Slainte-Mhath
Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
March 28, 2021 (edited May 10, 2021)
I'm not a huge expert when it comes to bourbon, but I know enough to recognize that Four Roses Single Barrel is one of the better bottles out there. On the nose, classic notes of vanilla, honey and cinnamon are enriched by coconut, ripe pears and hints of fennel. Not very complex, but without any off-notes. Sweet and spicy flavors dominate the palate before the taste shifts towards mint and chili pepper. Mildly dry and lingering, the finish is marked by roasted nuts, candy floss and a touch of toothpaste. A decent and inexpensive bourbon that does the job.
RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE
34.0
EUR
per
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@Slainte-Mhath I’ll have to keep my eyes open for pours from some of the single casks you mention and possibly spring for a Springbank. Single Cask Nation seems to have some unique offerings and I keep looking at those as well.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington It sounds like you might enjoy old grain whiskies, where Compass Box Hedonism is a good expression to start with. If that ticks the boxes for you, there is still very good value to be found in old grain whiskies from the 1970s and 1980s. Single casks from Invergordon, Cambus and Caledonian are usually quite good. If you enjoy peat smoke and a sophisticated level of complexity, Springbank would be an obvious choice, but I wouldn't go above the 18-year-old, as prices are simply not worth the slight increase in quality. Cask finishes can be a bit of a hit and miss, as they are often used to hide flaws in the first maturation. As for older single malts (25 yo+), I think Caol Ila 25 and Highland Park 25 are very good choices (both not cheap, though).
@Slainte-Mhath as someone who started with cheap scotch and now is lost in bourbon, but with an interest in 12-21y pleated and cask finished malts is there something 24-30y malts will surprise me with? It could be that my palate is nowhere near the level of appreciating multiple cask finishes because I do t have experience with cognac, Sherry, port, etc as singular spirits/wines. I dream of rich, viscous whisk(e)ys with everlasting, flip-flopping finishes but have yet to find this in scotch. Also, the proof - I’ve yet to find anything below 100 proof that can check those boxes while many malts are in the 80-90 range. Feel free to ignore all of this, just daydreaming.
Additional comment: I like bourbon, I really do, but I have yet to find an expression that deserves 4 stars or higher in my rating system. The use of fresh American white oak limits the range of flavors, and while corn, wheat and rye in the mash bill offer some variation, I rarely find the complexity that I enjoy in Scotch. That being said, I personally see old Scottish grain whisky (30 years plus) as the logical sequel to bourbon, where a range of refill casks and much longer maturation times enable a more sophisticated end result.
Additional information: This review is for cask 30-3M, coming from warehouse TS.