Juicy citrus | Apricot | Floral essence | Seasoned oak | Toffee | Bright & lively

Buttercream frosting | Honey | Stone fruits | Graham cracker | Herbal note | Nutmeg | Leather | Dense seasoned oak

Crisp apple | Caramel | Leather | Tobacco | Baking spices | Long

Old Terrell Distillery is located in Paducah, Kentucky, which is a little over three hours southwest of Louisville. The modern version of the company was founded by Thomas Logan Davis in 2024. It pays homage to the historical Old Terrell, which began with Caleb Terrell, who started making whiskey in Kentucky around 1835. The Old Terrell Distillery secured DSP-KY-34 around 1900 (sources vary between 1901 and 1903). Later, in 1916, a fire destroyed approximately 1,300 barrels and caused major damage, and the operation ultimately shut down around the World War I and Prohibition period.

Davis plans to build a distillery, slated for late 2026, and says the chosen location is part of the historic Old Terrell facility. The company is sourcing whiskeys now, but Davis intends to grow grain on his family’s western Kentucky farm and transition to a grain-to-glass operation.

This single barrel bourbon is bright and lively from the start, with a surprisingly dynamic, complex flavor profile. It builds on a classic Kentucky bourbon base and then adds a whole lot of extra. Standout notes of juicy citrus on the nose, buttercream frosting on the palate, and crisp apple leading the charge on the finish layer, on top of grounded savory flavors with leather, seasoned oak, and tobacco underneath. There are further flavor accents throughout making it a quite dynamic sip.

While I didn’t care for the Small Batch Bourbon I reviewed earlier in the year, this Old Terrell Single Barrel is another story entirely. While it’s sourced from Wild Turkey, it doesn’t taste like a typical Wild Turkey bourbon. That makes sense, as Wild Turkey likely couldn't fit it into one of its existing brand flavor profiles. Instead, it’s topped with flavors uncharacteristic of Wild Turkey’s line, focusing on an entirely different, yet still familiar, Kentucky bourbon flavor set. This is an excellent single barrel and one worth taking note of what else Old Terrell has to offer as the company gets underway.

The bourbon in review is bottle number 01 of 01 from barrel number 537640, with a handwritten “BG1” on the label. However, the remainder of this specific barrel is labeled “River City Revival 2026” and denotes a total bottle count of 176.