Jimmy Russell celebrates 70 years at Wild Turkey

“In my eyes, I’ve never worked a day in my life. The day I do, I’ll retire”.

Wild Turkey master distiller James C. “Jimmy” Russell first started working at the distillery on 10 September 1954. This year marks an incredible milestone, 70 years in whiskey. The man known by some as the ‘Buddha of Bourbon’, grew up five miles from the distillery and began sweeping the floors. He was taken under the wing of second master distiller, Bill Hughes, and Ernest W. Ripy, great-grandson of distillery founder James Ripy, and taught the ways of Wild Turkey, principles and a process he would later define.

He became master distiller in the 1960s and is still involved in the distillation and ageing process of Wild Turkey Bourbon. He created products such as Tradition, Tribute, Rare Breed, American Spirit, Kentucky Spirit and Russell’s Reserve, the latter a co-creation with son and distilling partner Eddie Russell.

Master distiller Eddie was kind enough to give us his time to talk about his father’s legacy and to lead us through a tasting of the new limited-edition expression, Jimmy Russell’s 70th Anniversary 8 Year Old Bourbon, a whiskey created to celebrate Jimmy’s remarkable contribution to bourbon and Wild Turkey. 

The making of Jimmy Russell and Wild Turkey

There is no Wild Turkey without Jimmy, Russell tells me. He traces the philosophy and knowledge that made Jimmy the man he is today back to Hughes and his old-fashioned way of doing things. “He embraced the pre-prohibition style he learned from his mentor and predecessor Bill Hughes. There wasn’t so much science back then, it was taste this, check this, and make sure things were going the right way,” says Russell.

When he was tasked with tasting white dog (new make whiskey) as a new distiller, his dedication was such that at the end of the day, he would be going above and beyond, making sure the labels were straight on the bottle. On the Wild Turkey website, it says “Jimmy learned early on that there was no job too small, and no task too tedious, when it comes to making bourbon the right way”. His approach was passed down to his son. “Those things stick with you. Jimmy is the backbone of Wild Turkey,” Russell remarks.

If I was fortunate enough to taste whiskey made back then, I would taste “the Wild Turkey” according to Russell. “I used to get a chance to taste a lot of what we made back then because bourbon guys sought out these whiskeys (that we couldn’t give away in those days but now sell for thousands of dollars) and you see that backbone. We weren’t as consistent back in those days because it was all done by hand. When I started in 1981 it was as a union employee. I rode barrels, dumped bottles, and then got a chance to go into the distillery as a relief operator. If I was supposed to cook the corn for 20 minutes and one of my buddies started talking it might be 30-40 minutes,” he says, laughing.

“The ageing process is the way it’s always been. Very natural seven-storey warehouses, open the windows in the summer, close them in the winter. Let everything go naturally”. 

Wild Turkey, family, and a bourbon to believe in

What stood Russell apart from the rest was an ideological commitment to making the bourbon he believed in. Bold, rich, and spicy. “He remained committed to making bourbon his way throughout the 70s and 80s when drinkers favoured lighter spirits. His thing was always: I’m not changing. I’m not going with trends. That’s what he preached to me from the very beginning. All the alcohol industry is very up and down, except for the last 15 years which has just been straight up. He wanted to stay true to what bourbon was when he grew up, with that big bold taste”. 

That doesn’t mean Jimmy was able to innovate. He was steadfast in his approach that the core bourbon should represent the brand but he was happy to explore and create around it. “We joke about Jimmy being stubborn and never changing anything, but he released a honey-flavoured bourbon in 1976, our American Honey today. He released one of the first single barrel Kentucky spirits. We were one of only two distilleries for years and years that sold a straight rye whiskey”.

Eddie’s son Bruce is also part of the family business and he says his son has the benefit of what Jimmy means to bourbon more than he could when he started. “Most people didn’t know who we were back then other than distillers around Kentucky. They didn’t start going out on the road until the mid-to-late 80s and then they became these sort of rock stars, especially Jimmy because he travelled constantly it seemed like”. 

Russell continues: “Bruce understands what Jimmy loves and what he stands for. He would talk to me and say if you’re gonna do it, do it right, or don’t do it all. Don’t do something because we need a new product or innovation. We won’t change anything about Jimmy’s Rare Breed, one of the first single barrels, and especially not our 101, our core brand, what makes Wild Turkey what it is today. I tell Bruce, people release products in three or four days when it should be 12-18 months to make sure you’re doing things the right way. You want to continually taste as you go”.  

The Wild Turkey process and the “Bourbon Barons”

Russell thinks that the way Jimmy taught him to make whiskey will probably never change at Wild Turkey. That means a commitment to the same original recipe, same GMO grains, same propriety yeast, distilling at low proofs, barreling at low proofs, bottling at high proof, and ageing longer. “Most bourbons are just 4-5 years old, ours is that 6-8 year old. Sticking with that is really important. That’s what it’s about and what Jimmy is about: sticking true to what he believed in”.

The family side of Wild Turkey is clearly very important. But Russell speaks of something larger than that, a Kentucky community of innovators and gatekeepers of the true American spirit that was defined by several key figures. Not unlike the famous Scotch Whisky Barons who established the era of blends that conquered the world in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Jimmy was one of several core industry leaders who made the bourbon industry what it is today and Russell says he was revered among his peers. “One of the biggest things that made me realise what he meant to Wild Turkey and the bourbon industry was hanging around those other master distillers: Booker Noe, Elmer T. Lee, Parker Beam, and Bill Samuels. They all thought of Jimmy as the master distiller of master distillers. He stayed true to his product.”

Russell and I spoke further about the legacy of these “Bourbon Barons” and how their story isn’t one told enough in American whiskey and beyond. “As I started going around the world telling these stories in the mid-noughties, I think even the company was surprised a bit about those relationships. They saved our industry. They worked together. I can remember Booker calling my dad and saying Parker Beam was having trouble with a new still and they go down there to help,” Russell says.

“Jimmy was the first bourbon ambassador. Wild Turkey too. He felt his bourbon was the best, which is how you should feel. But they were all best friends. It’s unbelievable how close they were. Me and Fred Noe are great friends. My son and Freddie Noe IV are great friends too. But others have switched directions, changed distillers, and people go where there’s more money. For people like us, it’s a lifetime deal. That’s what I stress to Bruce, I hope you get into the business, but it’s a lifetime job”. 

Jimmy Russell’s 70th Anniversary 8 Year Old Bourbon

In our tasting of Jimmy Russell’s 70th Anniversary 8 Year Old Bourbon, Ruseell talked about how he and Bruce worked together to create a bourbon worthy of Jimmy. They favoured whiskey at the age Jimmy would always mature to. They bottled it to a good high strength (50.5% ABV, or his signature 101 proof). And they used the finest bourbon along with an additional blend of 8-year-old whiskeys selected from a few of Jimmy’s favourite rickhouses.

“My son and I worked on this quite hard to create something that Jimmy would love. This is a really old-style 101 Wild Turkey, which was all we had for a long time at the distillery. Back when I started there was such a glut of whiskey in Kentucky because the bourbon industry was not doing so well. Vodka was the cool thing for the younger generation,” Russell explains. “This is a big, bold spicy throwback and traditional on the nose. It has that vanilla, caramel, little bit of spice. Typical Wild Turkey. There’s creaminess on the tongue, honey vanilla and gets into that big bold spicy taste Jimmy loves with that super long finish. I love this whole process because we agreed on everything. If he had one bad thing to say about it, we would have been disappointed”. 

I think it stands as a fitting tribute to Jimmy Russell’s legacy, because from everything I understand it really is the kind of bourbon he loves. It’s bold, refined, and every element is in tune with each other. The rich, sweet, and spicy character Wild Turkey is known for and that I love shines here too. 

Jimmy Russell’s 70th Anniversary 8 Year Old Bourbon tasting note:

Nose: The oakiness is beautifully measured, it has this toasted, charred quality but it’s not tannic or overpowering, it’s a wooden rocking chair at the core of the nose which the aromas rest on: notes of cigar leaf, cola cubes, nutmeg, raspberry, dark honey, and black tea. 

Palate: Creamy, thick texture with oaky, almost rye-like spices tingly throughout on your tongue. A huge lick of caramel greets you on every sip with dark cherry, nutty chocolate, cinnamon, and just a hint of red chilli earthiness adding a nice savoury quality.

Finish: The oak spice fizzes away for a while among butterscotch sweetness. Very satisfying. 

Jimmy Russell: 70 years of Wild Turkey whiskey

It’s impossible to overstate the legacy of Jimmy Russell. It’s impossible too for me to encapsulate seven decades of contribution in one article. He’s the longest-tenured, active master distiller in the global spirits industry. He’s been a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame since 2000. He’s a Whiskey Hall of Fame member and a lifetime honorary member for the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. He was anointed a Kentucky colonel by three standing Commonwealth of Kentucky governors. He was honoured with a Resolution by the Kentucky State Assembly and the governor. He’s received the key to Lawrenceburg.

The fact that one man is worthy of his own dedicated space, the Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, speaks volumes. It reopened in spring 2024 after renovation if you want to visit. Renowned photographer Danny Clinch was recently employed to capture Jimmy on camera and spoke of the joy of working with a different kind of rock star. 

Yet, Jimmy is of a certain generation. He turns 90 in November. For the big party for the 70th, Russell tells me the usual guestlist of governors and writers was eschewed for a more intimate gathering. “We shut down the plant, invited all our employees to the visitor centre, had a big BBQ and some music. Jimmy and my mum sat at a table and people got to talk to him and get their bottle signed,” he says. “That’s what Jimmy has always been about. He’s been all around the world countless times preaching bourbon, but what he truly believes in is his brand, his bourbon, his people. I think it was one of the best days he’s had in a very long time”.

The future of Wild Turkey whiskey

While this conversation was primarily about looking back, Russell and I also talked about the future of Wild Turkey and bourbon and it’s clear he’s very optimistic. “What excites me is the people who love our product. Getting to talk to people about something you put your whole life into. I’m 43 years in and it seems new every time. When we talk about Jimmy and things I’ve released, it’s such an enjoyable thing to see people respond to something you’ve spent your whole life doing. The future is just bright”.

Russell says he knows there’s going to be those dips and that there’s always been. But he also thinks bourbon has fundamentally changed. “For many years the bourbon consumer was basically me: An older Southern gentleman. When I started out, we sold bourbon to the six or seven states in the South. We didn’t do anything in the Northeast like New York or out West. Now it’s a young or female consumer drinking good quality bourbon. That’s why I think our future is very bright, whether they’re drinking it neat or with cocktails”. 

With bourbon in rude health, Wild Turkey is thriving too. The brand is actually in the process of building a second distillery. “We built one in 2010 and I thought that would last us forever but things have just been amazing. In my 43 years, we never thought we’d see anything like what we’re seeing today,” Russell explains. He also sees the future in family, his son Bruce. “He’s really got into it, the ideas he has, he understands those younger consumers, and he fits right in with them”.

Above all else, that’s the legacy of a man like Jimmy Russell. He provided for his family. A steady head that guided generations. The Jimmy Way lives in them and every bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey. I’m drinking Wild Turkey 101 tonight and raising a glass to him. I suggest if you love bourbon, you do too. Cheers.   

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon tasting note:

Nose: All your classic bourbon sweetness is there (caramel, vanilla, oak char, and toffee) as layers of toasted nuts and baking spices – think cinnamon and nutmeg. Underneath there’s a hint of apple, dried orange peel and leather.

Palate: Bold and full-bodied. Sweet caramel and vanilla are at the forefront again but so too is a wave of rich, peppery rye spice. Layers of toasted oak, honey, and dark chocolate emerge.

Finish: Long and warming, with lingering notes of oak, cinnamon, and a touch of tobacco as well as a final hint of sweet vanilla and caramel.

Overall: I like my back bar bourbons robust, spicy, and high-proof enough that they have some real character. The key to Russell’s role is to create that profile but also to keep everything in balance. That’s what Wild Turkey does best. Sweetness, spice, and oak. All in harmony. Makes a mean Manhattan.

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