Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F Review
“Single Rickhouse Collection”
Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F (2023) is the second official Single Rickhouse release from Camp Nelson. Apparently, people who are “in the know” have been following and sipping single barrel releases from Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson rickhouses for a number of years. In 2022 Wild Turkey released their first official “Single Rickhouse” release…the Camp Nelson C…and it was met with rave reviews. Now it appears that Wild Turkey may be planning on doing a whole series of Single Rickhouse releases, featuring the specific “terroir” (taste and flavor imparted by the immediate environment) of individual rickhouses and their impact on a barrel’s aging, flavor, and complexity.
Camp Nelson C was drawn from barrels on the 3rd and 4th floors of rickhouse C; Camp Nelson F is drawn from barrels on the 4th and 5th floors of rickhouse F. It is interesting to note that the proof is 5 points higher on CNF, and it is also selected from barrels from a higher level in the rickhouse, which in theory would have more evaporation of water (and therefore yield a higher proof).
Camp Nelson F is one of six rickhouses (A, B, C, D, E, and F) located at Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson facility. They are believed to have been originally built by the E.J. Curly Distillery which later became Kentucky River Distillery, Inc. around 1946. They were later sold to Canada Dry Distilling around 1959. Sometime later, Wild Turkey initially leased the warehouses at Camp Nelson, but then purchased them in the 1990’s.
From what I can find, Wild Turkey has at least 30 different rickhouses scattered at three different campuses; Camp Nelson, Tyron, and McBrayer, so the “Single Rickhouse Collection” concept has a lot of room for expression.
Series: Single Rickhouse Collection
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: NAS but rumored to be 10 – 15 years
Proof: 117.6
Proof Designation: Barrel Proof
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Barrel Char Level: 4
Barrel Entry Proof: 114
Distillate Source: Wild Turkey
Distillery: Wild Turkey
Company: Campari Group
Bottled By: Wild Turkey
Distilled/Aging Location: Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Master Distiller: Eddie Russell
Release Date: September 2023
MSRP: $300
Secondary Market: $400 to $550
Availability: Low/Rare
Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Camp Nelson F Review
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
For this tasting: Opened Bottle (about 1 week), Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes
Legs
Beads begin to form on the crown at about 8 seconds, tears begin to form at 18 seconds, and the first tears fall to the bowl at about 60 seconds. As the legs begin to form, they bleed together, making a thicker wall and creating more space between them before they finally begin to fall.
Nose
Caramel, vanilla, old oak, maple syrup, mild nutmeg, fig, prune, a hint of dark cherry, leather, cocoa, hints of custard, mild note of root beer, grilled peaches, a hint of peanut.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: I hate that this smells so good! If you’ve ever been in a Wild Turkey rickhouse, you get that rickhouse smell, that barrel funk, the angel’s share, everything you smell in that rickhouse…that’s what’s in this glass. A lot of sweet oak, that cherry/grape note. This is like cherry cola. The Wild Turkey rich orange peel is still there but it’s not a bright citrus, it’s more of a deep, dark, concentrated citrus note. A lot of spice too…cinnamon, clove, oak. The nose is incredible.
Rare Bird 101: “Rickhouse funk,” Dr. Pepper soda, sweet oak char, chocolate-covered cherry, toasted brown sugar, blood orange, confectionery spice.
The Bourbon Culture: (Blind) This smells great right away. It is rich and “desserty” with loads of caramel and vanilla. There are candied citrus zest pieces and pecan praline scents throughout. Baking spices are strong with cinnamon and clove shining throughout.
Palate
Caramel, vanilla, toffee, cherry soda, old oak, mild barrel char, brown sugar, baking spices, cloves, black pepper, currants, leather, tobacco, cocoa.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: This is a ridiculously good bourbon and I’ll tell you why. The second that this hits your palate, the flavors just explode. Cherry coke note wrapped together with dark molasses, a richer burnt caramel note, super confectionary, there’s a lot of sweetness here. This thing’s crazy.
On second sip, you still have those dark flavors but more nuances of this bourbon comes through. Start to pickup a little more of that citrus, that super dark orange, some candy apple. On the back end its spice. I think I get more clove than cinnamon. Maybe the cola has gone Dr. Pepper. This thing is crazy.
Rare Bird 101: (notably robust) singed caramel, molasses, fizzy cola, boozy caramel apple, dark citrus, fruit leather, clove.
The Bourbon Culture: (Blind) My first impressions are of a much spicier whiskey than I was expecting based off of the nose. I immediately begin to wonder if I’m drinking a rye whiskey. There is a lot of cinnamon on the tongue and the herbal flavors stick out to me. But the more I drink it, the more I’m finding familiar bourbon notes too like caramel sauce, vanilla, cherry and citrus peel. Notes of aged oak and tobacco.
Finish
Vanilla, brown sugar, cloves, luxardo cherry, fig on the back palate, sweet oak, burnt sugar.
The finish lasts forever! Sweetness first, then spice dominates for a bit, fading to very classic bourbon flavors of caramel, cherry, and sweet old oak.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: You have your typical caramels and vanillas here, but everything is concentrated. But the spice on this, the finish on this, goes on for days. I get a little bit of a sweet tobacco, rickhousey-like funk on the back end. More of that rich orange, like that deep, dark almost caramelized orange peel type thing on the back end of this as well.
Every time you take another sip, you find more stuff. The powerful flavor punch of it remains the same, but you get different nuances in between.
Rare Bird 101: Long & layered w/ vanilla spice, prickly cherry, charred oak, leather, savory orange, hints of licorice & tobacco.
The Bourbon Culture: (Blind) I found that after the sip was complete, a lot of the heavy rye notes begin to disappear and the whole experience turns sweeter. Baking spices and fruit remain more or less the same level of impact that they had on the palate. This is a very long finish and the tannins really make a show of the age.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is rich and unctuous. Very pleasurable.
The Burn
4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 110 proof, not 117.6 proof.
Tasting Summary
Caramel and old oak hit the palate first and is immediately followed by vanilla and some baking spice. Second sip reveals more spice (cloves & black pepper) along with fig and leather.
My Rating
The higher the score the better the whiskey is in my opinion. For reference, my best rated bottle so far is the George T. Stagg 2022 (138.7p) with a score of 9.7.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 9.1 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
| Availability Score | 2 | 1-Rare, 2-Hard to Find, 3-A Little Hunting, 4-Easy to Find |
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
Notes and History
Camp Nelson was established in 1863 and served as a vital hospital and maintenance/supply station for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. A portion of the land has been used as a cemetery since the camp’s inception in 1863. Following the end of the Civil War, the cemetery was used to reinter Union soldiers who had been buried elsewhere throughout Kentucky. Camp Nelson played a crucial role in supporting the Union’s military efforts in the region during this pivotal period of American history.
Camp Nelson also played a vital role during the Civil War as one of the largest recruitment and training centers for African American soldiers. In addition to its military function, Camp Nelson also served as a refugee camp for the wives and children of these soldiers.
E.J. Curly was stationed at Camp Nelson during the war, and later built a distillery at the location.
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