PBMichiganWolverine
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2016)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
February 12, 2018 (edited February 19, 2018)
I’ve had a few of these LESBs lately—-2014, 2016, and 2017. One year ago, I’d have thought all of these are the same, makes no difference. I’d be dead wrong. Four Roses has a 4 letter nomenclature which indicates yeast strains used. It’s always in the format OxSy, where the first letter is usually an O, meaning location of distillery ( Lawrenceburg, KY). The x is either E or B. E = 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley. B= 60/35/5 corn/rye/barley. The E is probably sweeter. The next letter S means straight whiskey. The variable letter y is the yeast strain. Can be either
V = Light Fruitiness, Light Vanilla, Caramel and Creamy
K = Light Slight Spice, Light Caramel and Full Bodied
O = Rich Fruitiness, Light Vanilla, Caramel and Full Bodied
Q = Essences of Floral
F = Essences of Herbal Aromas
So there you have it. These four letters amount to 10 possible recipes. Anyway, this 2016 version was my hands down favorite out of the three I’ve tried. Quite rich, sweet but not overly, and complex. The prices of course are just plain silly...I think I’ve seen this one go,for $350. It’s really good, probably hands down my favorite bourbon,..but $350 is quite pricey. You can get most of the way there by getting one of the single barrel Four Roses ( which means just one of the recipe variants, like an OESK, for example), for $60-80. Or maybe 80% of the way ther with an Elijah Craig full proof for $60. Is it worth $350? Depends...for me, this was the best bourbon I’ve had, so yes. Maybe not for others, just very individualistic. Fortunately I didn’t pay a dime for this... got it as a gift for teaching someone how to do puts and calls
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@Evilbiochemist totally agree—the 2017 was a let down compared to this and the 2014. I’ve not had the 2015 , but guessing that must be good too
Yes, this is excellent- well balanced, it’s definitely what bourbon “should taste like” -I say that in contrast to the 2017 release, as the 2016 blows it away.
@LeeEvolved I do—-I have plenty left still. Will send over another pour with round 6. This was probably the best bourbon I’ve had, maybe followed by that 2014 from Ryan some time back
@PBMichiganWolverine - wow! I mixed this one in with last night’s tastings but decided I wasn’t going to analyze it for a review. I was just going to sit, sip and enjoy this one. This had one of the best finishing moments I think I’ve ever experienced in a whiskey. Absolutely delicious. I may need another pour down the road if you still have some of this bottle sittting around. It truly deserves a thorough review by anyone that drinks it. Thanks again for the pour!
Great info!
@Generously_Paul it’s barrel proof of: 12 yr OESO, 12 yr OBSV, 16 yr OESK. From what I read, it’s the first time the OESO has made an appearance in over 7 years. The OESO brings the fruitiness.
Can’t wait to try it, but what recipe is this one?