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Bourbon Review: Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon OBSV

One of my favourite bottles of whiskey in the world. Four Roses Single Barrel is a testament to what all single barrel American whiskeys should aim to be.

OVERALL RATING

9
$43
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

One of my favourite bottles of whiskey in the world. Four Roses Single Barrel is a testament to what all single barrel American whiskeys should aim to be. It’s affordable, it’s very tasty, it’s remarkably consistent – which in the world of single barrels can be a subjective view, but I’ve never had a bad one. Bottled at 50% ABV for not a lot of money and bags of flavour, Four Roses Single Barrel is here to make your life better. See below for a reminder of how the Four Roses code system works.
Appearance:
Dark Gold
Nose:
Again, much like any Four Roses bottling = butter. Loads and loads of melted, nutty, creamy butter with a fair amount of fruit in this particular recipe. We’ve got loads of peaches, plum, strawberry and some very refreshing elderflower notes. I wasn’t expecting to smell that in there.

Beyond the fruit we have cinnamon, cocoa powder, rye spices, nutmeg, caramel sauce, milk chocolate, more refreshing peach notes, cherry, baked vanilla, maple syrup and honey glaze on freshly baked bread.
Palate:
All of the rich, sticky caramel sauce that you could ever want. The cherry and peach notes are back in force and they switch between slightly tart and refreshing to more baked, gooey, richer profiles of the fruit.

The more bitter/woody notes begin to make themselves known as the fruit washes away. We have dark chocolate, cocoa powder, cinnamon sticks, a little flair of herbs with some rosemary and mint, rounding everything off with sweet, slightly dry oak that amplifies toasted notes of caramel and cherry sauce.
Finish:
Long, decadent and fizzy with sweetness in cherry and peach. There’s a very subtle Coca-Cola note that has those angelica root and lemon oil running around the sides of your tongue. The wood mellows everything out as some more caramel rolls in. Taming it to keep everything under this dam of high quality American virgin oak.
Comments:

A truly outrageous bottle of bourbon that should be on everyone’s shelf. It, much like most other bottles in the Four Roses core range is affordable, available, consistent, deep in flavour and just does everything you want a 50% Kentucky straight bourbon to do.

If you are yet to try it then we hope this review makes you more inclined to!

Do check out those flavour profiles in the description box to see which one would best suit yourself. In all honesty, if you get to sample or buy any of these then it won’t let you down in anyway. If it does then I’ll buy the rest of the bottle from you.


Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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