Wild Turkey's Jimmy Russell is celebrating 70 years as master distiller and we are diving into his early career and how he survived one of the roughest times in Kentucky bourbon history to become one of the most respected whiskey distillers in the world.
Here's how a small town country boy survived the roughest time in the history of Kentucky bourbon to become one of the world's most respected whiskey distillers.Dylan Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based writer specializing in spirits, cocktails, and coffee with hands-on experience visiting distilleries and bars across the US, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
After Hughes passed away in 1967, Jimmy Russell became master distiller and was tasked with steering the ship through one of the roughest patches in the history of Kentucky bourbon. In the 1970s and ’80s, bourbon sales tanked as the popularity of clear spirits like vodka skyrocketed. Many bourbon distilleries closed as demand for the spirit cratered.the definitive history of Wild Turkey. “They just couldn't afford to hire a bunch of people or do all these things.
The distillery changed owners multiple times through his tenure, but Jimmy’s ability to work well with the corporate side of the business and the rank-and-file distillery employees helped him to maintain his role over the years.A common saying around the distillery is “Don’t tell Jimmy.” Unsurprisingly, Jimmy is very opinionated on what bourbon should be and those opinions still carry a lot of weight. He’s been known to say “Do it right, or don’t do it at all.
“The product that kind of made his name on in the industry was the original 101 that was produced when he started,” says Bruce. “I shared a sample with him and he said it's not half bad. And for Jimmy, that's about as excited as you're going to hear him get about some whiskey.”In the 1980s, Jimmy went on the road to promote Wild Turkey. He often stopped at small liquor stores throughout the U.S.
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