches of cooked bananas and coconut. Excellent!
  • Read Full Review
  • Raided Score: 92
  • Breaking Bourbon
  • By Nick
  • While the ethanol is well under control, its overall complexity overshadows a somewhat ad hoc delivery of flavors, which is really the only fault I can find with it.
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  • Raided Score: 93
  • The Whiskey Jug
  • By Josh Peters
  • There are zero off notes and it does something magical that all excellent whiskies should… it makes me want to explore it. Take my time, slow down, enjoy, use water to strip through some of the layers of alcohol and see what’s going on inside this bottle. Well done Eddie.
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  • Raided Score: 95
  • The Whiskey Wash
  • By Courtney Kristjana
  • The Russell's Reserve 2002 is a wonderful bourbon to sip on; the complexities and warmth are a true delight to the palate. Although released in June, I'd save this bold whiskey to enjoy during the fall or winter; given the limited availability, one has to ration with each dram.
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  • Raided Score: 94
  • Whisky Advocate
  • By Jeffery Lindenmuth
  • The sweetness, perfectly permeated with earthy complexity, is totally captivating, made complete by a long and satisfying finish laced with spices.
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  • Raided Score: 95
  • Distiller
  • By Jacob Grier
  • It's big, delightful, stunner of a bourbon.
  • Read Full Review

Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.

House Review
  • Nose:

    Oak, pepper, honey, lemon, orange peel, toffee. Faint musty tobacco. Faint clove. Very fruit forward, sweetness and oak are on the back burner.

  • Taste:

    Medium mouth feel, a bit more heat than Id like. Oak, pepper, clove. Some sweetness. Orange peel, faint caramel. Mild cocoa. None of those older, rich delectable musty tobacco notes I get in thinks like Pewter, Split Label and those old decanters.

  • Finish:

    Short to medium in length. Surprising amount of heat. Oak, pepper, clove, musty tobacco. Not a lot of sweetness here, doesnt stick around for a long time. Dry, bittering oak.

  • Overall:

    I have to admit, Im a little disappointed in this. Its oaky, dry, a bit thinner on the palate than Id like and also a bit hotter than I think it should be. The citrus peel is there, that musty Turkey tobacco is super faint and found in the finish only, but honestly, Id take the vast majority of Russells Reserve Single Barrel bourbon and rye selections Ive had over this, and if I had to choose, Id put this on par with WT101.

  • Score:

    80

  • By t8ke
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources