Four Roses officially announced the details of their annual Small Batch Limited Edition Bourbon! Four Roses dates back to 1888 and 2023 marks the 135th anniversary of the brand. Every year Master Distiller Brent Elliott blends together different recipes of Four Roses’ best bourbon to create a unique, highly aged celebration of the distillery. Year in and year out I think the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is the most consistent of all the bourbon limited releases and is always high quality. Personally, it is the highlight of excitement for the year as a Four Roses fanatic and bourbon enthusiast.
How To Buy A Bottle Of Four Roses Limited Edition?
Finding a bottle of any limited edition bourbon in a liquor store at MRSP is near impossible these days unless you know somebody, or spend a ton of money on other products throughout the year. Luckily, Four Roses offers one online lottery for the general public and a separate online lottery for Mellow Moments Members (Official Four Roses Fan Club). Mellow Moments Members are allowed to enter both. The lottery runs August 22nd, 2023 through August 28th, 2023. If you don’t have any luck in the lotteries, the bottles are normally released in the September and October timeframe around the US. Four Roses Limited Edition 2023 has an MSRP of $199 and have approximately 15,060 bottles released.
Which Recipes Are In The 2023 Four Roses Limited Edition?
The excitement and anticipation each year hit a frenzy when we finally learn the percentages, ages and recipes of the composition of the limited edition blend. The 135th Anniversary bottle will be non-chill filtered, 108 proof (54% alcohol) and is comprised of the following:
⁃ 5% OBSV 25 Year
⁃ 20% OESV 16 Year
⁃ 40% OESK 14 Year
⁃ 35% OESV 12 Year
The 25 year old OBSV is what instantly caught my eye. It’s the oldest bourbon ever used in a Four Roses Limited Edition, surpassing my the 21 year old OBSV used in 2019. Brent Elliot wanted to add the extra aged OBSV in this year’s blend for some extra fruitiness. It must be some special bourbon if at 25 years it is still fruity! I would expect ALOT of oak and tannins. I have a good reference on how to interpret Four Roses recipes and how to read a Four Roses label. If you still have questions contact me or leave a comment!
“By the time these batches reach these ages, 12, 14, 16 years, the recipes do play a role in what kind of flavors develop, but at this age, a lot of times the barrel itself, the age…that will actually have more influence than the original yeast strain or mashbill,” Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott.
From the Four Roses website, “Aromas of allspice, vanilla, and elegant oak mingle with a hint of cinnamon and clove on the nose. Rich layers of honey, vanilla, and rye spice are balanced with the flavors of ripe berries and pear that unfold and dissolve into a long mellow finish. The result is soft, smooth, and characteristically shareable.”
The V yeast strain exhibits fruit notes (berries, cherries, stone fruits) and with 60% of the blend consisting of a V recipe I expect a fruit forward bourbon. Brent really likes OESK in his limited editions, using it every year he has been master distiller. The K yeast has notes of baking spices (clove, allspice, cinnamon). Overall, I am extremely excited and fingers crossed I can track down a bottle and share.
Debonair Gentlemen 
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