March 28, 2024
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
February 23, 2024, Wayne and I decided to enjoy the Frankfort and Lawrenceburg areas in Kentucky. We only had one scheduled visit that day and it wasn’t until 5PM. It is amazing all the places you can visit in a single day.
Our first stop was at Wild Turkey. We cannot wait until their Visitor Center “refresh” is completed and they are offering tours again. We were told that would be very soon. Meanwhile, the people at their outpost are terrific.
We selected a few items to purchase and then enjoyed a fantastic cocktail – a Chocolate Cherry Cordial made with Russell’s 10 Year. I asked if Jimmy Russell might stop in and was told that our best bet would be after lunch. We decided not to wander too far so we could make a return trip later in the day.
We departed and just went with the flow. Our first stop was Lawrenceburg Bourbon, which is just down the road. Then we revisited Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, and Castle & Key. It was a lovely day to enjoy the beauty of the area. We had worked a good “loop” and the timing seemed good to return to Wild Turkey. As we approached the building, a few folks said – “Hey, someone is in there signing bottles and taking pictures.” In our minds, that could only be one person!
Visit with Jimmy Russell
We walked in to see Mr. Jimmy Russell and his lovely wife Joretta greeting visitors. We waited for our opportunity to speak with them. They were incredibly gracious and you could tell that Jimmy loved meeting people and sharing stories.
We took photos with him and he signed items for us. We stayed and talked with him whenever someone else wasn’t waiting for the opportunity. This was truly a dream come true and I admit to getting a bit emotional to finally meet him.
Jimmy got into a great conversation with Wayne about Judge McBrayer. He had someone grab publication where he looked up an article about Cedar Brook and was trying to find something about the Judge but couldn’t put his finger on it. It was a special conversation.
Wayne asked him if he loved the aromas of walking through a distillery as much as we do. He share that he really doesn’t notice the great smells because his nose is trained to look for something that is wrong or out of place. Then he knows there is an issue. Wayne also asked which of their bourbons was his favorite. He quickly noted that the Russell’s 10 Year is his pick!
He also signed my Bourbon Trail hat! This really made my day. I could have stayed longer but we really needed a bite to eat before our scheduled evening event.
What a fantastic experience to meet the “Buddha of Bourbon” who has enjoyed an amazing 60+ years making Wild Turkey whiskey! It should be no surprise that he is a member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. He was also granted a Lifetime Honorary Membership to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association’s Board of Directors. Read more of his story here.
Great Finds to Bring Home
In the morning, we selected the Russell’s Single Barrel and the Russell’s 10 Year. In the afternoon, we ha the opportunity to acquire the month’s personal selection by Eddie Russell of Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel.
We also got this amazing crystal decanter and a terrific Wild Turkey sign for our Bourbon Room.
This was a great memory for Our Bourbon Journey!
Cheers!
Rebecca
Your Bourbon Journey 