Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is released each Fall during “bourbon season” and is the distilleries premium yearly offering. Master Distiller Brent Elliott is the mastermind behind the annual premium blend, mingling three to four of the highly aged Four Roses recipes together. The 2021 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch clocks in at 114.2 proof, which is the highest proof to date since its inception in 2008. The lower proof offerings is a common misgiving that the bourbon community has with the Four Roses Limited Edition so this is big win. This years vintage has four of the ten Four Roses unique recipes in this years blend.
Four Roses OBSV and OBSQ recipes both have the high rye B mash bill (35% rye, 60% corn, 5% malted barley). Four Roses OESK and OESV both use the low rye E mash bill (20% rye, 75% corn, 5% malted barley). The V yeast strain in the OBSV and OESV provide notes of delicate fruit (light berries and apricot) and a creamy mouthfeel. The Q yeast in the OBSQ recipe adds light floral notes (lavender and honeysuckle) and the K yeast in the OESK contributes notes of baking spices. Here is the breakdown of the recipes, ages and percentages in this year’s limited edition. Check out Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Percentages and Ratios if you are interested in other years.
2021 57.1%, 14,880 bottles released in the US
16-year old OBSV 13%
14-year old OBSQ 6%
12-year old OESK 23%
16-year old OESV 58%
The V and K yeast strains are usual players in the Limited Edition Small Batch expressions but the addition of the Q was a little controversial and gave Four Roses fans some hesitation, myself included. The Q yeast gives off light floral notes and normally imparts the least amount of character to Four Roses bourbon when compared to the other yeast strains they use. This years bottle clocked in at MSRP of $150 with 14,880 total bottles released in the US market. Will the 2021 live up to the hype of some of the favorites in past years or will the Q yeast hold it back? Let’s dive in!
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2021
Color – Beautiful glistening dark amber
Aroma – Right away I get a heavy scent of dark fruits, sweet oak is prominent but not over done, the age of the recipes in this blend shine. The OESV and OBSV impart beautiful fruit notes on the nose.
Taste – a lot of oak but again not overly oaky, great viscous mouthfeel especially for a bourbon with a higher amount of rye. Once the oak fades you get a nice pop of rye spice mingled along with notes of dark stone fruits, especially plumbs. The amount of rye spice is the dominating factor on the pallet but in a good way. I was really hoping for a more fruit forward bourbon as those are some of my favorites.
Finish – A nice finish that slowly warms up and lingers on the pallet and in your chest. Wonderful finish and what I am looking for in a nice sipping bourbon. Pepper rye spice lingers on your pallet with a hint of vanilla on the back end of the finish.
Rating – 9.1/10
Overall I enjoyed the Four Roses Limited Edition 2021 very much. This is year in and year out the release I look most forward too and the 2021 does not disappoint. I have had better Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch vintages (2019 is the most recent that comes to mind) in the past but those do not take away from this years at all. Magnificent color that shows the age of the bourbons in this blend, a wonderful nose with some of my favorite fruit notes. My palate lit up with wonder a wonderful rye pop but fell flat on the fruit notes for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the nice long finish and the vanilla to round out the experience. The high proof this year is very much welcomed and was executed wonderfully. If you have ever tasted the 2021 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch let me know what you thought of it!
Check out the 2020 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon Review.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Debonair Gentlemen 
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