miller542 Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 But by God, when the man who is the heart and soul of the Wild Turkey distillery wants to bottle his whiskey at 101 proof, that's how I want to drink it. This lack of respect for Jimmy ....is unpardonable. Couldn't agree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hookfinger Posted May 2, 2005 Share Posted May 2, 2005 Funny thing is before I even read this thread, I had just finished off a bottle of RR that had been sitting mostly empty for awhile. While sipping away I thought to myself what a great whiskey this is, I shouldn't overlook it so much and then I went out and immediately replaced the bottle I had just finished. Bunker queens indeed seem to be the order of business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musher Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 One thing I will say for them . . . At least they put it in a different bottle and a new label, instead of trying to sneak it in under the radar like Jack Daniels (and others) have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 But by God, when the man who is the heart and soul of the Wild Turkey distillery wants to bottle his whiskey at 101 proof, that's how I want to drink it. This lack of respect for Jimmy ....is unpardonable. Couldn't agree more.Me, either.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucky1 Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 Side by Side...90 proof vs 101. No comparison. IMO the water kills the flavor. No finish compared to the 101 proof. I wonder what the market is for an open bottle of 90 proof Russell's Reserve. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted May 3, 2005 Share Posted May 3, 2005 I know it's beating a dead horse but here are my two cents. Indeed.Jimmy may not be able to fall on his sword for his namesake Bourbon, but we are free to speak our peace, here, that's for sure. I thought of a few things today, " Remember New Coke" was one of them. The other was the admonition by Earnest Rippy to Jimmy Russell when he went to work at the Distillery that now is Wild Turkey and he told him not to change anything. I forget the source but I am leaning confidently to saying you will find that in the Regans Book of Bourbon. Of course those words cease to reverberate in the marketing halls at WT. As far as the solvency of the distillery that must not be a remote problem seeing that the parent company instigated the buying of Allied Domecq.If that were the issue, they would be circled by Constellation, Fortune, Brown-Forman, Diageo, faster than vultures would gather at a carrion feast. They don't get much of my money as it stands, but they get some. There may be a uptick from me to invest in what may become the next $100.00 bunker queen.Jimmy Russell is a master at his craft, and I have the utmost respect for him, that will not change regardless of what the marketing whizzes do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 Jimmy Russell is a master at his craft, and I have the utmost respect for him, that will not change regardless of what the marketing whizzes do. Hear, hear!Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voigtman Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 I didn't try Russell's Reserve 10 YO, 101 proof until about 2 months ago, for reasons unknown( ), and, very happily, found it to be be excellent. Now it's being dumbed down. ARRGGHH! Why can't they just release an ADDITIONAL 90 proof version of RR, as Dane said, and give it a whack-job gumbie/kiddie name, like RR fuBAR!, or Training Wheels RR, or some such demeaning idiot name? Will (WRBRIGGS) got it exactly right and I will now refuse to give Wild Turkey any money: as far as I am concerned, my bourbon dollars are going to Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, with only a little going to Beam and now WT gets zippo. Jimmy Russell is great, no question, but ruining his namesake bourbon is unacceptable. Ed V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrbriggs Posted May 4, 2005 Share Posted May 4, 2005 as far as I am concerned, my bourbon dollars are going to Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill, Ugh, thanks for the reminder! I was in such a state when I wrote my message that I believe I said something to the effect that Buffalo Trace was the only good distillery left... and I forgot about Heaven Hill (probably because I had just had some Stagg and was thinking about how great BT is to give us that kind of thing). Heaven Hill certainly makes great whiskey, and they also seem to have a great respect for Bourbon and its heritage. I meant no slight to Bettye Jo, Craig, Parker, and the rest of the fine folks at HH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff Posted May 4, 2005 Author Share Posted May 4, 2005 I find it interesting that they have chosen to make the "Wild Turkey" brand name much more subtle on this bottling. Typically the labeling of any of their products as been something like: "Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Wild Turkey Rare Breed and formerly "Wild Turkey Russell's Reserve." I wonder if they're going the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) route 'till eventually the average consumer knows little of the original brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward_call_me_Ed Posted June 23, 2005 Share Posted June 23, 2005 As long as Wild Turkey makes superlative bourbon they will get some of my budget. As regretable as the dumbing down of RR is I won't forsake the other bottlings as long as they retain their own character. I will have to stock up on the real deal RR 10, though. Has anyone taken the time to fire off an angry letter to the Marketing Department? I haven't yet but I think we all should.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlep Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 WT already gets more than I budget each year and now another provision has to be made for bunkered RR 101. Let's all hope that this is an anomoly and that unlike, say, the folks at Coca Cola (who changed the original Coke in their infinite wisdom), maybe we will see a new supply of RR 101 on the shelves at some point in the future. Wishful thinking......schlep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musher Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Wishful thinking......Probably.While I'm a fan of it, there are too many other good bourbons (Wild Turkey and others), and too few spare funds for me to justify bunkering a case. I'll probably just contine to keep a spare in the bunker for as long as I can find it, and then will probably even try the diluted stuff when it comes out.Its too bad I don't have an unlimited budget too, since my store has it on sale right now for $17.59/bottle (plus 9.5% tax)! But I can't get past the fact that there are so many other great bourbons out there (although RR at that price is kinda hard to beat) to justify it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmas Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Well Mike,I'll tell you one thing, if you can squeeze it into your budget it's a lot of Bourbon for the buck. If I had access to your source they'd be down a case, here in NY the RR 101 costs about $30.00! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMH Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 The change to 90 proof really saddens me and I've been busy buying up as much of the current RR as possible. Similar to Cameron (I just turned 34), I feel strange categorizing myself as a young drinker, but most of my friends and colleagues around my age don't like higher proof liquor. I'm the opposite, I prefer 100+ bourbons. Unfortunately I think the marketing guys got it correct in their survey. For whatever reason, most people I come in contact with have a strange reaction when I talk about bourbon and are shocked I can drink WT 101 neat. Granted my experience is limited to California, specifically L.A. and the SF Bay, but I suspect most of the larger metropolitan areas across the US would be similar. "Gen Xers" tend to like mixed drinks. When my colleagues think high end bourbon, they think Makers Mark or Knob Creek, which they like to mix with Coke. If Wild Turkey wants to compete, it needs a substitute product. Perhaps RR 101 will become a Japanese product like WT 12. I doubt I'll like the new 90 RR like the 101 RR, but I'll try it. Worst case, I'll buy more regular 101 and ration my bunkered RR 101. BTW, please feel free to bash Californians and "Gen Xers", as I don't consider myself to be socially or politically part of either group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrbnBorderline Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Well, the only WTs I drink are the regular 101, RB, and Rye. I pray that they will leave those well enough alone. I wish someone could get Mr. Russell's reaction to this. If you want something really screwed up, listen to the marketing bozos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 If you want something really screwed up, listen to the marketing bozos. Someone over there( Wild Turkey) is probably rubbing their ( The Marketing Bozos)asses like you'd rub the ass of the winner of the Kentucky Derby.Dialogue,We reduce the proof from 101 to 90 without a corresponding reduction in price, go with the Freedom and Tribute glass , only with a cheesy paper label instead of the painting, we net an additional 11% profit, not counting what we save on the packaging!" And forsake our 101 proof tradition"Not to mention screwing with Jimmy Russells namesake Bourbon............Something can be seen thrown over the high walls overlooking the Ky River. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNbourbon Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 ...Something can be seen thrown over the high walls overlooking the Ky River. Much as it pains me to say it, we have to consider that it's Jimmy himself. It's entirely possible to be a genius at something (e.g., marketing) and be an absolute ass in everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 That was exactly what I thought.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonJoe Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 here in NY the RR 101 costs about $30.00! Tom It's 27 bucks in Pennsylvania but still available.Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobourbon Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BourbonJoe Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Actually Joe, it just went on sale today in PA for 4 weeks for $23.99. I have some in my glass right now! Ouch! I just cleaned off the shelf at 27. What timing!! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I had vowed never to buy the new 90 proof version of Russell's Reserve. Heck, in a moment of pique I even threatened to swear off all Wild Turkey bottlings. That lasted only until I finished my then-current bottle of WT 101.Yesterday I broke my vow -- in Prescott, AZ, of all places. I stopped into the Liquor Barn (which is sized more like a chicken coop than a barn) there, mainly to see whether they had any manager's specials. To my amazement a row of five bottles of the new RR was so designated. This in a store where the manager looked at me blankly when I asked about the older Russell's Reserve a year ago. The price? 'Twas $19.89, the same as their regular price for WT101. (Oh, how I miss the Osco Drug back in Long Beach, where I could count on a sale at $12.99 every two months.) The sticker price was $22.39.I haven't tasted it yet; I have far too many bottles open right now. However, I did take a look at the neck tag. I was disheartened to see that the verbiage there implies that the 90 proof version represents Mr. Russell's ideal.Who knows, maybe when I get around to drinking it, I'll like it so well that I'll water down my stash of RR 101 to match.Yours truly,Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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