[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JIMMY RUSSELL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2024

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a special man, Jimmy Russell, 
from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Mr. Russell, an icon in the bourbon 
industry, marks his 70th anniversary at Wild Turkey distillery.
  Mr. Russell grew up in Anderson County, five miles from Wild Turkey. 
He followed in his father's footsteps and went to work at Wild Turkey, 
then known as Anderson County Distilling, sweeping floors. He rotated 
jobs and learned all the steps involved in making bourbon, discovering 
that no job is too small and no task too tedious when it comes to 
making bourbon the right way. In 1967, he became Master Distiller, a 
position that he held for nearly half a century. Today he is Co-Master 
Distiller alongside his son Eddie Russell. He is the longest tenured 
active Master Distiller in the industry.
  Mr. Russell has earned numerous accolades for his outstanding work, 
including being named to the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, the Whiskey 
Hall of Fame, and a lifetime honorary member of the Kentucky 
Distiller's Association. He has been named a Kentucky Colonel by three 
Kentucky governors and has been a whiskey judge for the International 
Wine and Spirits Competition.
  Mr. Russell is a fixture at the distillery, where he serves as a 
goodwill ambassador, greeting tourists at the visitor's center, 
charming them as he imparts knowledge about bourbon, signing bottles, 
and posing for pictures. He also samples and shares his opinion on new 
bourbons being developed at Wild Turkey. He enjoys working alongside 
his son Eddie and grandson Bruce.
  Mr. Russell has contributed greatly to the success of the bourbon 
industry, one of Kentucky's signature industries. It is my honor to 
lift up the life of this true Kentucky treasure, Mr. Jimmy Russell, and 
celebrate his 70 years at Wild Turkey.

                          ____________________