Category: Bourbon Whiskey

Brian’s Four Roses Single Barrel Review

review entry 24-December-2017
ameneded 02-September-2021

FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL REVIEW:

What a nice bourbon … Was in to pick up a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch and found Single Barrel (4RSiB) on the shelf.  I secured a bottle and am glad I did.  More depth and complexity than the Four Roses Small Batch … This is a solid bourbon.

FOUR ROSES SINGLE BARREL VITAL STATS:

– Category: Straight Bourbon
– Company: Kirin Brewery Company
– Region: Lawrenceburg, KY, USA
– Distillery: Four Roses
– Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
– Barrel Char: #3/#4
– Barrel entry proof: 120
– Warehouse: R (North side of Rickhouse)
– Barrel #: 12-M
– Age: nas
– ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
– Price $45.95 (USD in Idaho 2021)
($40.95 USD in Idaho 2017)

Four Roses has 10 different bourbon recipes.  The 10 recipes are based on different yeast strains and mash bills.  The distiller uses two different mash bills, identified by the letters “B” and “E”.  Mash Bill “B” is 60% Corn, 35% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley.  Mash Bill “E” is 75% Corn, 20% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley.  Four Roses also uses five different yeast strains, identified by the letters “F”, “K”, “O”, “Q”, and “V”.

The standard 100 proof single barrel is always OBSV, and consequently if it is a Four Roses Single Barrel and 100 proof then it must be OBSV, consequently 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley with delicate fruit, spice and creamy notes.

Learn more at Four Roses Single Barrel.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed this spirit neat, from a Glencairn with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review of this bourbon here!

NOSE:

A little burn of light ethanol at first waft but the sensation fades quickly into light fruit tree blossoms and roasted sweet corn. The come fruits in the form of red berry nectar, subtle sweet Maraschino cherries, dried currants and fresh dried ruit leather. The fruis are backed by allspice, cinnamon, powdered ginger, and rye. 4RSiB has a yeasty component, but it’s  more wine-like than bread but I do sense a bit of brown sugared pastry along with some vanilla custard, buttery caramel, maple sugar, and pecan toffee. There is wood too, sweet light oak, toasted wood and fresh barrel spice.

PALATE:

After my mouth aclimates to the first sip, 4RSiB offers fruit tree blossoms, roasted corn and drying grain. As on the nose, its fruit comes as berry nectar, dried currants and dark fruit leather and the spices are almost savory; ginger, pepper, and rye. Sweets are there but subtle. I get chocolate chips, vanilla, slightly buttery caramel, and dark toasted pecan toffee and the woodiness is of dry seasoned old oak, hazy toasted barrels and an earthy note of old dry leather.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look
4RSiB prickles the tongue at first but easy to hold. It begins viscous, but as I salivate it becomes oily and warm. This bourbon is solid and well blended. After each sip is taken, a curtain of liquid breaks into long clinging legs inside the Glencairn to return the liquid to the honey colored pool leaving behind droplets in an ill-formed crown.

FINISH:

I get an almost a light medium to medium long, dry warm finish. It is hard to believe this is a 100 proof bourbon. As each sip fades, currants and dark fruit leather mix with cinnamon, ginger, and pepper. There are also faint traces of bittersweet chocolate, burnt caramel, dark roasted nutty toffee in 4RSiB’s dry seasoned old oak and hazy toasted barrel finish. This bourbon leaves my mouth with a feeling of of barrel tannin.

MY RATING: 90/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I first reviewed Four Roses Single Barrel in December of 2017. I’ve had pours since then, and even bottles in the bunker. I will be reaching for this one again … soon.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Four Roses.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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