Today is part two in my rundown through all ten recipes in the Four Roses Single Barrel lineup. All the bottles in this series are from various private selections so they vary in age but my hope is the underlying characteristics of each recipe will shine through and I can pick my favorite. I'm starting with the OE series and then working my way towards the OBs.
58.8% ABV; Aged 9 years & 2 months; Selected by Roof Brothers Wine & Spirits
Nose: Nose is very flat and almost hollow. Some burnt acetic orange. I'm getting hardly any sweetness which is extremely odd considering this is a nine year old ~120 proof bourbon. Not off to a very good start.
Taste: Taste is nothing like the nose which is rare in my experience. It's considerably better. Vanilla, toasted corn, and light cinnamon rye at the end are the biggest notes for me. The rye is softer and cinnamony like the OESF but without the mint presence. It's doesn't really seem balanced, though.
Finish: Cinnamon apples, charred oak, salt. Finish is rather short in taste but long in heat, almost a pepper like quality. I don't care for the finish at all.
Notes: The Four Roses notes on this one read "spicy, full bodied". Honestly, that doesn't sound very intriguing to me but I believe this bottle fits that description perfectly. While I love a good high rye spicy bourbon the spice here is mostly just hot and lacks any flavor depth. I've sampled quite a few Four Roses in my day and this might be my least favorite ever. The nose is not up to par with other Four Roses I've had nor is the finish. The only redeeming quality is the palate but even that isn't that great. It lacks balance and any fruity or dimensional spice characteristics that I crave in a solid Four Roses pour.
Truth be told this is kind of a sad review for me. I've held Four Roses on such a pedestal lately but this bottle is really a disappointment. I think that is partially due to the bottle selection. I know I've had other OESKs in the past and I did not remember being this let down. I'd love to have an OESK hand selected by Jim Rutledge to see what redeeming qualities this recipe can bring.
Rating: B-
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