The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
Bourbon

Four Roses Bourbon Review + Tasting Notes

Four Roses Bourbon will always hold a special place in my heart, and in my drinks cabinet. A classic bourbon that keeps on giving. I'm off to buy another bottle.

OVERALL RATING

8
$22
  • Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash and a graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme. With over half a decade of industry experience, she is passionate about writing stories that highlight innovation, diversity, and sustainability across the global whisky landscape.
Like Conversation

Tasting Notes

About:

The entry-level expression from Four Roses. This bourbon is a blend of the distillery’s proprietary mash bills: B & E. Bottled at 40% ABV, Four Roses markets the bourbon as the perfect everyday whiskey. It is aged for at least 5 years in virgin oak casks.
Appearance:
Light maple syrup
Nose:
I have always found that I can uncover more in Four Roses Bourbon, the longer I nose. Upon first nosing there is subtle spice and honey sweetness. Keep going, and you will be rewarded with a hint of fresh mint and corn as well as sweet caramel and toasted oak. It smells almost classic, exactly what I imagined bourbon would smell like long before I ever tried a glass myself.
Palate:
Four Roses Bourbon has a very pleasant texture on the palate, weighty with notes of caramel and vanilla, yet light enough to sip often. It drinks very well. Lashings of sweet caramel, vanilla bean, ripe apple peel, and a hint of toasted oak spice. If I hold it on my tongue for a while, it develops an almost biscuity note…like Lotus Biscoff cookies that you might get given with a coffee.
Finish:
Again, for such a low ABV, it has remarkable staying power. I can taste delicious caramel long after the bourbon is gone, and at the back of my palate, there is lingering sweetness from the corn.
Comments:
This is one of the bourbons that got me into bourbon, and I will still reach for a dram now. Deliciously drinkable and full of approachable notes. A fantastic beginner bourbon, and a lovely Friday night treat. One of my favorites.

In fact, in my efforts to get my family into bourbon, I bought a bottle of this for my Mum this Mother’s Day. It was an all-around hit with the family, many of whom had not tried bourbon before.

Four Roses Bourbon is also incredibly affordable. I was able to pick up a bottle in the UK for around £25, and the price is regularly lower than this in the U.S.

In my opinion, Four Roses is a must-have for your bar. It’s affordable, tasty, reliable, and versatile. If you are a seasoned drinker looking for something deeply complex and/or savory, it might not be for you. But for bourbon beginners or those with a sweet tooth, like me, Four Roses is a win every time.

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.

Beth Squires

Beth Squires is the Deputy Editor of The Whiskey Wash with over half a decade of industry experience. She possesses comprehensive knowledge of the global whisky landscape, spanning everything from heritage and production to complex market analysis. A graduate of the OurWhisky Foundation’s Atonia Programme, which champions women in whisky, Beth is a dedicated advocate for diversity and sustainability, focused on highlighting the innovation and storytelling that define the modern whisky industry.

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

The whiskey wash logo