presents
Early
in the morning
RRound here, when it comes to the city, we say you can forget about it. The countryside is like a brother that knows you better than anyone else.
We’re in deep Kentucky, and right now it’s cold, it’s been raining for weeks, but finally, the morning light is flooding the rooftops and a light breeze is lashing the birch branches against the trunks.
Inside the cab, which smells like rain, a father and son sit next to each other.
At the wheel is Jimmy Russell, the “Buddha of Bourbon.” He’s been distilling Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg for decades. He started out with humble beginnings, sweeping the floors of the distillery, and in 1960 he became
Next to him is his son, Eddie Russell, the third of the Russell generation to work for Wild Turkey. Just like his father, he’s involved in the distillation and ageing process, making sure that each Wild Turkey bottle meets the highest standards.
They’re together for a glorious project that’s going to bring them even closer and make them feel prouder to be members of the renowned Russell family: Eddie is creating the first Russell’s Reserve, a tribute to the 45th Anniversary of his father joining the great Wild Turkey household.
He wants to celebrate his own way, because – besides bourbon – they are united by an authentic bond.
It really couldn’t be done any other way: down here, what matters most is what you are, not what you say you are.
And you have a lot of time to become yourself when you do nothing but wait.
And while you wait, you think, you mature, just like the precious bourbon that father and son have been nurturing for years with the same warmth that you reserve for a member of your family.
The pickup moves forward along the empty road.
Many times it was stuck in the wet, clay-rich soil, and just as many times father and son had to pull it out, their shoes sinking in the mud, slippery as soap, to free the axles of the truck from the sludge.
And here they are, together once again, driving along the same old road, in the typical Kentucky cold and the early morning light, so strong that you have to squint your eyes to see ahead. The engine devours the road, as the great bourbon house nears.
Jimmy pulls over, rolls the window down a few inches and takes a look at the large white wall bearing the great words ‘Wild Turkey’. He steams up the glass with his breath and writes 45 with the tip of his forefinger.
Eddie puts his hand on his father’s shoulder and tells him – with just a look – that today is going to be
memorable.
Jimmy Russell gets out of the car and clings to the door. The emotion needs a safe hold. His son walks to him briskly.
The old man’s look is full to the brim with affection.
The two men are ready to walk through the door of their second home. A flash of emotion crosses the eyes of both men. The bourbon smell unrolls across the streets followed, a moment later, by the applause, a surprise from those who have worked and learned with Jimmy for years. Here, ageing is a serious thing, just like family, friends and blood ties.
