Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon

Don’t let the fancy wood and cork topper fool you; this isn’t deserving of much more than a plastic twist off. Nose is candied corn from a fresh-opened bag…the sugar and chemical smell lingers at the top of the glass just above the ethanol which reminds you this is young and undeveloped. Palate is relatively smooth, but that’s the nicest think I can say about it. Tastes of stale Sugar Smacks, cheap checkout aisle caramel and the runny part of creamed corn. There’s no finish to speak of and nothing to remind you that you just had a sip of whisky. I figured I’d try it, and while it is unobjectionable, it’s also unremarkable in every way.

The low end offering from Four Roses, the yellow label is a pretty good value bourbon. I would even go as far as to say a great everyday dram. The nose is a bit boring, oak, heat and a bit of green apple. On the palate though it opens up. I get strawberries, touch of caramel and rye bread. It may be a touch thin, but very smooth. The finish has a nice spicy kick to it with only a little bit of burn. Again, it's a great everyday bourbon. It may not be crazy complex, but for $20 it's hard to beat the value. As a cocktail ingredient, it holds it's own. The lower proof doesnt make it ideal for some spirit forward cocktails, but those with citrus juice seem to work well. Overall though, very solid value and quite useful for the home bar.