Four Roses Distillery does an awesome job with their barrel strength single barrel program, giving bourbon fans the ability to drink their 10 different bourbon recipes at cask strength. Essentially just like you would try the bourbon straight from the barrel!
In my opinion, OBSF is the most underrated out of all 10 of Four Roses bourbon recipes. OBSF is normally not a sweet bourbon and it can turn some people off, especially a newer bourbon drinker. I think the higher amount of rye from the B mash bill and the herbal notes from the F yeast compliment each other perfectly. I enjoy a nice spicy, earthy OBSF especially when I am not in the mood for something on the sweeter side or I want to compliment a nice rich dinner or desert.
What Is The Four Roses OBSF Mashbill?
The OBSF Four Roses recipe uses the B mash bill ingredients (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley) and the F yeast strain (notes of mint, tobacco and clove). I would like to note that both the F yeast strain and the rye grains can give off a mintiness in a bourbon. That is a common tasting note in the OESF’s and OBSF’s.
Four Roses Master Distiller (Brent Elliott since Fall 2015) has blended OBSF into the annual Limited Edition Small Batch release only twice (2014 and 2018) with both vintages being met with mixed reviews from bourbon lovers. Most people either gravitate towards the F yeast or try to avoid it. The OBSF Four Roses recipe is also blended into standard Four Roses Bourbon and Four Roses Small Batch Select.
Single Barrel OBSF Information
This particular pick clocks in at 59.6% ABV. The side label shows this barrel was aged in the East (E) side of rickhouse J, on the 32nd rick, on the 3rd tier in the 22nd position (V). I obtained this Private Selection Single Barrel in a trade and know nothing about the store, Liquor World, that picked it. MSRP is around $90, the secondary value of this bottle is probably in the $120-150 range.
JE 32 is a way to identify a group of barrels that were all filled with the same batch of distillate. Brent will take the distillate and fill up numerous barrels and place them in the rickhouse together. Four Roses enthusiasts will classify these “sister barrels” as a run and can semi-predict what quality and kind of tasting notes a particular run produces. It is a way to make an educated guess as to what you might be purchasing when it comes to a single barrel product. This particular run, JE 32, is thought to be one of the best groups or runs of OBSF Four Roses has ever produced.
Four Roses OBSF Bourbon Single Barrel 10 year 1 month 59.6% JE 32-3V
I poured neat in a glencairn and let set for around 10 minutes. If you would like to support the site and buy a pair on glencairns, follow the hyperlink!
Color – Light copper
Aroma – Intense aroma of leather and tobacco that I can sense feet away from the glencairn. Just a beautiful, intense nose that really shines and just builds the anticipation for my first taste. I get some oak and a hint of mint that layers in nicely behind the leather and tobacco notes.
Taste – My palate lights up with spiciness from the rye, pepper, leather and tobacco are again dominating. Decent mouthfeel. The alcohol is there but the influence of the barrel and yeast really are the dominating factors in this pour. Some bourbons it is hard to pick out certain flavors, but the tobacco, leather, oak and mint just shine. This would be great after a nice dinner out to finish of the night.
Finish – The finish was a little subdue, not much of a hug, all the action does linger on the palate which is very nice.
Rating – 8.9/10
Thoughts – I love the tobacco and leather (F yeast) combined with the spice of the 35% rye (B mashbill). The F yeast is sometimes overlooked for K’s, V’s and O’s but I loved this combo. This bottle packs a punch at 119.2 proof and paired with a steak or cigar this is a home run! A well above average bottle, bordering on great, that will be thoroughly enjoyed. A great weekend sipper after a big meal or for a relaxing evening!
The JE 32 run lives up to the hype and I really enjoyed this. It is a very potent and powerful pour with intense flavors and aromas. This is a 3rd tier barrel and there are some JE 32 5th and 6th tier barrels out there that I have heard are outstanding. The world of Four Roses bourbon is a rabbit hole the you can keep falling down when you start researching some of the more well respected single barrel runs.
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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