Recently, I purchased a Four Roses Single Barrel tasting kit that included all ten of their recipes. And ( Spoiler Alert ) I discovered that I don't like any of them quite as much as the Single Barrel selection they've had out on market for some time which we now know as OBSV 100 proof. That said, I also discovered that my review and tasting notes on this bourbon was from ages ago. So I decided to re-write this and re-review one of ( if not THE ) best bourbons under $50. Sweet and tart cherries swimming in simple syrup kick off this nose with a bright, vibrant and sweet character. Dark chocolate and honey roasted peanuts push deep here just as tannic oak makes its appearance. Overall, the nose is exceptionally well balanced. The palate starts off with salted caramel, milk chocolate and a very distinct tart cherry mingled with tannic oak and leather characteristics mid taste. Just the tiniest hit of baking spices dances across your tongue and sets you up for the finish. The finish keeps that tart cherry in the background, significantly more noticeable if you breathe through your mouth. Tannic oak with leather and bittersweet dark chocolate do dry up the finish, but don't allow the sweet and tart characteristics of the bourbon fade away. This is such a fantastic example of what a truly good Single Barrel bourbon is. I'm glad that it is so affordable and readily available. This has been a staple on my liquor shelf for years and if you've not yet tried some, I strongly suggest getting a bottle for yourself to give it a shot.
About this bottle
Four Roses Single Barrel is bottled at 50% ABV and is comprised of their OBSV recipe (Four Roses has 10 different recipes). It's a Kentucky straight bourbon made using a high-rye mash bill (60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley) and uses their delicate fruit yeast strain. Each batch will vary slightly as is to be expected from single-barrel bottlings.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 50 parsed reviews.
Barrel: 39-2 G Warehouse: CN As you can see from my photos, this is an "older" bottle — with the old label design. It was this, or a few with the new dark label. For the heck of it, I opted for the older label... thinking it was maybe somehow older than the others. LOL. Color: Medium copper Nose: Mildly sweet nose of molasses and oak. I also got an unexpected "nutty" whiff. I never thought Four Roses was known for "nutty". Perhaps this particular barrel....? Palate: Spicy and slightly sweet; I get some oh-so-slight bitterness on the sides of my tongue; Getting something else... like "linseed oil". Gave me a flashback to my Oil Painting classes up at college. Weird, I know (Hey, at least it wasn't turpentine!). Finish: Medium; Toasty, spicy, and slightly nutty. It's funny... for a while, I didn't think I liked Four Roses — at all. But that was at a time when I didn't really know enough — hadn't tried enough — to truly know what I liked in a Bourbon. As a more "experienced" sipper, I can say that this SiB is very good stuff.
[8.30.24] Yes, this is a post-dated review. Truth is, I was a bit too sloppy from drinking this an a half dozen other things on Lake Norris to leave a fresh review back in June. Now that it's almost finished, its probably time to post a review on this 22-G single barrel we picked up at the Liquor Barn in Lexington on the way down. And no, I didn't drive the boat. Predictable sipper that I could backpack on the lake, this bottle was a go-to when I knew people wanted some extra bourbon. [We also picked up a bottle of Broken Barrel but that's a sad story for a different day]. This bottle smells like oak and leather but is fruitier than others and a couple of ice cubes can make four fingers turn from a summer sipper in a full on drink in a hurry. Pair with mint and a bit of maple syrup to make a killer back porch drink for one of the hottest summers I can remember.
It's been just over two years since I last reviewed this bourbon (11/6/23), although like other single-barrel bourbons, this one is a different barrel. Still, there is a persistent style, most notably the parrafin/wax candy aspect that I get. Dried oranges, carrot cake, dark cocoa, a dusty char note, cooling spearmint, and a little ethanol. Rye spice is noticeable (especially vs the Balcones True Blue Cask Strength and Old Grand-Dad 114 tasted alongside it). There's a little oak on the palate. Alcohol a little more noticeable. Not quite as good as other bottles of this that I've had. But still a stellar value at ~$50 for a 100-proof bourbon. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Warehouse SN. Barrel 37-2T.
WAREHOUSE // H E BARREL No. // 19-5 B This is another example of a distillery advertising tasting notes perfectly. All of these notes are from the back of the bottle and they marry together perfectly. NEAT NOSE - Rye Spice, Apricot, Pear, Cinnamon, and Toasted Oak. PALATE - Velvety mouthfeel. The Rye Spice is pleasant throughout the sip and is supported with the cinnamon toasted oak note. FINISH - The apricot and pear come through on the finish. A fruity finish is a nice and pleasant change of pace rather than having oak come through on the finish. BUY? - Absolutely. BUY AGAIN? - Shelfer. One of the best and most affordable bourbons (and single barrels) on the market!
Fruity sweetness on the nose like a faint cherry, almost getting a sunscreen and dish soap scent to it and not in a bad way. This one has some heat to it, I can feel it all the way down my chest. To me it has a strong cinamon sweetness flavor to it, like a red hot candy. Flavor wise im not getting a whole lot else but Its smooth and the mouth feel is good too, not too watery. And i enjoy how the heat kinda lingers on the end of the palate after the finsih. I really enjoyed this poor and it will definitely be part of my normal rotation.
44 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
