Four Roses Single Barrel Premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - 70cl - 50% ABV - Award-Winning Smooth and Mellow Bourbon Whisky - Higher Rye Content Than Most Bourbon's

Product Information

To create Four Roses Bourbon, all ten of the recipes are normally blended together. However there are occasions when not all ten recipes are used. The Q yeast strain is described as having an essence of floral aromas, of which there are two Q recipes, OESQ and OBSQ (one corresponding to each mashbill), which are considered “flavoring recipes.” These recipes make up a small portion of Four Roses’ overall production and consequently a small portion of their standard Four Roses Bourbon blend, typically ranging from 1.5-3.5%. When supplies are short and the desired flavor profile has already been achieved, Four Roses may forgo one or both of these additional flavoring recipes in the blend. As a result the particular blend of bourbon will include as few as eight, but as many as all 10 of the Four Roses recipes depending on the batch. Notably, the bottle never discloses how many recipes were used for the particular blend being bottled. From a observational standpoint, Four Roses Single Barrel and Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection bottles look almost the same. But if you look closer, the differences come into focus. For starters, all regular Single Barrels use the same recipe: OBSV. If you’re unfamiliar with the Four Roses recipe designators, the first and third letters (the O and S) always stay the same. The second and fourth letters change. E recipes use a mash bill of 75% corn, 20% rye and 5% malted barley while O recipes use a mash bill of 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley. The fourth letter identifies one of five different yeast strains: Q, V, F, O or K. If you’re new to whisky (or bourbon) this section explains the unique aspect of Four Roses’ approach to making their spirits. Today, Four Roses is one of the most popular bourbon brands in the world and is exported to over twenty countries. It is known for its smooth and mellow taste, deriving from its balanced bourbon blends.

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon uses a high-rye mash bill (35%) and is aged for 7 to 9 years in a single barrel. First released in 1988, it’s one of the oldest bourbons available on the market today and a favourite among bourbon connoisseurs. Furthermore, its unique flavour notes are enhanced by only using one of Four Roses’ carefully selected yeast strands during production. Wheated: A bourbon with a higher than normal percentage of mash bill made up of wheat (the main grain remains corn). This tends to produce a softer, less spicy whiskey. Mouth Feel: Oily and very soft all throughout the palate. It is the definition of an easy sipper with no surprises. The Four Roses Single Barrel is made using a single barrel selection process. This means that each bottle is sourced from a single barrel, allowing for a unique flavour profile to be bottled. As each cask has its own unique characteristics, it makes single barrel whiskies such as these, much more unique.Bourbon, the Great American Spirit, is not as simple as one might think. Despite the increasing demand (and price) for much-hyped bottles, bourbon is an every-person drink. At the end of the day, it's a blue-collar spirit, made by thirsty farmers, for thirsty farmers. But underneath its fundamentals swims a deep sea of factors — additional rules and regulations, hype machines and deceptive marketing, false myths and a boom that began in 2008 and is still going strong today — that make bourbon more complex than it seems. The Single Barrel is by nature, less complex due to it’s single recipe, single cask maturation. But as far a single-barrel bourbons go, this has to be one of the best we’ve tried. With a lengthy ageing period of eight years, it offers bold flavours of toffee, dried cherries, and oak.If you’re looking to try your first single-barrel bourbon, this would be a magnificent entry to the category. As one of the oldest single-barrel bourbons on the market, this would make an excellent foray into this style of American whiskey. The Small Batch Select is part of Four Roses’ permanent product line. With a great price and steady availability, it’d make an excellent gift for any occasion. Containing a unique blend of six bourbon recipes, it would make a great addition to any whisky collection. Comparing Four Roses Single Barrel vs Four Roses Small Batch Select

Balance: Solid. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily wowed, but it is certainly well-blended and just works. With its first release in 2017, Four Roses Small Batch Select is the latest offering from the Lawrenceburg distillery. This whiskey is a blend of six of Four Roses’ ten distinct recipes, chosen by Master Distiller Brent Elliot.At the higher price points, they have the Limited Edition range which are delicious and easier to get hold of than some other premium juice (Pappy & BTAC!). Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Bourbon that is stored in charred new oak for at least two years. It can be a blend of multiple straight bourbon whiskeys as long as they're all produced in the same state.

Nose: True to it’s high-rye mash bill, the first scents I find remind me distantly of a rye whiskey. Licorice/fennel notes combine with a nice amount of fruit like cherry and citrus. Pine needles and cinnamon give it a spicy and earthy aroma. Sweet notes like molasses and vanilla are also present. There’s not really much oak on the nose, but I do find some leather that lets me know of its age. Four Roses have 10 different bourbon recipes which are created with 2 different mashbills and various yeasts. The Four Roses Single Barrrel is from the OBSV recipe. The mashbill is 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. I would trust the nose and palate of master distiller Brent Elliott over me. I’m sure this goes without saying. My take on this dram however was much different. If this bourbon tasted and smelled the way it’s described I can guarantee you I would not have liked it as much from what I got out of it based on my palate. Then at mid-range, they have the Small Batch and this Single Barrel offering which are both really solid. I have generally preferred this over the Small Batch in the past but you can get quite a bit of variation with it being a Single Barrel. During the 1950s, Seagram’s made a strategic decision to end the distribution of Four Roses whiskey in the United States due to diminishing interest in this type of spirit. Surprisingly enough, despite waning popularity domestically – other countries such as Japan continued strong demand for Four Roses bourbon.I can’t really think of many other bourbons in the same price range that are as good as this other than possibly Weller 12, Old Weller Antique and maybe Elijah Craig 12 which is being discontinued. These two mashbills could then be mixed with a single type of yeast to make two types of bourbon. Instead, Four Roses use 5 different types of yeast, each with their own unique flavour and corresponding letter code.