Four Roses Single Barrel Review Showdown Part 4 of 10: McScrooge's OESQ

Up today is another entry 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. At the end of the series I plan to do a crazy vatting of Four Roses Yellow Label Barrel Proof that I learned about here.

56.0% ABV; Aged 8 years and 6 months; Selected by McScrooge's Wine & Spirits in Knoxville, TN

This is the youngest in age and lowest in proof of all the private selections I acquired. Thanks to a tip from redditor /u/Grundy23 in sourcing this one.

Nose: Mild in heat vapor but not necessarily tame. Crisp oaky char, sweet caramel candy corn, spring time flowers. It's the best nose so far.

Taste: Wonderful sweetness and elegant hint of spice. Banana in a very sweet, oh so delicious form like the caramel and banana on a vanilla bean ice cream sundae. It's not all sweet though - there are tingles of minty rye spice in there that balance things out wonderfully.

Finish: Looooong finish. Deep warm glow. Banana cream pie, caramel fudge. Slight mint and cinnamon typical of the other OE but not nearly as prevalent. Some herbalness reminiscent of elderflower liqueur, think St. Germain. Finish is not nearly as spicy as previous OE recipes. Deep lasting sweetness. Less on heat finish like previous recipes and more on flavor. Finish is the best of the bunch so far by leaps and bounds.

Notes: This one is really hitting on all cylinders and back on track for what I expected from these private selections. The Four Roses tasting notes for this one are "Floral (Rose Petal & Acacia), Banana, Refreshing, Medium Body". I get a touch of the floral notes but they are very subdued. The banana is definitely present. This might be the most balanced Four Roses Single Barrel I've ever had. Even though the flavor profile is completely different, the amount of complexity and balance is reminiscent of the 2013 Small Batch LE. What a stud of a pour! This is the embodiment of what Four Roses can be and the reason I Iove them.

Rating: A