Brief Four Roses History
This bottle is a descendent of the Four Roses Bourbon that started it all. The origins of Four Roses date back to Paul Jones Jr in 1888. He was chasing after a Southern Belle and sent a proposal to her. She replied if her answer was yes, she would show up to the upcoming grand ball wearing a corsage of red roses. Luckily for Paul, she appeared with her corsage of four red roses. He later would name his bourbon Four Roses as a symbol of his devout love for her.
Paul Jones Jr. Was a successful grocer in the Atlanta, Georgia area and his business included selling whiskey. In 1883 the Prohibitionists were able to ban alcohol in Georgia and had Paul looking for different opportunities. He found he was to Louisville, Kentucky to possibly buy some horses and ended up staying and getting back into the whiskey business. Paul rented out office space on Whiskey Row in Louisville, Kentucky and was very near WL Weller, J.T.S. Brown, I.W. Bernheim and many other prominent whiskey businessmen.
Modern day Four Roses Bourbon was reintroduced to Kentucky in 2002 after Kirin purchased the company that same year. The previous few decades Four Roses was only distributed in the European and Asian markets, a decision made by then owner Seagrams. After Kiran purchased Four Roses, with Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, they revitalized the brand in Kentucky by introducing Four Roses Bourbon and the Four Roses Single Barrel 100 Proof offerings.
Introduction To Four Roses
What is especially unique about Four Roses are their 10 different bourbon recipes made by using two different mashbills and five different yeast strains. Depending on the Four Roses product, it will have different blends of multiple recipes or a single recipe if it is a single barrel offering. Here is a list of the most common Four Roses bottles you might find.
Four Roses Bourbon
– Blend of all 10 recipes
Four Roses Single Barrel 100 Proof
– OBSV recipe only
– Blend of OESK, OBSK, OESO and OBSO
Four Roses Small Batch Select
– Blend of OESK, OBSK, OESV, OBSV, OESF and OBSF
Four Roses Barrel Strength Single Barrel
– One of the 10 Four Roses recipes bottled at cask strength
In addition to the above bottles, every year the distillery releases their Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch. This limited edition offering is highly allocated and has the finest bourbon selected and blended together by current Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliot. They are hard to find but if you are a regular, loyal customer at a local spot you might get lucky!
The Four Roses Bourbon I am reviewing here is aged a minimum of five years and has all 10 recipes blended together in it! Four Roses Bourbon MSRP is around $20 for a 750mL bottle.
Four Roses Bourbon Review
I poured neat in a glencairn and let rest for around 10 minutes.
Color – Pale straw, gold.
Aroma – The first notes I get are hints of caramel and vanilla followed by light oak. There are faint baking spices that follow with a touch of sweetness. Nothing robust or overpowering that sticks out. Classic bourbon notes. The lower proof and age are apparent but nothing off putting.
Taste – This pour starts with light sweetness on the front palate with hints of fresh apple or pear. Like the nose hints of vanilla and caramel. Baking spices light up the mid palate with a bit of sweetness. Some oak and alcohol are present. Again, I can tell this is younger but there is nothing astringent or grainy. Thinner mouthfeel but that is largely due to the low proof.
Finish – This has a nice finish for 80 proof. Slow forming, light but nice lasting a medium amount of time. Trace amount of baking spice and rye linger on the palate but dissipate fairly quickly.
Ranking – 6/10
Four Roses Bourbon in the entry level bottle in the Four Roses lineup and is a go to bottle for its price point. I enjoyed this pour but it is a bit muted and basic. I could drink this neat, on ice or mixed and I would be perfectly happy with any of those options but this probably is best mixed. This pour has classic bourbon flavors but nothing sticks out or shines. The age and proof hamper this bourbon but for the price I like it. This pour stacks up nicely to other entry level bottles from Wild Turkey and Heaven Hill. If I was hosting a large gathering (wedding, family reunion) and needing something to impress this would be on my bar. Very versatile but also approachable for a crowd.
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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