Four Roses OESK Single Barrel Bourbon ME 31-2F

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 OESK Bourbon Single Barrel 10 year 5 month 55.6% ME 31-2F

Color – Light amber

Aroma – Hints of baking spices and rye hit first. I get a faint aroma of biscuit that is slightly brown on the bottom. Fairly subdue nose. 

Taste – Strong rye spice and cinnamon, still getting hints of a bread sweetness. 

Finish – Great strong finish but quick. You can feel the  warmth in your upper chest. 

Rating – 8.6/10

Thoughts – The rye and baking spices are strong with this one. I enjoyed this barrel but did hope for a little more complexity. Really wanted some more oak considering this barrel was aged well over 10 years and there was very little sweetness. This is a good representation of an OESK but it left me wanting more.

If you would like to read about the 18 year OESK I reviewed for comparison check it out here!

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