Kentucky

Kentucky bourbon icon Jimmy Russell celebrates his 70th anniversary at Wild Turkey

Published

2 months ago

September 10, 2024

Kentucky bourbon icon Jimmy Russell celebrates his 70th anniversary at Wild Turkey

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (AP) — As bourbon fans flocked to the Wild Turkey visitors’ center, sitting near the entrance was no ordinary greeter. Jimmy Russell, who has lived through so much of the distillery’s rich history, was at his post as a goodwill ambassador, signing whiskey bottles, posing for photos and chatting up tourists about his favorite topics — making bourbon and sipping it.

For 70 years, the distillery in the heart of Kentucky’s picturesque bourbon country has been Russell’s home away from home. He learned his craft from a distiller who endured the dark days of Prohibition. Decades later, Russell was a key player in bourbon’s revival — creating some of the premium whiskeys that are cocktail staples and becoming a global front man for his brand and the bourbon sector.

The 89-year-old Russell, known affectionately as the “Buddha of Bourbon,” marked his 70th anniversary at the distillery on Tuesday. For nearly a half-century, he was master distiller at Wild Turkey, putting him in charge of every step of production — from distillation to bottling.

“I always said, ‘The first day I have to come to work I’m retiring,’” he said recently.

That day still hasn’t arrived.

Russell is a beloved fixture at the distillery, nearly a decade after turning over master distiller duties to his son, Eddie. Both father and son are members of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, and the next generation is building on their legacy. Bruce Russell, Eddie’s son and Jimmy’s grandson, works as associate blender, putting him at the center of creating new Wild Turkey products.

The Russell family has a long history of being top executives heading the production and, in later years, the promotion of the brand. It also isn’t uncommon for master distillers to have long careers with a distillery and later become brand ambassadors. But Jimmy’s longevity puts him in a special class.

The elder Russell teamed up with his son and grandson on a special project recognizing the family’s whiskey-making tradition. Wild Turkey Generations was created by combining aged bourbons selected by each of them to reflect their own personal preferences. The bourbons were then blended to create the ultra-premium whiskey that had a limited release last year.

“I got to work on a project with him where all our names are on the bottle,” Bruce Russell said. “And that’s super special for me.”

No longer part of the daily grind of bourbon making, Jimmy Russell still samples and offers his unvarnished opinion about some of the newest renditions of Wild Turkey being developed. But he typically spends time greeting tourists a few days each week at the visitors’ center.

His easy-going charm was on full display a couple of weeks ago as Mark and Donna Barton asked him to sign bottles of Wild Turkey they purchased in the gift shop. Eddie Russell topped it off by adding his signature.

“Heck yeah, this is going to go on display,” Donna Barton said.

Whether the couple from Princeton, West Virginia, drinks the contents of the signed bottles, or keeps them as unopened souvenirs, was “up for discussion,” Mark Barton said.

“We may crack it and have an ounce and then put it back up,” his wife added.

Jimmy Russell is a seasoned hand at charming and educating bourbon fans, having spent decades traveling the world to promote Wild Turkey. One big change through the years, he said, is the level of knowledge whiskey fans now have about their favorite bourbons.

“When I started, it was all whiskey, it didn’t make any difference,” Russell said. “Nowadays, people know every little drop, every little thing about it.”

When he started in 1954, he said, the distillery had a different name — Anderson County Distilling — and the operation was much smaller, with about 40 barrels of whiskey produced daily and stored in four warehouses for aging, when bourbon gets its flavor and golden brown color. Wild Turkey — owned by the Italian-based Campari Group, which purchased the brand from French liquor company Pernod Ricard in 2009 — now produces 700 to 800 barrels of whiskey daily, stored in nearly three dozen warehouses. The brand sells globally and its biggest overseas markets include Japan and Australia. A second distillery is being built at the Wild Turkey complex to keep up with demand.

Unlike other distillery workers who typically stuck with one task, Russell rotated jobs early on, giving him the broader perspective that prepared him to take over as master distiller in 1967.

“As soon as I learned a job real well, they’d move me and put me on something else,” Russell said. “So I’ve done everything here.”

His son Eddie, now 64, had the same extensive training when joining Wild Turkey in 1981.

“He wanted me to learn it from the ground up, the same way he had,” Eddie Russell said.

Within a couple of weeks, he said he “knew it was home for me.” Other lessons he learned from his father: putting maximum effort into the job and being a stickler for product consistency, he said.

“The number one thing I tell everybody that I learned from Jimmy was if you’re going to do something, do it right or don’t do it at all,” Eddie Russell said.

Kentucky distillers are a close-knit group, and another renowned bourbon baron, Fred Noe, a seventh-generation master distiller at Jim Beam, says Jimmy Russell has been a valued friend and mentor, especially after the death of Noe’s father, famed master distiller Booker Noe. Russell and Booker Noe were close friends.

“When I took over for my father, Jimmy became a second father figure to me, guiding me as I stepped into the role of bourbon ambassador,” Fred Noe said. “His friendship and passion for the industry he and my father loved shaped me into the man I am today.”

In Kentucky, where 95% of the world’s bourbon is produced, the master distillers are treated as celebrities. If there was a Mount Rushmore of Kentucky bourbon, Jimmy Russell would be on it, said Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

“You think about the names of him and his peers at the time, you’re talking some of the most treasured, beloved and cherished names in the history of Kentucky bourbon,” Gregory said. “And they were doing this at a time when bourbon was not celebrated as it is today. They paved the way for the success of Kentucky bourbon today.”

Watching his son and grandson follow in his footsteps is what Russell treasures most.

“That’s what I’m so proud of, to see what they’re doing,” he said. “To see how far Eddie’s come along. He’s well-known everywhere now. Bruce is coming that way.”

His wife, Joretta, now 93, has been with him every step of the way, and Eddie Russell said she deserves credit for his father’s longevity. The bourbon business wasn’t discussed at home, as she made sure to keep her husband’s work and home lives separate to help him relax, their son said.

“Jimmy and Dad are master distillers at work. But at home, granny’s the boss,” Bruce Russell said.

Of all the questions fans ask him, one constant is: how does he like his bourbon? Jimmy prefers it neat — without ice or a splash of water. However it’s served, it should be sipped and savored, he said.

“Bourbon’s not something you sit and throw straight down,” Russell said. “You sit and enjoy the flavor and taste of it. And I’ve always said, you know one thing about bourbon, you drink when you’re happy, you drink when you’re sad.”

And his sense of humor hasn’t dimmed. Asked to name his favorite bourbon, he replied: “One of each.”

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VIDEO: Kentucky HC Mark Pope – Jackson State Postgame

Published

3 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

VIDEO: Kentucky HC Mark Pope – Jackson State Postgame

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope addressed the media after the No. 9 Wildcats’ 108-59 win over Jackson State on Friday night at Rupp Arena.

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MARK POPE Q&A:

MARK POPE: All right. Great night. This Jackson State team, man, these guys played really hard. They just compete, compete, compete, and Mo clearly, come on, he’s one of the best basketball guys and ambassadors to this game ever. The opportunity to have Kenny Walker, and Purvis in the gym was super special. You know, BBN showed out like they always do for a game that might not be perceived as a headline game. It was great night, proud of our guys. I thought they did a ton of good things. It was fun. We got to see everything. We got to see a ton of transitions and a ton of shots.You know, all kind of ﬁreworks from all of our guys and we got to see shoes ﬂying in the air. It was a magical evening. Lee is saying, I should not have said that. I thought it was fantastic.

Q Mark, your guys at the end seem to get a bigger kick out of anything with Travis and Trent both getting their ﬁrst 3s, do you remember your ﬁrst collegiate points and what it meant to you and what do you think it meant to those guys?

MARK POPE: That’s a great question. I can’t actually, I’m not sure. I didn’t score many, so you would think I would remember. I don’t remember for me. I think for TP and Trent, you know, those guys are- we talked about them a lot. They are really really special. They are having a massive impact on his team and their futures are incredibly bright and it’s hard to sit for 35 minutes and come play. I think they are taking it really seriously and I thought they came to play tonight, I thought they were awesome, I thought they were really good doing a really hard thing. So, I’m proud of those guys. It’s incredibly beautiful to have freshman that you can trust like we trust them and they have great futures.

Q Coach, last game you talked about Koby and how you tried to get him going outside of his three-point shooting. He went ﬁve of eight from three. But also in the ﬁrst half, he used that shoulder a little bit like you were talking and ﬁnished around the rim. How is his game evolving outside of the lethal three-point shooter that we know he is?

MARK POPE: He had a couple of cuts that I loved and he had the late cut in the ﬁrst half down to – on the left block and then he had the back door right in front of our bench where Amari, just like I’m going to throw it in that triple coverage and somehow Koby wanted that and earned himself free throws. It’s an unbelievable winning catch and it was really special. I thought Koby was really good tonight about choosing a simple play and executing really quickly. He was much more of a pop rule vibe tonight and I was really proud of that and I was really excited about his cuts. I thought he was excellent defensively, actually. Had a couple of strips that were a really incredible job. I was really proud of him for that. And I thought, I was really excited about his cuts and I thought he was excellent defensively, actually. Had a couple of strips that were really an incredible job with champion chess catching the moves, he was just catching multiple moves in isolation, I thought he was really good, I thought he was terriﬁc. And then one of my many favorite moments tonight. He banged a three right in the corner in front of me and turned around and started talking trash to me. Which that was awesome. I love that. I mean, Kobe is in a tough spot. He goes ﬁve from eight from the three-point line and it’s destroying his shooting percentage, which is just crazy and I’ve never seen that in my lifetime. He’s sure is doing special things for us, like all of our guys are right now.

Q We did talk a lot about 3s this week. Obviously, the high for the season so far with makes and attempts. Did you see anything diferent out there or was there a diferent focus on that coming in?

MARK POPE: It was certainly diferent defensively and this was a team that was much more eager to the ball. They were much more heavy bottom bringing multiple bodies and it was just easier for extra passes to come by for sure. There was a lot of pressure, so the game got a little scattered.With all that said, I thought our guys did an unbelievable job making plays for each other. You know, 29 assists is a good number for us and I would take that any night. Especially, guys especially in a game like this where it is so easy to think, awe man, in this game I’m just going to get one for myself. We just have a DNA, these guys have built a DNA on this team where they are actually excited to make plays for each other and I’m telling you that bodes well and it’s rare and it is important for the way we play and how this game is made up and our guys are going to continue to believe more and more that the more they give the more they get back, it’s the way this game works when it’s right and certainly they got to feel that tonight. I was really proud of them. You got to approach it with faith. If I make this next pass, if I just trust this game or trust the way we play it’s going to work out for me, and it did. One of the special stories for us tonight is that we had 11 players score, 11 of our 12 guys scored. The only player that didn’t score led us in assists. That’s exactly how a Kentucky basketball team is supposed to function. We had one guy that didn’t score and he led us in assists with seven. And every other guy on the court scored and shared the ball, I think we had four guys with ﬁve or more assists in the game. And those are all really important markers for how we want to represent this state and how we want to play this game and what we believe wins. I was proud of that and you can tell I’m happy hyped about that.

Q Mark, Collin posted a team best plus 29 in just 13 minutes. Have you seen him get more comfortable? The last two games, he’s looked a lot more comfortable.

MARK POPE: Collin is not scared, he checked in the game and shot a 30 footer in transition and said yeah, I’ve got this. He’s an incredible talent. None of us, I can’t, there’s nobody in this room that can relate to going and putting down the basketball for two years and you know, he is an extraordinary talent and you know, we are all going to be surprised with what he turns into, but we shouldn’t be.He’s really an extraordinary talent. Beautiful, beautiful young man too.

Q Mark, you talk about the unselﬁshness, but this is 12 guys on the roster you had to put together really quickly. Were you able to determine that in kind of the interview process before you were ever extended?

MARK POPE: Yes, the answer is yes. It’s – yeah. Especially with these guys from the transfer portal, right? You have so much data on them and footage of them. Also, I don’t know, guys, I think Kentucky attracts really good people. I think really good people. Because if you come to Kentucky, then you, by deﬁnition, it is the one place in all of college basketball where you are representing just a fan base in a diferent unique way. And to want that, it’s almost like it’s own ﬁlter, right? To really want that. I think it’s built into the DNA of our guys and I think our job have done a really good job being intentional about and trying to learn each other and love each other and we talked about that a lot. I think that’s what Kentucky draws, right? You know, everybody knows that we talk about the name on the front of the jersey. Our guys know that and they know that when we recruit them. In general, you know, I think every guy that we recruit is desperately dreaming of hanging a banner and going to play in the NBA. But they believe the pathway to do that is not actually making this exclusively about themselves. And that sounds like a strong statement, but it’s actually hard not to be that way. I think the ﬁlter is pretty good and certainly our guys are proving that right now. It doesn’t come easy, it’s not a one conversation thing. It’s things our guys are talking to each other every single day. Trying to believe that and trust in that path, I’m proud of our guys functioning.

Q Mark, you have been talking about stretching Brandon out a little bit. Played a lot of minutes tonight, this line is just full of numbers. What did you like about his energy?

MARK POPE: I thought BG was great tonight and the six assists was a great number for that game. BG was a six two, which is really good for him, actually. Six assists is great with three steals and three blocks, right? in a really physical game on the interior with some big bodies, like some really big bodies. I thought as the game went on he got better and better and better. I thought he made some really great challenged catches. I thought he was really disciplined with how he distributed the ball and he is a decision-maker on our team and I thought he was terriﬁc tonight. I thought he was super forceful inside trying to, you know, sometimes when he ﬁnishes moves a little bit weak soft going away and tonight, I thought he was super forceful against big bodies and there is a lot of growth in him tonight.

Q You mentioned Travis, Trent, Collin all being under diferent circumstances this season. Kerr, obviously, the guy who had zero points and seven assists. How big of an adjustment for him starting 93 games over his career and then coming into this roll and embracing it so far?

MARK POPE: He was that way from the beginning too, I think he knew exactly what he was walking into and I think he loves it. I’m telling you, Kerr Kriisa, I don’t know if we get him walking in our doors every year. I’m enjoying and savoring every second I get to coach him because he’s really unique, he’s bringing so much to our team, you know, it’s interesting. I don’t know if you guys notice this but we were in the second half we kind of made a run, this was back in the Duke game. We were somewhere in the second half and we made a run early and Duke kind of came back and pushed us up to seven, eight, or nine and we were a little stymied for a moment and we came to a media timeout and we were walking at the huddle and Kerr was pushing everybody, just shoving them, right? He just refuses to accept whatever the common vibe is. He’s going to be contrary to it.Right? It’s really important and our guys receive it really well. And it just keeps everybody really sharp. He’s really special, he’s got a really unique skill set and personality and he brings deﬁance and a swag and an insistence for a team. He’s also got this incredible commitment. I mean, I think it was probably the ﬁrst blue-and-white scrimmage we all sat down and I mentioned that Kerr promised he was going to be the best pace guy in college basketball and he has lived up to that every second he’s been on the ﬂoor every single game, right? And that’s an incredible consistent determination is beautiful too and he’s got both of those vibes going on in a really special package. He’s special, and he was special tonight, if you think about it. Seven assists, zero points, let’s go, he’s cool with that. Dude is going to put up 20 one night when we need him to too.

Q Coach, I think you said in a previous press conference you have not been surprised by any of your players and you knew exactly what you were getting when you brought them here to Kentucky. But I think the play of Otega Oweh certainly surprised Big Blue Nation. Just talk about double O tonight with another 20 point game.

MARK POPE: It’s interesting with Otega, right? What is really great about Otega. He’s 8 for 12. He’s 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. He’s got 21 points, two assists, zero turnovers, three steals and ends up with 20 points on the night and we don’t get to him until the very end of the press conference.When he kind of does that every single night. He gets us of to unbelievable starts every single night. He’s got physicality and a joy about him. I think he’s been incredible. I’m really proud of him, you know, one of the things that all of us are working on growing and one of the things that he has been focusing on growing is being a every day, every play guy. Man, he’s probably been our most consistent guy in games. And that is a massive tribute to him. And Coach Fox works with him a lot. I’m just really proud of him and he’s just bringing joy to every single game. The only time I got mad at

Otega today was when he was celebrating with his guys too much after a play and not running transition defense. He’s really special. I have to stop talking about him because he started to get a big head back here, you know what I’m saying? Awesome. Thanks guys, have a great night.

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Kentucky

LIVE BLOG: Kentucky vs. Jackson State

Published

12 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

And just like that, it’s time to watch Kentucky Basketball again. KSR’s new and improved LIVE BLOG will bring you all the sights and sounds from Rupp Arena as the Cats host the Jackson State Tigers in the BBN Invitational (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).

Earlier this week, Kentucky cruised to its fourth win of the season, a 97-68 victory over Lipscomb. Tonight, they’ll face a Jackson State team that has yet to win a game, losing to No. 4 Houston, High Point, Xavier, Vanderbilt, and most recently, Western Kentucky. Mo Williams’ team is struggling, which could make for another 100-point game for the Cats, who have crossed the century mark twice this season.

For the last time this season, tonight’s game streams exclusively on SEC Network+; if you’re unable to watch, we’ve got you covered. Refresh the feed below for updates and our takes on the game, from both Rupp Arena and the couch. You can also join the conversation on the KSBoard Game Thread or by texting your observations to 859-587-3828 (standard messaging rates apply).

By:Tyler Thompson

Pope talks Kenny Walker, Purvis Short

11/22/2024 05:23:28 PM

During his pregame talk with Darren Headrick, Mark Pope shared some stories about Kenny Walker and Purvis Short, who will be honored tonight. Pope remembers Walker, Jamal Mashburn, and Rex Chapman coming back to campus to work out with the team when from his playing days in Lexington (to be a fly on that wall) and, once Pope was in the league, Short as a member of a group of NBA personnel that would make the rounds educating players on financing, media obligations, etc.

By:Tyler Thompson

Can Kentucky cover a 34.5-point spread?

11/22/2024 05:20:12 PM

In case you missed it, the Cats are a massive favorite tonight. With 40 minutes until tip, the line is Kentucky -34.5 and the Cats’ team total is 95.5 points. That sounds like a lot, but Jackson State is statistically one of the worst teams in college basketball, ranking No. 322 in KenPom. Cats to cover and over team total may once again be safe tonight.

By:Tyler Thompson

Kenny Walker, Purvis Short to be recognized tonight

11/22/2024 05:13:03 PM

This game is the fourth installment of the Unity Series, which aims to raise awareness of the missions of the HBCUs and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions. As part of it, Kentucky will recognize two greats: Kenny “Sky” Walker and fellow top-five NBA Draft pick Purvis Short, a Jackson State legend. After his career as a Tiger, Short played 12 seasons in the NBA, racking up 14,607 points.

Both Walker and Short spoke to Dave Baker and Cameron Mills on the official UK pregame show, during which we learned that Walker is now an honorary member of the Committee of 101, blue coat and all. He may not know exactly where your seat is in the building, but he can tell you a heck of a story about his days as a Wildcat.

By:Tyler Thompson

Last SEC Network+ game of the season

11/22/2024 05:00:44 PM

Cherish this moment, friends. This will be the final time this season you have to pull up the ESPN app and remember your login info to watch a Kentucky Basketball game. That’s right; no more SEC Network+ games after this one. As a reminder, if you have SEC Network through your cable subscription, you will be able to watch the game through the ESPN app on your phone, tablet, or TV via a streaming device.

If you don’t want to bother with that, you can listen to Darren Headrick (filling in for Tom Leach, who is in Austin) and Goose Givens on the radio or, of course, follow this here live blog. We’ve got you covered.

Streaming: SEC Network+/ESPN+ (Andrew Kappes, Cameron Mills)
Home Radio: UK Sports Network – 630 WLAP, iHeart Radio (Darren Headrick, Goose Givens)
Online Radio: iHeart
Satellite Radio: Sirius 106 or 191
Live Stats: StatBroadcast

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Kentucky

Otega Oweh setting the tone is a key factor in his hot start to the season

Published

20 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Otega Oweh setting the tone is a key factor in his hot start to the season

Kentucky basketball is through its first four games of the season, coming off a blowout 97-68 victory over Lipscomb on Tuesday. The Wildcats have the type of team were any given night, a different player may step up in the stat sheet. Through these four games, though, the most consistent has been Otega Oweh, who has been near the top of the stat sheet in every game so far.

Last game out, Oweh had 14 points on 5-6 shooting, 4 rebounds, an assist, and 2 blocks. Mark Pope spoke with the media ahead of Kentucky’s matchup with Jackson State on Friday, and he said a key part of Oweh’s hot start to the season is his “knack” for really setting the tone to start games and help Kentucky come out strong, which will be crucial when the opponents get tougher.

“Otega (Oweh) has been unbelievable. I don’t know if he’s the headline guy of any game, but he’s the best player in every game almost, give or take. He gets us off to unbelievable starts. Man, he has a knack to start the game. It’s been brilliant, actually. He has an impact. His conditioning has gotten better and better. He’s not getting fatigued on the floor. He’s understanding us better. He’s making a defensive impact. …Otega’s been incredible. I’m so proud of him. He might not have been the most highly heralded guy coming in in this portal class, but he’s been beautiful with his teammates. He’s been really mature about taking advantage of every opportunity he’s given and earning them. He’s grown immensely since the summer.”
– Pope on Otega Oweh’s hot start.

Oweh has been electric in Kentucky’s backcourt, and will be absolutely important in the team’s success throughout the season, especially with his hot starts to games to begin the season.

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