Four Roses OBSQ Single Barrel Bourbon KW 50-1N Review

Four Roses has 10 unique bourbon recipes that they make at their distillery in Lawrenceburg, KY. There are five different yeast strains (F,K,O,Q,V) used and two different mash bills (B,E) use to comprise the 10 different recipes. This gives Four Roses a lot of flavor profiles to work with when blending their bourbons or for single barrel releases!

The Yeasts:

F – Herbal Notes (Tobacco, Rye, Mint, Earthy)

K – Slight Spice (Baking Spices, Rye, Full Body)

O – Rich Fruit (Berries, Stone Fruit)

Q – Floral Essence (Floral, Rye, recipe most influenced by the barrel)

V – Delicate Fruit (Lighter fruit notes, Creamy)

The Mashbills:

B – 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

E – 75% Corn, 20% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Single barrels can vary greatly and that is why they are so intriguing! I will review each of the 10 Four Roses unique recipes and try to speak on the different flavor profiles and tasting notes of each. Again there are so many different variables from proof, age, distillation run, warehouse location, tier location, the wood in the barrel as well as the seasons that this particular barrel aged! Some summers are warmer than others and some winters are cooler than others.

Four Roses OBSQ Bourbon Single Barrel 11 year 3 month 54.7% KW 50-1N

Color – Copper/amber

Aroma – The focus of this barrel is with the spiciness from the rye, some oak. Not much else fairly flat 

Taste – Again spicy, I am getting a fair amount of cinnamon, rye peppery spice, light hint of the Q floral note, very faint but it’s nice. Normally Q barrels have the most heavy reliance on barrel characteristics compared to any other Four Roses yeast strains.

Finish – A pleasant finish, the rye spiciness translates to the finish well, loads of pepper from the rye. 

Rating – 8.0/10

Thoughts – There are some slight floral notes but the rye spice seemed to overpower the Q yeast. Still a solid drinker and above average bourbon but nothing special. This is on the lower end of the Four Roses Single Barrels I have tasted. Good but I will not be hunting a backup.

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