Four Roses Small Batch Select Bourbon

Keeping up with the joneses for this holiday weekend I found this bottle locally and decided it is a must try. After all it is Fours Roses small batch and the rich brown label and "non-chill filtered" labeling on the neck assure it is not just ANY FRSB, and something likely to be up my alley. Washing out the glencairn and uncorking this inviting bottle my expectations are riding pretty damn high. Nose: Bing cherries, is this kirschwasser?, honey, sweet starburst candy(cherry flav), light caramel and vanila and topped with,,, cherries. So one thing we can deduce right off without even taking our first sip, if you like cherries this is going to be for you, conversely for those who do not like cherries, your rating probably will seriously take a plunge. perhaps there are some chocolate, cinnamon spice and other things involved but it's really hard to dig out from that big wallop of CHERRY right to the kisser. As someone who could go for some cherry tinged bourbon, I'm not shying away. Palate: good god I don't know how it happened but the cherry simply disappeared, OK I'm lying it's still there but not at any degree to overpower the other glorious sweet notes of honey, ginger, cinnamon, small notes of dark and brown sugars, light caramel and dark chocolate, a tiny bit of barrel oak and a just a hint of citrus and angostura bitters. I have to say the choice of non-chill filtering at 104 proof cutting is a winner as the average 90 proof small batch wouldn't bring the same great array of sweet notes that get watered away in so many lighter proof bourbons. Finish: warm, sweet cinnamon overpowers the finish that tapers away nicely. It's just a really pleasant kind of sip from start to finish. On a personal note I would probably go 4.5 to 5 stars on this as I really enjoy the heavy cherry bias but then again those who don't like that will not likely be as rewarded by the red fruit factor overload. Truthfully the insane level of cherry in the nose is not nearly as prevalent on the tongue and if it was it might constitute a problem, but it doesn't. Unlike Single Barrel Four Roses, with it's characteristic floral notes, the Small Batch Select comes in decidedly on the sweet red fruit side with mead astringents and honeycomb sweetness. If you only want a rough rider of musty wood and leather that is devoid of sugars, this just isn't it, so stay away. If a sweet bourbon is to your taste, buckle up, you are in for a ride you won't soon forget. Four Roses Small Batch Select is a winner and if this is indeed an addition to the regular Four Roses lineup the price is likely to stay in check making it even better. This is a bourbon I could keep on hand for a regular drinker along with my Double Oaks and array of Single Barrels. I'm going to enjoy putting a nice dent in this bottle with an Oliva Figurado Special V.

Floral and caramel all at once, great pour

Bit unbalanced compared to the normal

Lots of cherry and chocolate throughout. Honey and spearmint in the middle. Smooth chocolate cherry finish.