MrWizard's Ramblings

Yet another sample rundown. So many samples so little time.

For all the Four Roses single casks… The single cask ‘disclaimer’ heavily applies as each cask will be slightly different. The grades and ratings are built solely on casks below.

Four Roses Total Wine Store Pick; OESQ 10 years 9 months. 57.9%
Very perfume-forward on the nose and quite alcohol-forward on the palate, without being too unbalanced. For an E (high corn) recipe, this actually tastes more spicy than it should be, as seem to be a common theme with Four Roses recipes. This is quite delicious and totally worth having at a bar or even at home as a go-to for full proof bottle, alongside with Elijah Craig and Stagg Jr. Arguably, about as good as it gets in the price range for what it is. The prices on these have been creeping up to 90-100 lately so anything less is worth the price and the MSRP is about correct for the quality to dollar ratio. The usual single barrel disclaimer applies: the base spirit will stay same but some notes will vary.
Score: B+

Four Roses Bitters & Bottles SP OBSF “Fairy Garden” 58.8%
TL;DR: Almost creamy consistency and amazing spice/sweet/alcohol balance. Really good. The aftertaste has a whiff of wood-forward bitterness but that’s my only real negative, but that’s not even a detriment for most bourbon drinkers.
Score: A-

Four Roses Small Batch Limited 2020 55.7%
TL;DR: Quite similar to the OBSF above in mouthfeel and taste with somewhat deeper flavors due to age and thanks to the depth the wood aftertaste doesn’t stand out as much. Great stuff for four roses fans, not worth the secondary price for sure but a decent substitute.
Score: A-

Four Roses Costco SP OBSQ
TL;DR: Not my favorite, quite thin body and rather on the spicy side. Mixes well with lower proof bourbons and wheaters in about 1:1 ratio.
Score: C-

Four Roses Bitters & Bottles SP OBSO, 54.8%
Aged: 8y 11m TL;DR: Very fruity. Slightly woody, somewhat on the thin & spicy side that’s balanced by the fruit. Perhaps a little bit too thin and too spicy, making it unbalanced as an experience… At least the fruits are there. Great nose, and palate, but non-existent aftertaste that cuts through the experience like hot knife through butter. Enjoyable and unremarkable at the same time.
Score: B-

Four Roses, “Bill’s Package” OESO, 61.6%
Aged: 8y 3m TL;DR: Proof monster for a 4R bottling even at cask proof, they rarely go above 60%… Very rich with vanilla and tightly packed fruits on the nose… Cologne-level of intensity. Tiny bit of toasted corn nose in this particular cask though it may or may not be representative of this recipe… Unclear without further study. The palate is rather hot, sweet, flowery and fruity and the medium aftertaste is warming, while does drop off a touch too fast. An extremely solid pour even if a whole bottle may be too much of the same thing. Definitely reach for it in the bar or while visiting if offered.
Score: B+

Four Roses, “Bourbon County” OESV, 57.2%
Aged: 10y 5m TL;DR: This is the E version to the Recipe 1 of the Four Roses portfolio. Delicate and aromatic, almost bread-like notes on the nose. Still the rye isn’t as prominent vs the ‘B’ mashbill. Quite spicy on the palate but the creamy body helps a lot here balancing out the burn with almost cream soda sweetness. Definitely fruity and woody caramel are the name of the game here, but for me it’s somewhat spicy and that throws it somewhat out of balance initially thought that balance does improve as palate adjusts. Somewhat on par with OESO above though both are in the ‘beginning’ of the B+ range for me.
Score: B+

Four Roses, “Hard Water” OESF, 60.6%
Aged: 10y 6m TL;DR: I’m looking forward to trying this the most as I have a bottle of the same recipe hidden away. Little mint and spice on the nose. The palate and aftertaste are minty, well balanced with the spice and are delicious. The aftertaste of this cask is long and mouth coating from full body thickness. Very velvety on the tongue with the body. The aftertaste is great here too. In short… this is tasty.
Score: A-

Four Roses, “Bourbon Crusaders” OESK, 52.7%
My last Four Roses recipe to complete the lineup. This time aged for 9 years and 10 months. Bottled for Bourbon Crusaders this is a bottle from 2015, back when some of the better barrels were available for grabs. My friend Ross shared a sample with me. Thank you, Ross. The nose is quite deep and almost funky, very slightly sulfuric initially. Images of having breath mints in a tire shop, the sulfur fades with a bit of time leaving… baking spice & charred wood plum notes. This punches way above it’s proof on the palate at the first sip too. Full body, almost creamy consistency, this is, surprisingly to me, a little too tannic and spicy, though not to the level of OBSQ. Long and warming, yet fairly neutral on flavor, aftertaste filled with more spices. There are plenty of others out there that would love it but it’s not particularly my preferred balance for a Four Roses bottle, though this is still quite enjoyable and not bad by most factors. It’s heat and spice and would likely go great with some southern food.
https://www.bourbonc … es/four-roses-oesk-2
Score: B

As this is becoming a defacto dumpster of my Four Roses notes… A disclaimer that most are single casks thus some of the notes will vary bottle to bottle. Let’s organize:

Rye Forward Mashbill B 60% Corn 35% Rye 5% Malted Barley
1 — OBSV — Delicate Fruit and Rye, Creamy Body — Meh
2 — OBSK — Rye and Baking Spice, Full Body — Yay-
3 — OBSO — Rich Fruit, Medium Body — Meh+
4 — OBSQ — Rye And Light Floral Character, Medium Body — Nay
5 — OBSF — Delicate Rye and Mint, Full Body — Yay
Bright Grains Mashbill E 75% Corn 20% Rye 5% Malted Barley
6 — OESV — Delicate Fruit and Caramel, Creamy Body — Yay-
7 — OESK — Baking Spice, Full Body — Meh+
8 — OESO — Rich Fruit and Vanilla, Medium Body — Yay-
9 — OESQ — Delicate Grains and Light Floral Character, Medium Body — Yay-
10 — OESF — Herbs And Mint, Full Body — Yay

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Quick SbS of old and new Baker’s bottles below. Both are from Beam stills so I expect them to have their characteristic spice profile.

Bakers 7 (Current… Single barrel)
Bitter peanut brittle and cinnamon in the glass. Vanilla, cherry, and spices on the nose overlayed with lots of wood. Not quite as sweet as Booker’s but the bones are there, as expected of Beam product. Decent amount of wood to hold it up too but it works well with the baking spices in the mix. Almost drying and a bit bitter overall due to wood tannins. Beautiful, long and rich aftertaste with those baking spices that lasts and lasts. Good with food at bar? Absolutely. Spend money for bottle? Not my cup, too unbalanced, too much wood bitterness. Small disclaimer, that being a single barrel product it will vary.
Score: C+

Baker’s (8.5 years youngest mix in batch 01-2011)
The nose is lighter on this one. Sweet cherry vanilla still, but lighter and better balanced vs the modern release. Somewhat less impactful aftertaste, but it more than makes up for that by being superbly balanced on the palate. This batch happens to be fantastic. It’s a shame that this is sold out for years now. It is straight up magical for those that enjoy Beam’s products… Also fairly close to 2018-01 Booker’s on the profile. Really really good stuff.
Score: A-
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown