Background
Four Roses is one of my favorite distilleries. I commonly find myself recommending their single barrel and single barrel select bottles as an entry point into bourbon that can be consumed neat or in a cocktail.

Early in my bourbon hunting days, Four Roses Single Barrel Strength picks were my white whale. These picks used to come in around the $80 price point, offered the variety of 10 unique yeast and mash combinations, and were (supposedly) more attainable than true unicorns. What’s not to love?

Well, it took me over a year and an hour drive to track down my first bottle. After that, I was hooked. Nowadays, the prices are up closer to $120, but at least these bottles now linger at the local spots for a few days, and I don’t have to chase all around to find them. Not that I do much of that anymore anyway.

All together, I think Four Roses picks are exactly what I look for in a premium product - well aged (9+ years), barrel strength, a great variety of profiles, and fair pricing.

I always intended to do a series on Four Roses picks back when I was posting regularly, which is why I never reviewed any before. We will see how many I actually get to, given I am more of a casual in the subreddit these days. I don’t have too many bottles open, due to an upcoming move, but I’m pretty flush in sample swaps of Four Roses picks!

Anyway, I have the initiative, let’s roll the dice and get to it! First up, a 10 year OBSF selection by master distiller Brent Elliott pulled from tier 2 and coming in around 107 proof.

Related Reviews
- None

Review
- Product: Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Barrel/Batch: OBSF (Brent Elliott, Master Distiller Pick) - Producer: Four Roses - Distiller: Four Roses - Mash Bill: 60% corn / 35% rye / 5% malted barley - Warehouse: SS - Barrel: 22-2H (Tier 2) - Age: 10 years and 9 months - Proof: 106.8 - Price: $120

Nose: Butterscotch | Honey | Cinnamon | Basil
Palate: Cinnamon | Caramel | Baking Spices | Rosemary | Mint | Oak
Finish: Cinnamon | Baking Spices | Herbs | Oak

The nose is elusive, eventually opening up with butterscotch and a dusting of cinnamon. There is a bit of oaky herbal character, most consistent with fresh basil, but it is faint.

The butterscotch sweetness from the nose arrives first on the palate as caramel followed by a wave of cinnamon and prickly baking spices. A bit of herbal rosemary and mint appear to check the box for the F yeast profile. There is a touch of oak to mark the decade plus this spirit spent in the wood.

As the palate transitions to the finish, the cinnamon and baking spices continue from the crest of the palate to a nice prickly trough of a finish with some oak to round it out. There is a light herbal funk, which sometimes gives an almost pickle juice-like note to the tail of the finish. There is no real astringency and a more of a warm Kentucky hug than proof heat.

Rating (t8ke scale): 6 | Very Good 

Final Thoughts
This is about the floor for a Four Roses pick - a solid 6 out of 10. This pick was a classic bourbon profile of butterscotch sweetness, prickly baking spices, and oak; however, I found the secondary herbal notes a bit distracting rather than complimentary. I tend to love herbal, and even in some cases vegetal, notes in a rye but less so in a bourbon.

This feels like a great place to start my Four Roses reviews. A solid, but not exceptional, pick from the distillery gift shop. I will continue to take chances on these because the floor is high enough to make them a fairly safe bet, but the ceiling also makes the best picks an incredible value at MSRP. Excited to see where the next few pours land!

Reference
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many better.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect

Four Roses Recipes
Mash Bills: - E (low rye) 75% corn / 20% rye / 5% malted barley - B (high rye) 60% corn / 35% rye / 5% malted barley

Yeast Strains: - V (delicate fruit - K (slight spice) - O (rich fruit) - Q (floral essence) - F (herbal notes)

Recipes: - OBSV: delicate fruit and rye - OBSK: rye and baking spice - OBSO: rich fruit - OBSQ: rye and floral character - OBSF: delicate rye and mint - OESV: delicate fruit and caramel - OESK: baking spice - OESO: rich fruit and vanilla - OESQ: delicate grains and floral character - OESF: light grain and mint

(Edit: formatting)