Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon

This is a 10 year five month obsf from Sprayberry bottle shop. 108 proof. Orange vanilla nose that smells great. A lot of spice and methanol neat with a bit of a bitter finish. Adding a cube really helps smooth this out. You get more floral smell which is a takeaway for me. But it makes it easier to sip. Still a bit bitter finish for me. Just ok.

Weighing in at just over 100 proof(101) and just under 8 years, (7+11months) this store pick of OBSV is a fantastic classic FR selection, both the nose and on the palate, it speaks of rich dark red cherries and chocolate with a load of cinnamon spices and honey flavored candies. Seems like what I consider the classic Four Roses profile. What I don't get is an overload of sweetness that comes with some of the Select versions of the Singles and Batches. Some hints of wood nibs and oak are part of the opening, that includes dark rich currant and a bit of welch's juice. The 35% rye stands out just enough to remind that it is a spicy blend with hints of vanilla and brown sugars to be had more toward the backside. I'm actually a bit surprised about the lack of heavy sweetness but also impressed that the underlying notes sometimes buried under all those sugars are available and easier to pick up on. Single Barrel Four Roses generally never fails and this selection is no exception as it's to be had at the same frugal price as the standard FRSB, what a great and safe choice just when I thought maybe FRSB picks had no more surprises to offer! This ones a winner! Cheers!

Mecklenburg County ABC Board pick. OESV, 10yr 2 mo, 103 proof. The bottle is getting low so it’s been a while since I’ve had a pour. Shame on me. This bottle is fantastic. Nose is great and prepares you for the initial sweet vanilla, fruity, brown sugary taste. Then comes the rye spice and alcohol burn. Finish is long and equally pleasing. Just a great pour from start to finish. Would like to try other variations of barrel proof private selections as well.

This pick is from October 2019 from a local store called Center Point Liquors in Hendersonville, TN. It is noticeably darker than any other 4 Roses barrel proofs that I have. This one is recipe OBSF and is 9 years and 8 months old at 124 proof and rested in Tier 5 (this could explain the dark color and higher proof) for anyone that cares. The nose is strong at first, but turns sweet. There is some plumb, raisin, dusty wood shavings, rye spice, maple syrup, rich caramel, leather and nice oak. There is some ethanol burn if you’re not careful when nosing, which is consistent with most 4 Roses products for me (nose and palate). The palate is sweet and oily with rich caramel, plumb and dried fruit, a punch of rye spice, leather, oak and is slightly astringent on the backend. The palate is a little drying, but not too much. The finish is long with an initial ethanol burn into the nostrils, following by some, rye spice, a little plumb, really nice caramel and sweet vanilla with a little bit of barrel char at the end. Probably the best 4 Roses barrel proof pick I’ve had. Very tasty. This is the 2nd OBSF recipe I’ve had, and is far superior to the other on (Main Street Liquors). As good as it is, there is still that Four Roses ethanol thing that comes up quite a bit on their products, but not every sip and I can look past it. With the rise in price on these particular barrel picks recently, I’m going to probably be buying them less often.