Four Roses Small Batch Select Bourbon

Hotter than small batch. More complex but have to get through more to get to the complexity. Fuller. Less sweet. Cherry/apple wood.

surprisingly delicious when paired with dark chocolate.

Honestly disappointed. Flavorful but too strong of a burn. Regular small batch is much better in my opinion.

Rating: 14/23 N: Much richer than that of the regular Four Roses Small Batch. There's more nuttiness here, with some remnants of that youthful meatiness (even after aeration) sticking out. Oddly, I get hints of chocolate shavings. There's a bit of that floral cherry and definitely some ethanol. There's an unavoidable tartness too. It's sort of sour mash with a little orange zest. I want to call it a tad yeasty, but I'm not sure it is. I want to get more out of this nose, but it really isn't happening. Unlike with the regular Four Roses Small Batch, the meatiness here never goes away. P: Light caramel, spices (cinnamon, clove, ginger), and a light floral cherry all show up immediately. Getting past that, I taste the sour mash proof here in kind of a rich, full, bitter way that reminds me of Wild Turkey Rare Breed, but without all of that nuance. I get some orange, but also a lot of lemon peel. It's odd for a bourbon. Digging deeper, I get a touch of dark chocolate and then a peppermint flavor starts to build. Eventually, I get a bit of a tired oaky layer. It isn't all that interesting, but it isn't overly aggressive either and it helps to fill out the palate. F: A big cherry flavor hits as a breathe out, combining the floral cherry from the beginning of this, with that sort of cherry flavor from the big alcohol richness. The cherry fades and a bit of earthy terroir appears before bringing out a touch of licorice, then musty woodiness, before finishing on peppermint. I'm honestly shocked by the amount of depth here. This finish is definitively the best part of this dram. - Conclusion - This is without a doubt a substantial improvement over the regular Four Roses Small Batch. That said, I'd still put it below Four Roses Single Barrel. I like the bigger fruitiness here, but it has more ethanol flavor and isn't as complex and balanced. This is closer in quality to Four Roses Single Barrel though. This isn't super complex or tasty, but it's solid. The quality of the finish really surprised me here. Wild Turkey Rare Breed (18-19/23) is much better, but that probably wasn't a fair comparison. I'm inclined to give this a 14. That said, trying it side by side with I.W. Harper 15 (14/23), I find that I prefer this a little bit because of its broader palate, despite its more youthful profile. On the other hand, I'm inclined to place Uncle Nearest 1856 (15/23, but a high 15) ahead of this. So this is a 14 or 15. Elijah Craig Small Batch (15/23) also comes out a little ahead of this, but it's close. What does it for me is how much the alcohol shows here. Old Forester 100 (15/23) is funkier than this is more more complexity and less ethanol. The Old Forester is definitely more challenging, but I think that it beats this. With so many 15s beating this, I think I need to land on a 14, but it's very close. It's a totally fine dram, but it should be selling for the price of the regular Four Roses Small Batch.

3.5 stars - Very Good; two 750 ml bottles If you are inclined to find a bourbon for every holiday, I would suggest this one for Valentine’s Day. Floral, chocolate, spicy, and a little extra heat. Graceful, balanced, seductive, available.

Fantastic on the rocks