Four Roses Bourbon is one of a few significant brands from Kentucky that demonstrates what a treasure trove of history, culture, and value the world of mainstream bourbon offers.
The Four Roses story is of romance, endurance, science, and creativity. In this guide, we’ll showcase its flagship whiskies and demonstrate why it became a favorite of many.
What Is The Story Behind Four Roses Bourbon?
The beginnings of Four Roses are a tad murky. The brand officially names Paul Jones Jr. as the founder, claiming that he made and distributed bourbon in the early 1860s in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1884, he moved his grocery business to 118 East Main Street in Louisville, Kentucky, later nicknamed ‘Whiskey Row’. He trademarked ‘Four Roses’ in 1888.
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They have a romantic tale for the name too. “It all started with a marriage proposal and a corsage of four roses,” says the website, referring to the number of roses on the corsage Jones Jr. gave his future wife.
However, some old bottles claim it celebrated the four daughters of the Rose family. Others say Rufus Mathewson Rose was the creator and the name came from him. These ambiguous brand origins show whiskey makers embracing marketing and trading on heritage isn’t anything new.
When Jones Jr died in 1895, the company was taken over by his nephew, Lawrence Lavelle Jones.
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Did Four Roses Bourbon Sell During Prohibition?
Prohibition was enacted on 16 January 1919. In response, the Paul Jones Company bought the Frankfort Distilling Company and its Old Prentice Distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1922. It was one of six distilleries granted permits to sell its existing bourbon stocks for medicinal purposes.
This helped Four Roses become one of the few brands to survive Prohibition, accounting for one in every six bottles of whiskey sold in the USA by the time it was repealed. It was actually the number-one-selling Kentucky straight bourbon in the U.S. during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
Why Wasn’t The Whiskey Sold In America?
After Lavelle Jones died in 1941, Canadian drinks giant Seagram bought Frankfort Distilling Co. in 1943, securing the Four Roses brand.
In 1945, it introduced a successful Four Roses blended whiskey, which sold more than 250,000 12-bottle cases domestically by the end of the 1950s. At this time, Seagram decided to pull Four Roses Bourbon from the domestic market, prioritizing the blends in America. The bourbon was available in Europe and Asia, becoming the top-selling bourbon in Spain and Japan.
But in the US, Four Roses was purely a blended whiskey. It featured 66% grain-neutral spirit and blended Canadian whisky. Much of the original branding remained, however, with the distinctive yellow label and a corsage of roses. That didn’t stop people from realizing the product was inferior and sales declined.
The Revival Of Four Roses Bourbon
Decades later, Seagram’s ploy to move into the entertainment market by purchasing Universal Studios, MCA, PolyGram, and Deutsche Grammophon proved disastrous. It was forced to break up and Four Roses was among the 225 brands sold.
At this point, it was available in just a few states. Ownership passed to Vivendi/Universal in 1999, Pernod Ricard and Diageo in 2001, and finally The Kirin Brewery in 2002.
Kirin inherited the expertise and passion of Jim Rutledge, Four Roses master distiller since 1995. He was a strong advocate of its bourbon. Kirin, possibly moved by its historically strong Japanese market presence, needed little convincing. The same year it bought Four Roses the blend was discontinued and production of its brand went exclusively to Four Roses Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.
To many, this Four Roses was a new brand. Kirin led with the standard Four Roses expression, often called “Yellow Label” and the more premium Four Roses Single Barrel and Four Roses Small Batch soon followed. In 2015, Jim Rutledge retired and Brent Elliott took over. He launched Four Roses Small Batch Select and has won multiple awards.
In April 2019, a $55 million expansion project was completed and production capacity was doubled. By April 2023, the distillery was aging 480,000 barrels of Four Roses whiskey.
How Is The Bourbon Made?
Four Roses famously uses 10 different recipes to make whiskey. They’re comprised of two mash bills:
Mash Bill B – 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% barley.
Mash Bill E – 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% barley.
Four Roses also uses five different proprietary yeast strains – “V” (delicate fruit), “K” (slight spice), “O” (rich fruit), “Q” (floral essence), and “F” (herbal notes).
Each recipe is given a four-letter code, such as OBSV. The first letter, “O,” means the whiskey from Four Roses Distillery. The second letter is the mash bill (“E” or “B”). The third, “S” stands for “Straight Distillation”. The fourth letter is the yeast stain used.
Confusing at first, but you’ll soon become fluent in Four Roses. For example, the Single Barrel releases are always OBSV. That means the mash bill is 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley and the yeast has a delicate fruit quality. A combo of the 10 goes into the standard Four Roses.
The distillery has 48 fermenters, two beer stills, and two doublers for distillation. Once distillation is complete, the spirit is sent 50 miles west to Coxs Creek, where it’s barreled, aged, and bottled.
All 10 kinds of spirit made by Four Roses are aged in charred new American oak barrels housed across 25 single-story maturation warehouses or “rickhouses” with a capacity of around 24,000 barrels each. These take up more space but allow for even aging and less temperature variation. Other brands will rotate barrels across different floors.
Four Roses also doesn’t do age statements. The bourbon is ready when it’s ready. The entry expression contains bourbon at least 5 years old and the premium expressions are older.
What Types of Four Roses Bourbon Are There?
Four Roses core range comprises four bourbons:
Four Roses Bourbon
Known as “Yellow Label”, this is the flagship whiskey. It’s inexpensive, versatile, and a great introduction to the world of bourbon. The whiskey is aged for at least five years and it’s bottled at 40% ABV or 80 Proof.
Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
A more premium expression, made from whiskey aged 6-7 years and bottled at 45% ABV or 90 Proof. Still exceptional value and a beautiful sipping bourbon.
Single Barrel
A selection of one barrel of one of Four Roses’ 10 bourbon recipes, a high-rye style., which is aged 7-9 years, and bottled at 50% ABV or 100 Proof. One for the connoisseur.
Four Roses Small Batch Select
Brent Elliot brought together six of the brand’s ten recipes to make Four Roses Small Batch Select: OBSV, OESV, OBSK, OESK, OBSF, and OESF. Each was aged for a minimum of 6 years then married and bottled at 52% ABV or 104 proof.
What Does Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Taste Like?
Four Roses Small Batch is a superb whiskey that will appeal to all drinkers, from new whisky fans to aficionados. It’s got weight, balance, and heaps of flavor. It can be sipped neat or used as the base for superb spirit-forward cocktails like the Old Fashioned or the Manhattan.
Here is a full tasting note from Master of Malt.
Nose: The nose is quite subtle and smooth, there are notes of winter spice and buttered granary toast with thick honey. There are hints of cut flowers and dry hay.
Palate: The palate is much fuller with a lovely balance. There are notes of manuka honey, winter spice, toasty oak, a little crème anglaise, and thick fruit.
Finish: The finish is of good length with a resurgence from the crème anglaise.
Is Four Roses Bourbon A Good Gift?
As this article is being written during the festive season, it makes sense to end our guide by answering whether Four Roses is the kind of whiskey you want to see under the Christmas tree or wrapped up for your birthday.
The answer is a resounding yes. The quality is high, the prices are incredibly reasonable and it’s an elegant bottle to boot. Much better than bunches of roses…
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