Tastes

Warning - This is easily the longest review and collection of tasting notes I've written. I remember around summer time, I heard about these Four Roses tasting kits hitting some of my favorite retailers. Foolishly, I didn't pay much attention back then as I'm not much of a store pick enthusiast. However, last month Four Roses announced that they will be releasing all ten single barrel recipes, three at a time, three years in a row. Four Roses Single Barrel OBSV ( Current Single Barrel that has been available for purchase for quite some time ) has been a long running favorite of mine. Readily available, affordable and delicious. I still maintain that there is no better bourbon under $50. That said, I am beyond excited to try each recipe. With this tasting kit, I will know exactly which of the ten Single Barrel releases I will want to snag, before they hit store shelves. That said, with so many tastings, I'm going to simplify my format and use the following: Recipe Name ( Anticipated Release, if Available ) [ Four Roses Description ] Nose Palate Finish [ Rating out of 5 ] At the end, I'm going to add up all the ratings, divided by ten and rate this entire tasting kit with an average rating out of 5. These will be reviewed in the order with which they are numbered in the tasting kit. Four Roses has already announced the first batch releasing early 2025. 1 - OBSV ( Available for purchase now ) [ Delicate Fruit and Rye ] Nose - The nose on this is a bit drier and more tannic than standard 100 proof single barrel. Underlying sweet caramel and vanilla with apricots and tannic oak. Perfect balance of sweet, tannic and fruity. Palate - Begins sweet with a thick mouthfeel. Caramel and vanilla open up this taste and actually, this 104 proof bottling does feel a bit more viscous than their standard 100 proof single barrel. Middle taste opens up the rye profile with tannic oak and some tingly cinnamon. A very faint hint of fruit, perhaps that apricot that was on the nose. Finish - Vanilla softly flows in the background taking a back seat to tannins and spice. Black tea and green peppercorn. At this proof the finish is lengthy and satisfying. Significantly drier than what I'm used to in the standard 100 proof bottling. [ Rating - 4.25 of 5 ] 2 - OBSK [ Rye and Baking Spice ] Nose - Extremely dry, herbaceous and spicy. You can immediately tell that this is a high rye recipe. Oak and baking spice dominates the nose. Deeper in the nose is some dark cocoa powder but it is hard to smell anything past the tannic oak and baking spices here. Palate - First off, there is a surprising underlying sweet and tart dark cherry note that I didn't expect off the nose alone. Tannic oak and cinnamon make the mouth tingle along with that dark cocoa powder. That cherry that was present on the front of the taste makes a heroic tart comeback towards the back of the taste leading into the finish. Finish - As the tartness of the cherry wears off, you're left with a very viscous mouth feel and some tongue tingling cinnamon. Bittersweet dark chocolate mingles with the tartness and spice and creates a super long lasting and interesting finish. [ Rating - 3.0 of 5 ] 3 - OBSO [ Rich Fruit and Spice ] Nose - This recipe is likely going to be the most similar to their tried and true OBSV. Creamy vanilla and caramel set the stage for some bright and ripe cherry and raspberry. There is just a little bit of tannic oak to cut through that sweetness and fruit. Of all the recipes I tried so far, this is the most "classic bourbon". Palate - The front of taste is sweet and fruity. Vanilla and caramel with some cherry and raspberry swimming in simple syrup. But then it turns tannic and spicy midway through. Cinnamon, black peppercorn, leather and black tea take over the back half of the taste. This specific recipe runs the gamut of tastes. Finish - Some leftover tart and sweet from the berries that were present on the palate. As that fades away, tannic oak, leather and a little bit of cinnamon round out the finish. [ Rating - 4.0 of 5 ] 4 - OBSQ [ Rye and Slightly Floral ] Nose - Super interesting nose, it almost doesn't even smell like a bourbon. Licorice, baking spices and a little bit of tart raspberries create a nose so unique I really cannot recall smelling this on other bourbons. There is just a bit of oak to remind you that this is indeed, a bourbon. Palate - Vanilla and tart raspberries kick off the taste. Caramel is added to the mix a little later but as the taste moves on, things become decidedly more tannic and dry. Tingly cinnamon, leather and tannic black tea leaves dominate the back half of the taste and indeed pull that character into the finish. Finish - In a word: dry and spicy. The Rye on the mash bill is very evident on this finish. As the tart fruit on the palate fades away, that tannic oak and spicy cinnamon take center stage then fade away to a soft and agreeable finish. [ Rating - 3.75 of 5. ] 5 - OBSF ( Available Early 2025 ) [ Delicate Rye and Mint ] Nose - Immediately a very noticeable deep, dark cherry. It's a sweet, brandied type of cherry. Thick molasses and honey with an underlying tannic hit of oak and herbaceous mint leaf. Palate - Man the description of "Rye and Mint" is pretty spot on. But throughout the taste is a very thick, viscous mouthfeel. Super heavy and tongue coating. Taste begins with intense overripe cherries and raspberries. But because of the viscous mouthfeel it's almost... syrupy? The taste dries out almost immediately upon taking it down. Herbaceous mint and tannic oak rush to the forefront and really fill all of your senses with typical rye flavors and oak spice. Finish - Your tongue is left a little tingly from the viscosity and overwhelmingly tannic palate. There's a bit of tingling peppercorn that wasn't immediately apparent on the palate. Although there is some tart cherry, it really tastes like the aftertaste of a sour, under ripened cherry. The finish is dry and tannic. Oak, mint leaf and rye spice linger for a very, very long time. [ Rating - 2.75 of 5 ] 6 - OESV [ Delicate Fruit and Caramel ] Nose - This has got the sweetest nose. Honey, caramel and vanilla create a creamy bed for the accompanying scents to lay on. A little oak does add just the slightest tannic tinge. The fruit component isn't berry this time, it's more apricot and pear. Palate - Very gentle and sweet start to the taste. Creamy vanilla and caramel coat the tongue and this particular recipe has a very viscous mouth feel. Some dried apricots and over ripe pear add a fruit component but it is very much just a background note. The back half of the taste turns a bit drier with oak, bittersweet dark chocolate and just a tiny bit of spicy cinnamon. Finish - That tannic spicy back half of taste transitions smoothly into the finish. Dominated now by tannic oak, bittersweet chocolate and some herbaceous mint leaf. Although this mash bill is low Rye, typical Rye characteristic shines through on the finish. [ Rating - 4.0 of 5 ] 7 - OESK ( Available Early 2025 ) [ Baking Spice and Light Oak ] Nose - Super sweet on this nose. Heavy vanilla with a little bit of licorice. Honey, oak and some spicy cinnamon. Definitely a mix of sweet and spicy, the tannins play second fiddle here. A welcome change from the OBSF I just tried. Palate - A much softer start vs the high rye mash bills. Caramel and vanilla are the backdrop to bright, vibrant tart red berries. Tannic oak and baking spices cut through the tart sweetness towards mid taste. This recipe is extremely heavy on red fruit but not in a wine type of way - think more bright, fresh red berries like cranberry and raspberry. Finish - That tartness on the palate carries into the finish. There is drying in the form of oak but it isn't heavy on herbs like some of the higher rye stuff. There's some cinnamon tingle and fizzle that lingers on the finish. Surprisingly not a whole lot of sweetness happening here, but tart, tannic and spicy. [ Rating - 3.75 of 5 ] 8 - OESO ( Available Early 2025 ) [ Rich Fruit and Vanilla ] Nose - A much darker, fruitier nose. Over ripened cherry is the star of the show here. Herbaceous mint leaf, dark cocoa powder and honey mingle together to create a sweet, rye note which is surprising, considering that this is a lower rye recipe. Palate - Tannins and fruit is definitely the theme on this palate. Surprisingly while the over ripe cherry is present, it doesn't take center stage. Vanilla custard, very tannic oak and black tea, cinnamon and licorice lead to a palate that is significantly less sweet than I thought it'd be. Finish - Very dry and herbaceous. Oak, leather, mint leaf, cinnamon and if you search deep enough a tiny bit of that over ripe cherry. [ Rating - 3.0 of 5 ] 9 - OESQ [ Delicate Grains and Lightly Floral ] Nose - This nose is super different. Black tea with honey, herbal mint and baking spices. It smells quite tannic and I don't get much in the way of typical Four Roses sweet scents. If you really dig deep there's some honey roasted peanut and brown sugar there, too. Palate - Tart raspberry kicks off the taste and in fact throughout the taste is some pretty noticeable red berry tartness. Especially noticeable on larger drinks. As the taste moves on, it definitely dries up but the tartness stays a component throughout. Tannic oak, herbaceous mint leaf and dark cocoa powder all push forward on the back half of taste leading to the finish. Finish - Another tannic and spicy finisher but this one has a significantly more noticeable tongue tingle in the form of green peppercorn and cinnamon. Leather keeps the finish dry through and through. There's a bittersweet note deep into the finish that could be that dark cocoa powder from before. [ Rating - 3.5 of 5 ] 10 - OESF [ Light Oak and Mint ] Nose - The lower rye mash bill version of OBSF which was decidedly my least favorite of the ten recipes. But this one lightens up quite a bit in comparison to its spicier relative. Vanilla, caramel, herbaceous mint leaf, some unexpected honey roasted nuts and sweet canned pears in the nose, too. Interestingly, this one isn't quite as herb laden as the F yeast strain would suggest. Palate - Palate begins soft with caramel and honey and quickly dries out and turns up the spiciness. On the back half of the palate, some very evident tannic oak, mint leaf, very potent black peppercorn and cinnamon all overtake the taste, leaving your tongue feeling quite prickly. Finish - The finish stays tannic but the spice mellows out some. Oak, leather and some bitter black tea leaf makes that finish a bit hard hitting albeit quite long. [ Rating - 3 of 5 ] Conclusion - Rather surprisingly, I didn't find any of these selections to be particularly better than their tried and true OBSV. However, taste is subjective and I hope these tasting notes can give just a little insight, for those thinking about springing for individual Single Barrel bottles as they release.