Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2023)

Nose-The nose is a tad more delicate. It leads with vanilla, creme brulee. I also found red apple skins and a very pleasing musty leather book note the more it sat. You have to work a bit harder to find the nose, but it is a nice one. Palate- wonderful red fruit, apple, ripe red berries (perhaps red raspberries?), more of that creme brulee, but this time not the pudding part, but the burnt sugar crust. This is all covered in chewy caramel. It drifts to a wonderful cigar box, or hanging tobacco note. Palate- medium to long finish. Definately an upward warming. You can taste those red berries and apple notes. The apple turns to apple pie crust. Nicely done! Overall- Well what do you know, Brent Eliot has done it again! After missing the mark for sime in 2022, this is a master's class in blending incredibly good whiskies. The layers of flavor a reminescent of all the things I loved about 2019 LE. The only minor critique is the nose, which was a bit muted and at times hard to find. The palate and finish though erase what the nose lacked. This is a sipping bottle. Go get your best cigar, find a comfy chair, and enjoy for a good long time. One of my favs this year. Definately worth the hunt at its srp and beyond that.

The nose is stunningly smooth and full of vanilla and charred oak with a perfect balance of spearmint and earthy rye. Creme brulee and baking spices live in the background making it very inviting. The palate is smooth and gently spicy with a wave of baking spices and earthy rye splashing all over the mouth. Its got an intense oakiness that is almost savory. Its rich and chewy with vanilla notes in the background adding an incredible smoothness. The age really shines here in just how intense and rich the flavors are. The finish is long and spicy with endless flavor to be found with each chew. This is nothing short of amazing and really shows off the best of Four Roses. All the flavors just linger and linger, seemingly never fading away.

A familiar Four Roses perfume greets the nose, filled with high esters, warm toffee, woody tonality, baking spice and a rich grain bill. Quite inviting. At 112 proof, it is still quite drinkable with the myriad of flavors all tightly bound into a neat package. The mouthfeel is medium-heavy, with a lot of the high notes dominating the overall approach. After a half a minute, more of the inher0ent flavors come out to play. A healthy dose of oak and char lead the parade followed by lighter notes of tobacco, brown bread, dark molasses, roasted coffee bean, and a touch of burnt caramel. The finish is long and fades out at a steady pace. A very nice anniversary expression that offers a rare chance to try a unique blending of venerable bourbons.

I’m not a huge fan of Four Roses. To me, this year LE doesn’t seem much different than the 2020 release. I feel like the nose is better than the palate like all Four Roses I’ve tried. The crème brûlée sweetness on the nose doesn’t translate to the palate which is ashame. It’s sweet but not like vanilla sweet. There’s a hint of mintiness in the finish. All in all, not bad but not really my favorite. But if you’re a Roses fan, you’ll probably enjoy very much. Addendum: Re-tasted past the shoulder and it has opened up well. It’s developed a fuller and richer flavor while maintaining its sweetness. The spice is still there with a nice long finish. Definitely better!

Thick, dessert-like nose with vanilla, some cherry, burnt sugar. Palate doesn't deliver at quite the same level, but it's still rich, with some caramel, wintergreen, dark fruits, and noticeable oak on the finish. Nice full-bodied mouthfeel. Really nice pour, and improved as it aired. There's a reason I seek this out every year.

Nose: rich caramel, something sweet and floral (honey?), light oak, later something a little earthy, little peppermint Body: medium Palate: rich and chewy, sweet, vanilla and caramel, very little hint of barrel char Finish: medium long caramally Note: ooh thats good, first impression is whoa, this is good.