This review is for the standard bottling of Four Roses Single Barrel (OBSV Recipe). It should be noted that Four Roses offers up to 10 different unique bourbon recipes (2 different mash bills x 5 different yeast strains and profiles) and releases the non-OBSV bottles as private selections and store picks. I also find these private picks typically come with age statements that the standard bottles lack (typically aged between 8 and 14 years). So if you’re adventurous and patient, in theory you could hunt down all 10 recipes and find your favorite. It’s also likely to be more rewarding than grail hunting. Like other single barrel offerings, this is expected to vary a bit from barrel to barrel. And it does. Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Malted Barley Four Roses Recipe: OBSV (High Rye + Light, Fruity Yeast Strain) ABV: 50% Price: $34.99 Nose: Spicy, fruity, and sweet, but fairly subtle. Lightly syruped cherries dominate, with lots of rye and wood spice. Soft herbal notes reminiscent of dill and anise. A little bit of brine and char hidden in there. Palate: It immediately becomes apparent how misleading the nose was. There’s nothing subtle about this dram once it greets your tongue. Spicy white pepper leads the charge, followed by a medley of herbal notes and woody spices. Queen Anne cordial cherry candies and salted cream hide behind the initial wave of pepper. A splash of water tames the spice some and does bring more woody notes forward while the cherries morph into more of a cherry syrup thing. I prefer cordial cherries to the cough syrup. Finish: I get more cherry on the finish than on the palate, but it is eventually replaced with more spice and oak. A nice, leathery, warming end that stays away from any bitter notes but it is a little simplistic. A splash of water brings a little more distinction to the spice, fruit, and oak elements. Overall Impressions: I find myself wishing for a bit more richness to accompany this dram. I know it’s described by Distiller as being rich, but for this bottle, I’m not getting that to the degree I’d hoped. I’m finding the mouthfeel a bit lacking this time around so this doesn’t rise to the echelon of 4+ drams. But I will say this current bottle is much better than my previous one - the last one was so spicy, it had that wild, burn-your-lips-it’s-so-spicy spice to it. And I like spice. Verdict: For about $10 less, I find Eagle Rare 10 to be a safer bet. This is probably why I’ve never taken the risk of spending $60-$90 on a Four Roses Single Barrel store pick, even though the idea of trying other mash bill and yeast strain combinations is enticing - it just seems too risky to me considering the variation I’ve experienced in the standard OBSV bottles. That said, as soon as I tell myself I’m quitting this bottle when I get a dud batch, it seems to find its way back on to my shelf. $35 is still a good value for this classy looking, high-rye single barrel and this particular bottle was pretty tasty. 3.75 ~ 85 ~ Good “Oh, here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again!”