Four Roses Super Premium Review

Here is another random review as I attempt to make a year end push to get through a huge backlog of samples that I’ve managed to amass.

Four Roses super premium is an export product only available in Japan. I couldn’t find any official details but word on the street is that it is a blend of different Four Roses recipes like their flagship yellow label. The similarities stop there though as Super Premium supposedly uses a different ratio of recipes and is also a much older blend of 8-10 year old whiskey versus the much younger ~5 year old yellow label.

43% ABV; thanks to /u/Randimosity for the sample

Nose: The nose leans toward older bourbon notes with only a little sweetness. Mostly wood, some tannic notes like leather, and very little of the typical rye spice or distinctive fruit notes I get from a Four Roses bourbon. I would have guessed around ~10 years old from the nose.

Taste: More similar to classic Four Roses than the nose but still not all the way there. Caramel red apples, creamy vanilla, and a fair amount of wood are the major players in the front and mid palate. The finish tapers off with more of those notes along with a little cinnamon, mint, and menthol spice.

Thoughts: I came into this expecting something like a cross between Four Roses yellow label and their small batch but it’s not really similar to either of those things. To be honest I probably would not have guessed Four Roses if I tasted this blind which is something I pride myself on being able to do. It lacks a lot of the spicy and fruity notes that I feel make Four Roses distinct. It’s a solid, easy sipping bourbon with no real faults other than being rather boring.

Rating: B-

Value: As always, I don’t factor cost into my ratings. I think this retails around $50 overseas and around $150-$200 if you want to buy one off the secondary over here. Personally I wouldn’t pay either of those prices seeing as how a $35 bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel is a better whiskey.