Four Roses 2014 Limited Edition Single Barrel Review

Up tonight is a surprise entry in my rundown through all the Four Roses Single Barrel recipes. I had planned to finish out this series with a review of some Four Roses Yellow Label Barrel Proof that I recently vatted but in a nice surprise last week the 2014 Limited Edition dropped in our area. No one has reviewed it yet and it fits the series so I thought I would give it a go. I brought along a private selection of the same recipe that I previously reviewed for comparison… let's see how well Jim's selection stacks up.

59.8% ABV; Aged 11 Years; OESF Recipe; Warehouse HW Barrel 47-3E; Bottle 1668/7122

Nose: Rich but soft, sweet oak. Chocolate, cherries, and mint. Much more intense sweetness than the Bourbon Women OESF I previously reviewed. It isn't as hot as one would expect from nearly 120 proof.

Taste: A reinforcement of the nose. Cool refreshing mint and slight cinnamon. Lots and lots of cherry, so much so that I am getting a distinct cherry cola flavor. The mouthfeel is incredibly creamy. Vanilla, honey, and corn sweetness are very present and come together much like a cream soda. Again like the nose the palette on this is way, way better than the other OESF I reviewed.

Finish: Moderate to long. Toasty rich oak and spicy mint reigns for quite a while as does the cherry soda and sweet creamed soda flavor. The creaminess lasts all the way until the end. The combo of sweet, spicy, and creaminess in this is wonderful and it's all balanced incredibly well.

Notes: My biggest revelation when comparing last year's 2013 LE to another private selection OBSK was that the 2013 LE OBSK had so much more balance, depth, and complexity. Here again with this year's LE we have the same thing happening. There are so many more interesting characteristics and nuances with this compared to the other OESF I reviewed. The last two years of Single Barrel LEs I've reviewed now have been incredibly intricate and harmonious which coincidentally was my lasting impression of the 2013 Small Batch LE as well. With that revelation I'm starting to realize Jim's real talent... he's a wizard at picking out barrels that demonstrate amazing complexity while at the same time exhibiting incredible balance. Cheers to you, Mr Rutledge, you picked out another winner.

Rating: A