Four Roses Small Batch Select Review

Here today is Four Roses first new product in 12 years. It is a blend of V, K, and F yeasts across both their high rye and higher rye mashbills. As a Four Roses fanboy who loves the K and V recipes and has had some success with F, I was personally very excited for this product. Four Roses Single Barrel is one of my rotating daily drivers and though the price here would prevent it from working its way into daily rotation, I have high expectations this will be a quality product worthy of the occasional splurge purchase.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Aged 6-7 years; 52% ABV; Non-chill Filtered; $60

Nose: Caramel, red fruits, and a good amount of sugary oak. I say this over and over again but to me the classic Four Roses calling card is caramel covered red fruits, like candy red apples. The nose here has that in droves. There is also a bit of sugary sweet cinnamon spice like big red gum which I would attribute to OBSK. Things are off to a good start.

Taste: All of the same from the nose. Sugary wood, sugary spice, sugary red fruits. The finish has some chocolatey red fruits and a touch of milder spice that linger for a while. Overall the wood depth seems spot on for 7ish years old and there are only faint hints of untamed ethanol in the mix.

Thoughts: I was expecting a lot and this delivered. It tastes like quintessential, classic Four Roses. The price is reasonable, I didn't have a hard time finding it, and I could have bought as much of it as I wanted. My only knock is I wish it had a touch more age and maybe a tad more proof, like say 8 years and 107 but in this day and age of bourbon hysteria I am pretty happy with it as is. 

Rating: B

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

Four Roses Small Batch 2018 130th Anniversary Review

Like most folks who are serious about bourbon, I'm a huge Four Roses fan. I've never had a limited product from them that wasn't good though not all of them are grand slams. Granted, they were a lot better bargain just a few years ago when they retailed for $70 but I've still had enough good experiences that I don't usually think twice about buying them when given the chance even though they cost around double that now. 

This vintage is a blend of the following recipes:

• 10 year OBSV
• 13 year OBSF
• 14 year OESV
• 16 year OESK

Three out of four of those are recipes I usually gravitate towards and the fourth (OBSF) is one I've had at least some success with as well so I'm expecting good things there.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; No Age Statement; 54.2% ABV; $140

Nose: Very sweet. A hefty dose of brown sugar. The traditional Four Roses red fruit notes are muted which is surprising to me given this has two V yeast components which are known for that.

Taste: Very sweet like the nose with a considerable amount of oak influence without being bitter or dry. Up front it's straight up liquid brown sugar with a little fruit character. The sweet note lingers for quite a while then quite a bit of mint flavors come through which I would attribute to the F yeast component. Oddly, the mint flavors aren't really that spicy, as if the heavy handed brown sugar notes are keeping the spice in check.

Thoughts: This is a pretty good bourbon with a lot of great sweet and oak flavors but compared to other Four Roses special releases it's not really that memorable. It checks all the right boxes of what makes a great standard bourbon but it's missing the whiz bang of red fruit / sweet / spicy that is where Four Roses bourbon shines. It's a really high bar if you want to compare Four Roses limited editions this one would be in my bottom bracket out of releases over the past 6 years. 

Rating: B / B+

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2017 Review

Here we have the annual limited edition release from my favorite distillery, Four Roses. Past releases of this have been excellent and some like the 2013 and 2015 are up there with my all time favorites. In 2017 we were lucky in that we saw two limited edition small batches, the previous one being the Al Young 50th Anniversary. While I thought it was good, it had some faults that made it hard to swallow the $150 price tag considering there are some private selection single barrels that I've enjoyed more that will run you about 1/3 of the cost. And that's been my only real complaint about the limited edition products from Four Roses lately — it wasn't too long ago that you didn't pay much of a premium for them but times have most certainly changed. 

The blend for this release is 

• 15 year OESK
• 13 year OESK
• 12 year OESV

I'm a huge fan of all those recipes so I am going in with high hopes here.

No Age Statement; 54% ABV; $125; Bottle 6742 of 10896

Nose: Sweet caramel, soft spice, red fruits/berries, and hefty dose of oak. Smells like classic, well aged Four Roses.

Taste: All of the same from the nose. Lots of lush caramel and other oak derived sweets up front, hefty dose of oak in the middle, and a wave of spicy red berries and slightly port wine like notes in the finish. As the red fruit notes recede, the spice starts to come on in the form of dry baking spice and/or cinnamon powder.

Thoughts: Classic, no bullshit, excellent Four Roses. I've loved this bottle from the moment I've opened and in a lot of ways it reminds me of the 2015 LE small batch which is up there with the best of the best for me. Having just recently tried them side by side on a recent trip to Four Roses while picking out barrels with a preferred local store, it does fall a little short of that one. Comparison is the thief of joy though so in this moment, this is a truly remarkable bourbon that showcases a distinctive profile that only Four Roses can deliver — a sweet, woody, spicy, red fruit forward bourbon. 

It's really hard for me to keep up with all of the limited edition releases these days — I completely missed out on any of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and probably 75% of the other taterbait releases but this is the best whiskey I've had from 2017 and I am completely content with that.

Rating: A- / A

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

Four Roses Small Batch 2017 Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Review

Four Roses is by far my favorite distillery so I was super excited when it was announced they would be releasing a limited edition to commemorate brand ambassador Al Young’s 50 years with the organization. Not only did I love the retro look of the bottle but they appeared to have spared no expensive with the specs as there are some really old bourbons in the blend from recipes that are well loved.

Before going to head over heels though, there’s a reality check that needs to happen. Though I’ve never had a Four Roses Limited Edition that wasn’t good, there have been one or two that I thought were topped by some of the better private selections I’ve had. I think that’s more of a compliment to the high ceiling of quality in private selections than a knock against Four Roses LEs. 

12 year OBSF, 15 year OBSK, 23 year OBSV, 13 year OESV; 53.8% ABV; $150

Nose: I can taste/smell Four Roses bourbons a mile away and this smells like quintessential Four Roses. Caramel, honey, red fruits, cinnamon, and mint spice. All of this backed up by quite a bit of wood influence and minimal ethanol burn. It smells very, very nice. 

Taste: Taste is more of the same from the nose and again very classic Four Roses bourbon flavors. Caramel cinnamon covered apples and cherries. The wood influence is a lot more noticeable now, almost a bit too much oak as it is a little drying in the finish. Burnt sugars, red fruits, tingly spice, and dark cocoa linger in the finish on top of a whole mess of wood. 

Thoughts: It’s a very good, balanced, surprisingly easy to drink bourbon that has all the great Four Roses tasting notes I crave. Having said that, after quite a few sessions with this, I’m always left wishing it was more impactful. All that wood influence and the lowish proof for a typical barrel strength Four Roses product gives it a rather mellow profile, almost to a fault. If you like more subtle, intricate, nuanced bourbons, then this would be a home run for you. For me, I’m a private selection OESK man through and through and I have quite a few of them in my stash that I’d reach for before this. The kicker here is those were about 1/3 of the price.

Rating: B+

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

Four Roses Small Batch 2016 Limited Edition Review

This is your resident Four Roses fanboy, signde, signing in. Today we have the 2016 version of Four Roses' annual limited edition small batch. All of their small batch limited editions are cask strength and a blend of various ages / recipes from the Four Roses portfolio. The fact that Four Roses has 10 different recipes each with their own nuanced subtleties tend to make these bottles a hit. I'll be the first to tell you I am usually over the moon for them and given that this release contains my favorite (OESK) and third favorite (OBSV) recipes I suspect this review is going to be very positive. 

12 year OESO, 12 year OBSV, 16 year OESK; 55.6% ABV; $95

Nose: Very tempered for 111.2 proof though this is the last pour of the bottle and it has been open since the day I brought home back in the Fall nearly 7 months ago. Nose is a little grainy but there is classic Four Roses red fruits, herbal menthol, and cinnamon spices. That seems pretty in-line with the blend here - fruitiness from the OESO and OBSV and spice punch from the OESK. It's really nice.

Taste: Most of the profile from the nose carries over. Cherry, apple, a little herbal mint, cinnamon, baking spices, and lots of sweet woody caramel. With a lot of bourbons it seems the sweet/spice notes come in waves with the fruit and sugar sweets up front then spices in the back. Here though that fruity sweet combo is persistent almost the whole way through. It's lovely. 

Thoughts: I know some folks were down on 2016 small batch and if I had to guess I think it's the OESO influence. I don't mind it at all though as it seems to be a nice rounding out of the fruit and spice influence that the V and K yeast bring. To me this is just a classic Four Roses blend delivering depth like almost no other brand can. It's got that hallmark Four Roses profile of spice layers, red fruit nuance, and lush caramel sweets in spades. Having said that, it's a little muted and doesn't leave quite the lasting impression as some of the other big time Four Roses small batch releases like the 2012, 2013, or even the 2015 but flavor-wise it is in the right wheelhouse. This is another home run for the Four Roses crew in my book. 

Rating: A- / B+

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating. 

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2015 Review

I've said many times that Four Roses is my favorite distillery and along those lines, my favorite master distiller is Jim Rutledge. Jim retired from Four Roses last Fall but the final stamp on his legacy is one last release of their Limited Edition Small Batch. The 2014 release of this product didn't really get bad reviews but most agreed it was a step down from the previous releases. To be fair, the 2012 and 2013 releases are regarded by many as some of the best bourbons made in the last 5 years so it had some large shoes to fill. Jim was on record as saying he had a hard time selecting the 2014 release but he felt the 2015 was a return to previous form. The 2015 release is a blend of 16 year OBSK, 15 year OESK, 14 year OESK, and 11 year OBSV. That runs the gamut of my three favorite Four Roses recipes so my expectations are very high.

Aged 11 to 16 years; 54.3% ABV; $100

Nose: Classic Four Roses. Woody, sweet, spicy, and red fruits. Smells like cinnamon caramel covered red apples. 

Taste: Spot on with the nose. It's surprisingly sweet despite the high ages. Their high rye comes through with touches of cinnamon and anise spices. The red apple fruit notes are very prominent and there is a tremendous amount of wood depth. It's incredibly rich and drinks easy considering the proof. My only criticism is a little dry bitterness towards the finish but you really have to dig to get that. 

Thoughts: Four Roses has such a distinctive taste that separates their bourbon from everyone else. This takes all those great distinguishing characteristics and ramps them up even more. This is almost as good as bourbon it gets. I'm not ready to put it up there with the 2012 or 2013 Small Batch but it's not far behind. Cheers to you Mr. Rutledge, you went out with a bang. 

Rating: A

Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.

Four Roses Elliott's Select 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel Review

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.

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.

Imaginary Internet Friends Blind Tasting #13: Anything Goes

Here’s another rundown from a blind tasting with our local whiskey group the “Imaginary Internet Friends”. You can read more of the backstory on our group and our previous tastings here if you are curious. The theme for this tasting was a group favorite “anything goes” with no constraints on whiskey type, price, proof, or age. Special thanks to /u/tvraisedme for being our blind impartial who selected a great lineup.

 

These are my blind notes, in order of how I ranked them:

1. Sample E: The nose was a fairly average but classic with medium woodiness and also a nice fruitiness. The taste was spicy with lots of mint and was a bit warm. I guessed it was a Four Roses around 105-110 proof with my alternate guess being Smooth Ambler Old Scout. Reveal: Four Roses /r/bourbon OBSF
2. Sample A: The nose was very woody and gave off an impression of being fairly old. The taste was rich, sweet, and a tad spicy. Very good and only a slight notch below my first pick. My guess was this was a higher rye bourbon around 100 proof, possibly Smooth Ambler. Reveal: Weller 12
3. Sample B: Overall, this one smelled and tasted the youngest of the group. The nose was spicy but also had a lot of youthful banana notes. The taste continued the young trend with green apple notes as well as more spice. Because of the young age and spice I suspected this was my submission (WTRB). Reveal: Henry McKenna 10 year Bottled in Bond
4. Sample C: Again pretty young, the second youngest in the group. The nose was very spicy with slight off-putting chemical notes. The taste was slightly more mature but very spicy. I guessed it was a barely legal rye or high rye bourbon around 100-110 proof. Reveal: Wild Turkey Rare Breed WT-03RB
5. Sample D: The nose was awesome on the first pass. It smelled old with a deep woodiness. On a second pass things took a horrible turn towards the bitter side along with very pronounced old musty wood notes. The taste was more of the same - way too bitter and funky in a bad way. I guessed this was an Orphan Barrel other than Barterhouse. Reveal: 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

Well, no real surprises here for me as this is exactly how I would have ranked these non-blind. As always, the Four Roses was easy to peg. I’m most disappointed I missed the Weller 12 but I didn’t get the classic cinnamon zip I typically get in BT wheated products though it goes to show that wheated bourbons have a spiciness all of their own that can be hard to differentiate from rye spice. The biggest surprise here for me is just how young the McKenna tasted - I would have guessed this was a 6-ish year old bourbon. Definitely the worst McKenna 10 year I’ve had and reinforces variability of single barrel products. Last but not least, I’m well on record as saying I really dislike the OFBB line and I believe this is the second blind tasting where I’ve placed it last.

As for the group rankings:

1. Four Roses /r/bourbon OBSF with 22 points via /u/dannyg483
2. Weller 12 with 17 points via /u/Imcoolerthanu50
3. Henry McKenna 10 year Bottled in Bond with 15 points via /u/pennbarts
4. 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon with 11 points via /u/helios7
5. Wild Turkey Rare Breed WT-03RB with 10 points via /u/signde

No surprises here as it seems to line-up pretty well with the consensus of the community. The most interesting thing to note is this the 5th tasting where Four Roses has been entered and the 4th time It has taken first place. The fifth time was one of the controversial Q recipes that finished last (though I rated it first, haha). Above all else, this tasting only further solidifies the fact that Four Roses really is the best modern day bourbon you can buy off the shelf.

Four Roses 2014 Limited Edition Small Batch Review

I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating again, Four Roses is my favorite bourbon. In an age where other producers seem to be cutting corners and generally irritating the whiskey community, Four Roses just keeps putting out quality and doing so with integrity. Their single barrel private selections can be found pretty easily and rival the quality of even the best yearly special edition releases put out by other producers. And then there are Four Roses own special edition releases which over the past few years have proven to be some of the best bourbons ever released. Both the 2012 and 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch were awarded American Whiskey of the year by Whiskey Advocate and while most whiskey awards are poofy fluff I feel those two were very deserving. The 2013 125th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch in particular is one of my favorite bourbons of all time. With that pedigree, the 2014 Limited Edition Small Batch has some big shoes to fill so let’s see how it stacks up.

55.9% ABV; Bottle 212 of 12516; $73

OBSK 9yrs, OBSV 13yrs, OESV 12yrs, OBSF 11yrs

Notes: The nose has all the typical fruit, sweet, and spicy notes of a great Four Roses bourbon. Cherries, apples, caramel, cinnamon, and mint along with a medium dose of wood. The palate is largely a reinforcement of all those same notes. Upfront there is a lot of sweet red fruit like caramel covered apples. A rich middle-aged woodiness follows up the mid palate and then the finish tapers off with sweet spicy notes like Big Red cinnamon gum and wintergreen mint that are typical in Four Roses’ higher rye recipes. After the spiciness subsides there is a little bitter oak that lingers for a while. It’s a great combination of sweet, wood, and spice. If I were being critical though I would say the finish isn’t as sweet as I would like because the spice is a little overbearing and the red fruit flavors in the front aren’t as prominent as in other great Four Roses I’ve had.

Thoughts: The ages on the whiskeys that went into this are a noticeable drop from the previous two releases and it shows a little. While this is delicious stuff it’s not quite in the same league as the previous two special editions. It lacks the layers, nuances, and balance that the 125th was famous for. Jim Rutledge is on record as saying the 125th was probably the best bourbon he’s ever made though so it’s almost not fair to compare this release to that one. Regardless of all that, this is a really good bourbon and still better than most of the other special edition whiskeys released last year.

Rating: A-

Kentucky Bourbon Trail and /r/bourbon Cask Force Barrel Selection

Last weekend I took a trip through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail so I thought I would share my experience. The precipitous for the trip was volunteering to be a member of the 3rd /r/bourbon Cask Force which was anointed with the task of picking out two barrels from Four Roses. I’ve never done any of the distilleries in Kentucky before so my volunteering was as much an excuse to visit the Bourbon Trail as it was to help pick out the barrels.

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Maker’s Mark

Maker’s has lots of nostalgia for me as it is the first Bourbon I ever bought on a consistent basis so I really cut my whiskey teeth on it. One of the most awesome parts about visiting Maker’s is the drive into Loretto greets you with a sea of warehouses.

Of all the distilleries I visited, Maker’s was my favorite. Even though the weather was kind of crappy and made for bad photos, I really felt they had the nicest grounds.

One cool thing I witnessed was the second ever bottling run of the Cask Strength in full sized 750ml bottles. 

The Chihuly glass exhibit in the rickhouse at the end of the tour is quite stunning. 

Willett

Willett holds a special place for me as the Family Estate line is the first real ultra premium bourbon I ever bought many years ago. I had really only intended to stop at Willett for the gift shop but when I arrived there was a tour starting so I joined in. The Willett tour is neat because they are such a small distillery it’s a nice contrast to the larger operations on the official bourbon trail. My tour group was only 3 people so I got a really hands on experience and lots of time to ask questions I wouldn’t normally bring up with a big group. I really liked the old beat up look of the warehouses. It was an interesting stop.

Jim Beam

I’m pretty sure Jim Beam white label was the first bourbon I ever drank so stopping here was a must for me. I liked the tour here a lot because it really showcases how operations go at world’s biggest producer of Kentucky Bourbon. The scale of everything here is just massive - the number of warehouses, the bottling, and the incredibly immense 6 story copper still. My tour guide was very thorough and I never once caught her saying anything inaccurate which is more than I can say for some of the other tours I took.

A row of Knob Creek Single Barrels, lined up for bottling. 

Four Roses: /r/bourbon Cask Force

Friday Morning we reported at 10am to the Four Roses bottling and warehouse location in Cox Creek. We were presented with 10 samples, one of each Four Roses recipe. To eliminate any personal recipe bias, we decided to taste all 10 blind. I’m no stranger to blind whiskey tastings but I can tell you that this one was really tough. Palate fatigue was a real issue, not only because of the sheer number of samples but also because all 10 bourbons were barrel proof and had a high rye content. Also with a brand as consistent as Four Roses it was very difficult to pick the cream of the crop.

It took about 1.5 hours but I was finally able to work out my top 3: OESK, OESQ, and OBSF. Of my top 3, the OESK and OBSF made it into the group’s top 4 which also included an OBSO and OBSK. We did another blind runoff of those and again the OESK was my number one followed by the OBSO, the OBSK, then the OBSF. In the end the group decided on the OBSF and the OBSO. In hindsight of my blind rankings, I feel pretty good about those choices. I personally pleaded for the OESK and even though it received the most votes in both rounds there were others in the group that thought the OBSO was more unique.

Our barrel selections, signed by the Cask Force 

The barrel selection was challenging but also a very fun experience I’ll never forget. Our host and Four Roses sales manager Dan Gardner was quite the character who made it an even more memorable experience by sharing lots of funny stories from his many years in the industry.

After the barrel selection was over (almost 3 hours!), we all grabbed a quick bite and then hustled over to Lawrenceburg for a tour of the Distillery.

Truth be told, the Four Roses tour was rather disappointing. This was partially our fault - because the barrel selection ran so long we were running very late and our tour had to be compressed down to 30 minutes. It was obvious to us that our tour guide was also very green. He was reading from prepared notes for most of the tour and also regurgitated a few inaccuracies. Despite that, the grounds and setup at Four Roses were very unique - especially the Spanish style architecture.

Bluegrass Tavern (Lexington)

Friday night I stayed in Lexington. Not only was it close to a lot of distilleries but also because I had read that one of the better bourbon bars in the nation is located there. Well, the stories are true - they do have one of the best bourbon selections I’ve ever seen. They have just about every limited release from the last 10 years or so. The reason they still have them all though: the prices. I almost fell out of my chair when I first asked about some bottles. The thing is, there is no price list - the price of every whiskey is based on how much of it they have remaining. It was a real struggle finding things I could justify the price on which is rare for someone like me who will splurge when traveling. After hanging out there a while I did meet the manager who was extremely knowledgeable on rare bourbons and he explained to me why things are priced the way they are. It makes sense in hindsight but I’ve been to a lot of high end whiskey bars and I’ve never seen a pricing strategy like that before.

Buffalo Trace

Friday morning it was up and at it early to hustle over to Buffalo Trace for the 9am tour. Buffalo Trace was one of the more underwhelming tours for me. While it was very cool to see the place where a lot of my favorite bourbons are bottled/aged and the tour guide was very good, it was disappointing to get put in a room and fed a 15 minute video on the brand.

Maybe this barrel will grow up to be in a future William Larue Weller release 

Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey’s new visitor center is very nice. My opinion of the place was probably elevated by the fact that when I arrived, Jimmy Russell himself was there sitting in a chair signing bottles for everyone like it was no big deal. The Wild Turkey tour was reminiscent of the Jim Beam tour in that you are looking at the heart of a very large scale bourbon operation. I really liked the view of the distillery as you arrive on the tour bus with the giant Austin Nichols Wild Turkey logo on the side of the building. Our tour guide was a funny older guy who was very entertaining but there were a few inaccuracies in his facts and at times his nomenclature was off. I hate to make assumptions about Wild Turkey’s fan base but I also noticed that the group on my tour happened to be the most unpleasant of any tour I went on. Despite that it was a still a very memorable experience and I recommend it.

Heaven Hill (Bardstown)

My last stop on the way home was Heaven Hill’s warehouse facility in Bardstown. The most impressive aspect of the facility is the sheer number of warehouses you’ll drive though. It’s a never ending sea of whiskey. As for the tour, I have mixed feedback on it. Like the Buffalo Trace tour, I was very disappointed they put you in a room and forced you to watch a rather long video with a history on the brand. The warehouse tour though was the most in depth warehouse tour I participated in. The volume and scale of their warehouses are truly impressive and it was almost scary to be on the ground floor in center of their warehouse knowing how much whiskey is stacked above you. I did catch the tour guide mistating a few things but overall it was a good experience.

Four Roses Yellow Label and Barrel Proof Yellow Label Reviews

It's been a while since I've written a review but I'm finally coming through with the finale of the Four Roses review series I've been promising. Up tonight we have 3 variations of an attempt at making a barrel proof version of Four Roses yellow label. The idea for this was brought to me courtesy of redditor /u/JustASomeball who pointed me to Keith Boyea with the Capital Bourbon Committee. I reached out to Keith and he graciously shared a few recipes with me. You can read his followup post on my original thread here. When I finally got around to vatting these I soon learned that measuring out 10 different whiskeys in small quantities is a major hassle. I lost motivation after the top three Keith recommended so I figured it would be a good stopping point. You can check the image link for some pictures I took along the way. Once I got that far I realized I needed some original yellow label in which to compare them to so I figure what the hell I might as well review that too. As for the samples, I tasted all of them blind so I didn't know which were Keith's picks until the very end. I filled in the blanks after my reveal so the reviews would make more sense.

Four Roses Yellow Label
40% ABV; $18

Nose: Light and soft. Sweet caramel and mint spice with a fresh apple-banana fruitiness.

Taste: Surprisingly nice and full-bodied. Thicker than you would would expect at 80 proof. The palate reinforces the aromas from the nose with typical wood sugar sweetness of vanilla and caramel followed by minty rye spice.

Finish: Short but with a nice spicy glow. The spice turns to more of a big red sweet cinnamon which is a common note for me with a lot of the single barrel recipes I tried.

Notes: For under $20, this is a solid pour. It's a bit thin which should be obvious given the proof but that also makes it very drinkable. This is a nice budget bourbon and would make for a good session whiskey or what I call a closer - something to reach for if your palate is a little taxed but you are ready to keep going.

Rating: B-

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Four Roses Barrel Proof Yellow Label Sample #5

• 6.67% each OBSV, OBSK, OBSO, OBSQ, OBSF
• 16.67% each OESK, OESO, & OESQ
• 8.33% OESF & OESV

Nose: Deep toffee caramel sweetness. Rich oak influence. Slight herbal grassy notes. A touch of hot rye.

Taste: Very rye forward. There is some sharp sweetness but it is really overwhelmed by the rye notes. Spice flavors are about an equal blast of mint and cinnamon which is proportion I never experienced with all 10 single barrels.

Finish: Medium long in length. Dark cocoa and cinnamon sweetness is resounding with some balanced but light smoky barrel char.

Notes: I would have guessed this to be more of a high rye OB than ⅔ OE to OB ratio. It's good but a little unbalanced by Four Roses standards. I think there is better in store with the other samples.

Rating: B

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Four Roses Barrel Proof Yellow Label Sample #4

• 6.67% each OBSV, OBSK, OBSO, OBSQ, OBSF
• 25% each OESQ, OESK
• 16.67% OESF

Nose: Similar to sample 5 - the sweetness is deep and the oak is very forward. There is also some soft fruit tartness - I'm thinking sweet tarts candy. Very, very wonderful.

Taste: Oh my. This one is very complex and there is a lot going on. Dark chocolate, sweet caramel, chewy smoky oak - all balanced with some sweet spicy cinnamon rye. It's intense but remarkably easy to drink.

Finish: Rides out just like the palate for a looooong time. The rye spice is a little more pronounced but never too hot or never too deep of a burn.

Notes: This is everything Four Roses can be. Balance, harmony, complexity. Deep layers of sweet and spice interplaying. It's got all the intensity of flavors that you usually get with something in the 130 proof range but this one does it with soft warm finesse rather than hot in your face fire. Absolutely glorious.

Rating: A

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Four Roses Barrel Proof Yellow Label Sample #1

• 6.67% each OBSV, OBSK, OBSO, OBSQ, OBSF
• 13.33% each OESK, OESO, OESQ, OESF & OESV

Nose: Sweetness isn't as heavy as the previous two samples but the fruitiness is more pronounced with some cherry and cinnamon apples. There are tannic hints as well reminiscent of leather and tobacco.

Taste: Very complex much like sample 4. The sweetness is less dark and more of a light honey graham cracker vanilla. Toasted marshmallows and light campfire smoke like s'mores. The honey flavors are very forward. Classic sweet big red cinnamon starts to come on at the end.

Finish: The vanilla honey sweetness is still there in a big way but is heavily shouldered on some bold rye minty cinnamon spice. The finish lasts for quite a while and like sample #5 is never overly hot but just a nice long warm glow.

Notes: This one has a lot of depth much like sample #5. The flavors are lighter and more crisp and less bold though. It still has a lot of complexity and finesse which is classic Four Roses to me.

Rating: A-

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There you have it folks. Short of reviewing the Small Batch that's about the best tribute I can do to Four Roses. I hope everyone enjoyed listen to me babble on about my favorite distillery. This vatting experiment was a lot of fun and I am glad I did it. Making them was tedious but it was worth the effort. In the end it looks like my scores lined up exactly with Keith's suggestions and I'm glad I made more of sample #4 because it's stupid good. It's so good in fact that I think what's left of my 10 bottles is going to be dedicated to making more of it.

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

Four Roses Single Barrel Review Showdown Part 10 of 10: Sinkers OBSV

Up tonight is the last in my series of all ten recipes in the Four Roses Single Barrel lineup. After this one is done I'll do a bonus round or two of some Four Roses Yellow Label Barrel Proof that I recently vatted. The OBSV recipe and I are already very intimate as it's the recipe for the standard single barrel which is one of my favorites. Let's see how it stacks up against the rest of the lineup.

60.1% ABV; Aged 8 years and 8 months; Selected by Sinkers Wine & Spirits (Nashville, TN)

Nose: Spice in the form of mint. Red fruitiness like apple and cherry is very apparent. There is also some tannic oak and a slight furniture polish tinge.

Taste: Spiciness starts even at the front of this one. A lot of the other recipes start sweet and finish spicy on the front of the palette but this one stays spicy through the whole range. The spice here is more minty than cinnamon. There is some deep sweetness that comes in at the end. There is just enough sweetness to keep the spice from being overpowering. The fruity notes are all over the palette here - pear, apple, cherry. Lots of intricacies.

Finish: Long spicy finish with a high heat afterglow. The long lasting flavor is a dark cocoa powder and mint chocolate along with some dry oak, anise, and more fruits.

Notes: It's hard to go wrong with this recipe. There's a reason why it's the single barrel flagship. While this particular bottle was a little hot and young for my tastes, all the things I love about OBSV are there. Rich creaminess, intricate fruitiness, spice, and enough sweetness to hold it all together. It's not often you find so many elements in a single pour which is the beauty of this recipe and why it is my go-to daily sipper.

Rating: A- / B+

Four Roses Single Barrel Review Showdown Part 9 of 10: Frugal MacDoogal OBSQ

I'm back after a holiday hiatus to finish up my rundown through all ten recipes in the Four Roses Single Barrel lineup. There are only two recipes left to go and then I'll get into the bonus round with some vattings of Four Roses Yellow Label Barrel Proof. So far the OESQ is the king but up tonight we have it's high rye brethren, the OBSQ. Let's see if it holds strong and does the Q yeast family proud.

60.9% ABV; Aged 10 years, 5 months; Selected by Frugal MacDoogal (Nashville, TN)

Nose: Oaky and sweet. "Sugar Daddy" milk caramel candies comes to mind. There is also a nice light berry presence like raspberries. Definitely the heaviest oak presence yet in a nose. Rye spice is well masked.

Taste: Continues where the nose left off. Heavy, thick, woody oak but well balanced with a dark sweetness like cocoa. Once the wood and spice resigns that sweet signature Four Roses cinnamon spice comes barreling through. The cinnamon in this one is very sweet, much like the OBSK's intense sugary big red cinnamon gum flavor. Significant cherry also starts to come in towards the end.

Finish: Sweet and spicy for days. More cherry. There are some notable baking flavors like baking spices and flour. The sweetness is thick and the spice is surprisingly light but very present. It lasts for quite a while and there is also some bitter tannic oak but it's very mild.

Notes: This is a really good one and I would say probably tied for my favorite of the bunch. Despite being one of the higher rye recipes the spice is very well balanced and not as dominant as some of the other OB flavors. It's quite a bit thicker than I expected. I thought this one was supposed to be "medium bodied" but everything about it very heavy which I love. Sweet, oaky, and spicy which is a nice complex balance. It's everything I look for in a great pour.

Rating: A