Russell's Reserve, the Campari Group-owned bourbon label, is releasing its 13 Year Old Bourbon as a Spring 2026 limited expression and debuting an original short-form documentary to mark Master Distiller Eddie Russell's 45th year at Wild Turkey Distilling Co. in Lawrenceburg, Ky. The dual activation represents one of the brand's most prominent marketing commitments since repositioning Russell's Reserve as a premium heritage play within Campari's North American spirits portfolio.
Eddie Russell joined Wild Turkey in 1981 in what was described at the time as a temporary summer role. He has since earned induction into the Bourbon Hall of Fame and become one of the industry's most widely cited figures in aged whiskey development. The 13 Year Old expression — a periodic limited release rather than a permanent line extension — draws directly on barrels selected under his oversight, giving the bottling a tangible commercial narrative at a moment when provenance-driven marketing commands measurable shelf premiums in the premium-and-above bourbon segment.
The accompanying documentary, titled His Own Way: The Story of Eddie Russell, is a short-form production distributed through the brand's owned channels. Heritage-anchored content strategies have gained traction across the broader beverage alcohol category as producers compete for consumer attention without relying solely on price promotion — a dynamic particularly acute in aged American whiskey, where supply constraints continue to shape release calendars across major distillers.
Campari Group has been methodically expanding the Russell's Reserve franchise as a margin-accretive counterweight to volume-oriented lines in its U.S. spirits book. Limited aged releases with commemorative packaging carry higher average selling prices and tend to generate secondary-market interest that extends brand visibility beyond the initial retail window. The Spring 2026 13 Year Old carries a commemorative label distinguishing it from prior seasonal iterations, a detail likely to drive collector demand among the growing segment of allocated-bourbon enthusiasts that has reshaped distributor allocation dynamics over the past several years.
No volume figures, suggested retail pricing, or distribution footprint data were disclosed in the announcement. Campari Group's next scheduled earnings disclosure is expected to provide updated performance metrics for the North American spirits division, where Russell's Reserve sits alongside Espolòn tequila and Wild Turkey as key growth contributors.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
