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Four Roses Experimental Series Honey Cask Finish Review

Can a bourbon finished in honey barrels avoid tasting like a flavored whiskey? We review Four Roses' Experimental Honey Cask Finish to find out.

OVERALL RATING

8
$55
  • Jeffrey Nitschke is a Portland-based attorney passionate about whiskey and cigars, with deep ties to the American whisky community and culture.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Nestled just south of the small Kentucky town of Lawrenceburg, Four Roses Distillery has long prided itself on a quality bourbon that stems from production as early as the 1860s. Four Roses creates variations in their bourbons by using five separate yeast strains and two differing mashbills, for a total of 10 different options. Traditionally, Four Roses releases four core expressions – their regular bourbon, small batch, single barrel select, and small batch select. This year, Four Roses began releasing a new Experimental Series, exploring new and uncharted options for making and aging their bourbons. Thus far in 2026, they have released their Mizunara Cask Finish, Honey Cask Finish, and Chestnut Cask Finish.

This review focuses on their second release: the Honey Cask Finish, which is produced in partnership with Bohman Bee Company. The experimental bourbon is a blend of 6, 7, and 8-year-old bourbons from the OESQ (a low rye mashbill noted for “delicate grains and floral character) and OBSK (a high rye mashbill noted for “rye and baking spice”) recipes. The resulting blend is then aged for 3 to 9 months in a honey-seasoned barrel and bottled at 104 proof. Where do the honey barrels come from, you ask? Well, Four Roses uses their ex-bourbon barrels to age Bohman honey, which is sold as a separate product. They then use these ex-bourbon ex-honey barrels for the subsequent aging.
Appearance:
Amber sunrise.
Nose:
With a dab of water, honey erupts in notes of lavender and herbal oregano while cigar box forms a strong backbone.
Palate:
Toasted coffee beans, sweet vanilla bean, tannic oak, and stewed fruits of plums and marionberry.
Finish:
Clover, sweet toffee, soft apple wood and cinnamon sticks.
Comments:
Regarding this bourbon, Master Distiller Brent Elliott said, “[t]he honey is there from the moment you bring the glass to your nose, but it’s never artificial or overpowering,” and boy, is that description right on the money. This dram is not an expensive “flavored” whiskey, but instead a masterful alternative barrel finishing, just like using an ex-port or ex-sherry barrel. The whiskey discernibly highlights the honey notes and herbal fragrance without detracting in any way from the wonderful Four Roses backbone. Viscous, softly sweet, and unexpectedly floral, Four Roses Honey Cask Finish is a success of an experiment.

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.

Jeffrey Nitschke

Jeffrey Nitschke is Portland area attorney whose career has dovetailed with a love of fine spirits and cigars. His hometown is rich with microdistilleries, which has afforded him the opportunity to learn the nuances of whiskey tasting and whiskey making. His writing and enthusiasm for the hobby has led to lasting friendships with other whiskey aficionados and connisures across the United States.

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