Distilled By: Four Roses Distillery
Location: Lawrenceburg, KY
Parent Company: Kirin Brewery Company
Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Proof: 104 (52% ABV)
Age: NAS (minimum 6 year old barrels)
Mashbill: Blend of Recipes… OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK, OESF
Four Roses Small Batch Select is the first addition to the regular Four Roses lineup in 12 years. The initial release is only being offered for sale at the distillery and retail locations in KY, NY, CA, TX and GA. The retail price should be in the $55-$65 range. Master Distiller Brent Elliott selected and mingled 6 of the company’s 10 bourbon recipes that were each aged a minimum of 6 years. He also had the product non-chill filtered before bottling at 104 proof.
BSG REVIEW
Color: Medium Amber, long & thin legs down the glass
Nose: Heavy on the baking spices, light caramel
Palate: Red Hots cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, peaches
Finish: Medium-long, cinnamon, hint of mint, oak
OK… this one feels hotter than 104 proof to me, probably because of the Red Hots cinnamon note that comes through heavy on the palate. It wasn’t so much a cinnamon spice note on the nose, though, I did pick up some generic baking spices. After I got over the initial cinnamon bomb, I was able to pick up on the familiar caramel and vanilla notes. Plus, the fruitiness on this one came across as peaches for me. It made for a decent combination as the finish progressed from peaches back to cinnamon. The barrel was more present as the finish moved along, but it also brought a hint of mint with it. There wasn’t a deep Kentucky hug, but there was decent length to the flavors in the finish.
Ultimately, the palate felt a little hotter than expected while the finish felt just right. No big, bold burning on the way down, only lasting flavors that didn’t disappoint. I would probably recommend having this pour as a follow-up to another lower proof option rather than the first pour of the night. Additionally, the bottle seemed to open up as it had some time to get some air past the neck pour. The third pour was less powerful on the cinnamon shock to the palate than the first few, though it was still there as the dominant flavor. Maybe leave it open in the glass for a little while before diving into it for the first time.
As far as recipe comparisons go, the standard Four Roses Small Batch uses a blend of OBSK, OESK, OBSO, and OESO recipes aged a minimum of 4 years. Also, the standard Single Barrel is an OBSV recipe. Store pick single barrels could be any of the 10 recipes.
Check out some of the other Four Roses BSG Reviews such as the Four Roses Super Premium (Japan-only release).
BSG Score: 82/100
