Russell's Reserve 6 Year Rye

Anyone following me here knows, that in addition to loving a top notch rye, I also love a decent budget rye so I'm always on the lookout. I'm of the opinion that rye tends to be the best value for money style of whisky out there in that you can get really decent stuff without breaking the bank, and even though I have a couple favorites in the under $30 range, my blind spot is the $30-$50 range. If I'm not going for the budget rye, I'm going bigger: cask strength stuff with higher age statements. But there are a few in that $30-$50 range I've been meaning to try that I simply haven't reached: WhistlePig Piggyback comes to mind as well as Michter's and Jack Danie's Single Barrel Rye. But recently, having tasted the Russell's Reserve 10 Year bourbon and seeing this on sale just yesterday after getting out of a meeting where I thought I should treat myself, I figured it's time to hit up the Russell's 6 Year rye, since the community score here for this is exactly the same for the bourbon (currently: 3.75), which puts it in the expect it to be decent but not knock your socks off category, right? Well, that's exactly what this is, though I'm going to have to go 3.5 myself. It's not going to change your idea of what a rye is, it's not going to rock your world, but unless you're a super snob, you're also not going to pour this down the sink. The nose is nice and full of rye spice with a slight edge of sweetness. At the edge of the spice could either be vanilla or bubble gum here. I've seen other reviewers mention both, and it really could go either way. The complaints about it being 90 proof seem fairly well founded when it hits the tongue, because it's got an ultra-light mouthfeel with the nose spice muted (even though I also can't complain about sipping on a 90 proofer from the perspective of feeling it less tomorrow morning). The finish is of medium-length and the sweetness takes over from the spice on its way out, definitely becoming heavier on the vanilla with a slight hit of mint, but the impression doesn't last terribly long. It's been about two years since I've had Woodford Reserve Rye, but if I can trust my memory at all, these two bear a striking similarity in profile (as well as price range), but if I had the choice, I think I'd favor the Woodford. Having said that, there are two under $30 ryes that come to mind that I like better than this in both Sazerac and Old Forester (not to mention I gave this whisky's cousin the Wild Turkey 101 rye the same score as this one and that bottle is $15 dollars less), so while I don't think I'm going to have any trouble finishing this bottle (and while I'll likely give some to my dad when he comes over for the football game Sunday to see what he thinks), I doubt I'm going back to this well. If I'm going to drop $36.99 on a Russell's product in the future, it'll be the bourbon, which is amusing in a sense given how much I favor rye. The bourbon is simply the superior product in this line.

N: Caramel deeply colored by sage, tarragon, green grass, and rosemary, some lemon and vanilla, mint, medicinal herbs, splash of ethanol. P: Sweet caramel, vanilla, bread, dash of wood, menthol, green grain, butterscotch, nicely rounded but anonymous sweet flavors, touch of salt, touch of char, seaweed(?), dried leaves, tree bark, hint of petrichor. F: Menthol - almost like a Vick's VapoRub, but not that strong - char, spice, cinnamon, oak, earth, grass, caramel, and vanilla. I feel like there are two types of rye out there: 1) the Christmas spiced rye (like Old Overholt BIB and the Knob Creek ryes), which I tend to really like, and 2) the green grain, herbal, minty, menthol, eucalyptus type of rye, which I tend to at least kinda dislike if not openly hate. The nose on this feels like the epitome of the herbal rye whiskey. And I dig it. It's balanced - showcases the herbal notes without going too far down that rabbit hole. The palate is a bit more of a mix with the caramel and sweet notes up front and the herbs and grass in the back. I can live with that. There's no doubt this is a well-crafted whiskey, as really all RRs are. If I were ever in the mood for drinking a grassy whiskey, this would be my choice. I can't imagine being in that mood though. If you, however, like that grassy, green, earthy, herbal rye, this will be your jam. I have no doubt. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired (it shouldn't be), please post a comment and I will gladly provide a new one.)

I’ve tried other Russel Reserve bottles and haven’t been a fan at all. I was able to try this at a bar and figured “why not” since I like ryes. I had low expectations… The nose wasn’t bad, haha. It was more sweet than other ryes I’ve had. I took away vanilla, caramel, some “oakyness” and then a little baking spice. It was tailored to a more bourbon smell than rye smell. The palate was enjoyable. Way more sweet than other ryes and had tons of vanilla and caramel. It wasn’t bad at all, just not what I expected from a rye. The finish was short with a hint of heat. The heat wasn’t too bad but it came out of nowhere haha. The oak flavor kept coming through which again shocked me since I was expecting more rye flavors. Overall, this good. Not your typical rye but good. I wouldn’t buy this bottle but I would definitely have another pour if in front of my. Not bad at all.

Really quite… disappointing? Thin, dry, and even a little hotter than I’d expect at only 90-proof, Russell’s Reserve Rye just doesn’t do much for me on its own. It has a nice nose, but the flavor and mouthfeel just aren’t there for me. Fortunately the finish is quite short so it doesn’t linger long. It is becoming apparent that, even as a fan of rye whiskey in general, I may just not be in the pocket for Wild Turkey’s rye expressions. WT 101 Rye is okay, WT Rare Breed Rye is marginally better than WT 101 Rye at twice the cost ($48), and Russell’s Reserve Rye is the worst of the three but somehow the most expensive ($50). I’ve heard very good things about Russell’s Reserve Rye Single Barrel, and still want to try it out, but expectations are low — which is interesting to say about a $80-90 bottle.

Glancairn tasted (kudos to you, restaurant bar) Had to try this since my buddy loves it so much. Still learning how his palate and mine compare notes. Withdrawn sweetness on the nose, almost as if veiled by a subtle waxy scent, with maybe some orange peel and a hint of anise. Sweet if slightly thin on the palate, then the spices come in and remind it’s majority (even if barely) rye. Fairly balanced on the palate, with a somewhat rich oaky back palate (but I’d not describe the overall experiecne as rich at all.) Sweet oaky finish, and medium long, it lasts much longer than I’d expect for the proof and palate. Some orange rind maybe makes a cameo as it fades. Overall, enjoyable, but not a homerun for me.

Sometimes the tasting notes on the bottle don’t line up with what’s IN the bottle, but in this case the bottle notes are spot on: allspice, pepper, and almond. The Russells never fail to get vanilla and oak into the mix and they’re a welcome addition. There’s also a bit of citrus in the form of lemon peel. The flavors work well together and the whiskey is smooth at 45% ABV. It would probably get lost in a cocktail, but as a neat sipper it’s enjoyable, though it lacks a wow factor. *Note: I score from 0-5 with 0 being the worst whiskey possible, 2.5 being average, and 5 being the most sublime nectar of the gods.