Field Trip: The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience
Jimmy Russell photo credit Wild Turkey
One of the coolest things you can do when visiting Kentucky distilleries is to stop by Wild Turkey and chat with Jimmy Russell, who is just about always perched in his chair in the visitor’s center these days. During Covid, the visitor’s center was shut down, temporarily at first, and then for a much longer period of time for a renovation, and visitor experiences were rerouted to the former visitor’s center on the other side of the campus. The newly rededicated Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience has finally reopened to guests, and it’s become quite the elevated Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience.
A Building, An Experience
Wild Turkey Visitor Center building photo credit Wild Turkey
The building is the same size as it was before, and previous visitors will notice similar features including the stave hallway ramp, often referred to as the cathedral of Bourbon, which leads to the Generations Lounge. Gone are the photos on the wall, replaced with video screens playing the story of Jimmy Russell, the Russell family, and Wild Turkey throughout the years. The gift shop has been revamped and moved to the back of the first floor room, and a lounge with comfy chairs and couches has taken the place of the former gift shop. There are also two new intimate tasting rooms that can be combined into one larger room where the gift shop checkout stand once stood.
“For our family, this isn’t just a place to visit, it’s like a second home,” says Bruce Russell, Associate Blender at Wild Turkey. “We’re thrilled to now be able to open our doors a little wider and welcome even more folks into this community. The Jimmy Russell Wild Turkey Experience is a perfect tribute to grandad and his life-long commitment to spreading the word of bourbon.”
Shop
The new retail space is focused on bottle sales, including limited and distillery-only releases, giving bottle hunters a new target in Anderson County. While there is still merchandise aplenty, collectors items like Wild Turkey Master’s Keep will be a big draw for visitors.
Wild Turkey Visitor Center overhead photo credit Wild Turkey
The outdoor area that overlooks the Kentucky River and two historic bridges, the Jo Blackburn Bridge and Young’s High Bridge, is now home to a covered pavilion with tables perfect for picnics, and there’s a fire pit area with conversational seating perfect for enjoying a cigar after a tour. Another conversation area is located between the building and the back fence.
The Lounge
Generations Lounge photo credit Wild Turkey
The Generations Lounge, named for Jimmy, Eddie, and Bruce Russell, is a real showstopper. The contemporary design, club seating, and cocktail bar are accented by a large portion of the distillery’s former Vendome column still towering over the space. Large windows overlook the Kentucky River, giving guests a relaxing place to enjoy a cocktail and rest after a distillery tour. The top of the back bar is decorated with ceramic turkey decanters, a tactic Kentucky brands used in the 1970s to sell whiskey when no one wanted to buy whiskey.
The Visitors Center
Wild Turkey Visitors Center photo credit Wild Turkey
The 12,000 square foot space is ready to welcome visitors and has been named for Jimmy Russell in honor of his 70th year working for Wild Turkey — he'll celebrate 70 years working for the company this September. There are several new options for tours now on top of the standard Wild Turkey distillery tour, including premium tasting add-ons, production tours, rickhouse visits, and a new Russell's Reserve maturation tour. Standalone tastings are also being offered.
This reopening represents phase one of a massive planned expansion. In addition to the Jimmy Russell Experience, Wild Turkey has also broken ground for a new production facility that will add 5 million proof gallons of distillation capacity to the campus. According to Eddie Russell, this new facility, when opened, will become the focus of tours. It will also be a place where Bruce Russell will have the opportunity to potentially create some experimental Wild Turkey products. Bruce Russell is a big fan of rye whiskeys, so it’s possible a new rye whiskey mash bill could be forthcoming within the next five to ten years. This expansion is part of a $160 million investment that parent company Campari is making at the Kentucky campus, and it will expand production capacity to a total of 14 million proof gallons annually and add more than a dozen new jobs to the area.
Visiting
Book a tour online at the redesigned Wild Turkey visitor’s center. As always, be sure to book well in advance, as many distillery tours in Kentucky book up anywhere from two to six months in advance. And don’t forget to say hi to Jimmy Russell when you get there.