Four Roses Single Barrel is the bourbon I’d buy for someone who has started to take bourbon seriously, and this Four Roses Single Barrel review is a recommendation with no fuss. It’s spicy, fruity and very well made.
Four Roses Single Barrel: what you are buying
Four Roses Distillery is in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and it’s owned by the Japanese company Kirin. It uses ten different bourbon recipes, and the Single Barrel is one of them, a high-rye recipe. It’s bottled at 50%, aged usually seven to nine years, in new charred American oak.
Each bottle is a single barrel, so there’s a bit of variation.
Four Roses Single Barrel tasting notes and first impressions
Spice, ripe fruit and cherry on the nose, with vanilla, caramel and a hint of mint. It’s lively and a bit floral.
On the palate it’s rich and spicy, with cherry, caramel, rye pepper and some oak. The finish is long, warm and dry. It’s a big, complex bourbon with a lot of personality.
How to drink Four Roses Single Barrel
Neat, with a few drops of water, which brings out the fruit. It’s great in an Old Fashioned too, though it’s a bit of a waste in a mixed drink.
Four Roses Single Barrel price: is it worth it?
About £45 for 70 cl. For a single barrel bourbon at 50% with an age of seven to nine years, that’s very good value, and it’s one of my favourite bourbons at the price. For today’s Four Roses Single Barrel price, the retailer link on this page is the quickest check, and it’s worth comparing a couple of shops.
If you like Four Roses Single Barrel, try these
Four Roses Small Batch is the cheaper blend, Eagle Rare 10 is the other great single barrel, and Elijah Craig Small Batch is a good alternative.
Who should buy Four Roses Single Barrel?
People who want a complex, spicy, fruity bourbon and who enjoy the single-barrel variation.
Four Roses Single Barrel review verdict
A spicy, fruity, powerful bourbon that’s exceptional value for a single barrel. Highly recommended. Caskable score: 78 out of 100.
Spice, ripe fruit and cherry, with vanilla, caramel and mint.
Rich and spicy, with cherry, caramel, rye pepper and oak.
Long, warm and dry.
A spicy, fruity, powerful bourbon that is exceptional value for a single barrel.
Thomas Grønvold is the founder of Caskable and a whisky enthusiast who believes the best way to learn about whisky is simply to drink it, compare it, and stay curious. From supermarket favourites to bottles from distilleries around the world, he writes about what he actually tastes and experiences, without pretending you need to be an expert to enjoy a good dram.
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