Russell’s Reserve 6 Year Old Small Batch Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey is made using a generations-old recipe. After the grains are mashed and fermented, they are distilled to a lower proof than at other distilleries in Kentucky, meaning that less water is used in diluting the whiskey before it is matured and bottled. Following distillation, the rye is aged for a minimum of six years in American oak casks that have been charred with a #4 char. Typically, the degree of charring within a cask is measured on a scale of one to four, with a #4 cask referring to casks that have been charred so heavily that the interior resembles an alligator hide (#4 casks are nicknamed alligator-charred casks). The heavy char used in the maturation of Russell’s Reserve Rye contributes bold notes of honey, wood tannins and cinnamon to the whiskey, and complements its spicy notes of rye.