Settled atop a deep limestone shelf on the Kentucky River, which provides a natural filter for clear, quality water, is the Wild Turkey distillery. Its bourbon recipe roots can be traced back to 1855, and with decades upon decades of business at its back, Wild Turkey Bourbon continues to delight to this day. It wasn’t until September 1954 that Jimmy Russell introduced the distillery we know and recognize, and with a collective century of experience, Jimmy and his son, Eddie Russell, evolved the operation into what it is now. Today, they’re joined by an associate distiller, Bruce Russell, who’s working to introduce the next generation of the great spirit.
And wouldn’t you know it, here to talk to us about the evolution of the brand and what comes next is Russell himself.
Speaking with a rising legend: The Yoo-Hoo effect
Starting off with the hard-hitting questions, The Manual’s Dan Gaul asks Russell what it was like growing up in and around a distillery.
“It’s probably different than most people, I imagine,” he says. He describes the small town where he’s from, Lawrenceburg Kentucky. Interestingly, even though it’s a small town, Russel points out, “We do have two of the biggest distilleries in the U.S.” It’s quite the juxtaposition, being that most small towns can’t claim bourbon or spirits as the primary source of income for nearly everyone there.
“Most of the people that I grew up around either worked in bourbon or had family that worked in bourbon. So, I just figured that’s what everybody did when I was a little kid,” he says,
Obviously, he spent a lot of time at the distillery when he was younger and even commented that “my dad’s work was fun.”
“I think you take it for granted when you live there. It’s not really been since I started traveling, and I come back home, and I’m like, you know it is really pretty where I grew up.”
“There’s always people moving around, rolling barrels, and bottling up. I knew everybody that worked there, even when I was a young kid, because it was such a small community. You know, people would sneak me candy or give me a dollar to get to the vending machine. I thought my dad had the coolest job in the world,” he says.
“His office was right next door to the employee break room, the Union break room, and so I had access to what I thought were the coolest vending machines ever. Our parent company at the time also owned Yoo-Hoo chocolate drink, so I would basically get unlimited Yoo-Hoos. It was a Union break room, [too], so it wasn’t just candy bars and stuff. There were full-fledged meals and sandwiches and all kinds of good snacks,” he shares.
From a child’s point of view, it was a dream job. But it’s definitely a viewpoint that persists no matter how old you are. Not much is cooler than bourbon or brewing spirits.
Living the dream in a dream landscape
Gaul asks “What kind of trouble did you get in there? Because obviously it’s gonna be on property and Lawrenceburg I’m sure is just a beautiful landscape of the rolling hills and the forests there. What was that like?”
“I think you take it for granted when you live there,” Russell says. “It’s not really been since I started traveling, and I come back home, and I’m like, you know, it is really pretty where I grew up.”
I thought my Dad had the coolest job in the world.
“I grew up right there; next to the distillery grounds is the Kentucky River, [I] grew up out on the river a whole lot. My dad had a little boat, and we’d go tubing and kneeboarding and fishing,” he shares. “At the distillery itself, back when I was younger, it was more common to have family members running around — it’s a little more serious now.”
On bourbon distilling: The real good stuff
“I’ve been a part of the production side of things and product development now, officially, for about a year and a half. I’ve kind of unofficially been involved since about 2019.” Russell explains that he lived out of state for some time before he returned and took up his mantle at the distillery again.
“Dad’s always been one to kinda let me do my own thing. He wants to see what I have to make and has let me have a hand in making a lot of product,” he shares.
“It’s been great, but the way things have changed. I went to school specifically to learn marketing …because I knew Dad and Jimmy could teach me… whiskey-making,” he says. “Jimmy learned from a guy that started making whiskey before Prohibition. He taught Dad. Dad was teaching me, and Dad was really the one that gave me the advice. He basically said, ‘Hey for me, it was much more difficult to learn the other side of the industry, the corporate side, the marketing side, the sales side.’”
“I remember growing up the whole bourbon journalist scene was like two guys. [It] didn’t exist.”
Naturally, Russell took his father’s advice and went to school for the business side of the operation. “It really did help me quite a bit because by the time I got involved in product development, I already knew the marketing,” he says. “I had an idea of what our fans wanted, what our consumers wanted, what our bartending and liquor store partners and distributors wanted. And that’s a huge part of [the business] now.”
Engaging with the community and fans
Gaul and Russell talk about how the industry has evolved into a completely different scene.
“Your real first line of offense now, it’s not just your company people, it’s the bartender. When somebody goes to a bar, and they get a pour of whiskey, or they get a cocktail that’s got Russell’s or 101 in it, that bartender is willing to tell you how cool it was when he met Eddie or Jimmy or Bruce or Joann [Street] or whatever. That really matters,” Russell says.
He goes on to further encourage “this whole, crazy bourbon nerd scene.” Not to poke fun, but to speak on his fondness of the movement. He specifically calls out the support and popularity and explains how it has changed the world of whiskey and even the success of modern Wild Turkey.
“…but the way things have changed.”
“I remember growing up, the whole bourbon journalist scene was like two guys. [It] didn’t exist. People that would be interested in our limited edition bottles were very few or far between. Nobody wanted Jimmy to sign a bottle. Nobody sold whiskey on the secondary market. That stuff just didn’t exist. For whatever reason, that community has really embraced us and figured out that we make really good whiskey and we’ve been making really good whiskey,” he shares.
“They go crazy for the old ’70s and ’80s Wild Turkey bottles. We had hundreds of people lined up for Russell’s 15 and that took our visitor’s center by surprise. So many people showed up, we had people trying to show up the day before, camping out in our Walmart parking lot in our little community just so they could get there super early. They’ve helped change us, too.”
He continues, “All that combined has slowly helped change everybody’s notions about what Wild Turkey is. Now, the sky’s the limit on what we’re able to do, what we’re able to put into the bottle, and how good the whiskey can be. It’s good for everybody. The whiskey sales are better and everybody is doing well.”
As always, I highly recommend watching the full interview for a lot more context and an incredible conversation.
