Four Roses is my favorite distillery and of all their 10 recipes, OESK is my favorite. There's just something about the sweet and spicy combo of their rye and K yeast that for me is nearly the perfect bourbon. Given that, I was pretty excited when Four Roses announced a limited edition single barrel of fourteen year old OESK to commemorate their new master distiller, Brent Elliott.
There has been increased grumbling lately about the high price of the Four Roses limited edition single barrel line. Many people will tell you some of the private store select single barrels are just as good at a fraction of the price. I can certainly empathize with that as I'm becoming more and more averse to the overpriced limited edition craze myself. But given that this is my favorite recipe and the age is a good 4-6 years older than most other K yeast single barrels you'll find today, I didn't have a problem with the price.
Aged 14 years; 56.5% ABV; Barrel 47-2C; Bottle 1885 of 10224; $125
Nose: Sugary sweet, mint, anise spice, lots of oak. Great, great nose. Smells exactly like what I had hoped for.
Taste: Very woody and spice forward with the sweetness tamed back. The finish is very oak dominate and brings some slight bitterness. The spice is still there but I think all that time in the wood has killed the sweet and mint notes that I really love in an OESK.
Thoughts: This is pretty good but it is far perfect and not what I hoped for. I am really surprised to be saying this but I think this recipe is better at around 10 years old. I have a store select OESK from a local shop that's around 9 years old and I'd reach for it all day long over this. I don't regret the purchase because it's unlike any other Four Roses I've ever had but I can only recommend going after this for the most hardcore Four Roses fans.
Rating: B+ / B
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
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