Four Roses Single Barrel Review Showdown Part 5 of 10: World Beverage 400 OESV

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 started with the OE series am working my way towards the OBs. Today is the last of the OE line which I will finish just in time for the community review of the /r/bourbon selected OBSF tomorrow. At the end of the series I plan to review a couple crazy vattings of Four Roses Yellow Label Barrel Proof that I learned about here.

61.1% ABV; Aged 9 years and 8 months; Selected by World Beverage 400

Nose: Nose is nice. A touch of heat but there is a decent amount of sweetness. It smells very soft which is remarkable given it is over 60% ABV. Cherry and caramel seem to predominate over hints of oak.

Taste: Initially light and sweet. Honey covered fruit. It's a bit thin on the palette, certainly not bursting with flavor. What is there is very subtle. At the back end there is the typical cinnamon and mint I have experienced with all the OE recipes but it's subdued compared to others.

Finish: Short to medium finish. Minty cinnamon rye notes presides. The heat isn't as high or sharp as some of the other OE I didn't care care for - it's more of a nice warm glow. I wish there were more fruit or sweetness in the finish.

Notes: The Four Roses tasting notes for OESV are "Delicate Fruity, Fresh, Creamy" and I feel like this pour definitely fits that bill. The standard Four Roses Single Barrel OSBV is one of my favorite daily sippers and some of the parts that I like about that recipe are absolutely present here, namely the intricate fruitiness which must be the trademark of the V yeast strain. It's an enjoyable pour but at the end of the day I think the higher rye OB matches up better with this yeast strain. This one feels a little dainty, like a petite little princess. While it's nice as something different and I will certainly enjoy this bottle, it's not my favorite of the bunch.

Rating: B