Four Roses Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey - 70cl - 45% ABV - Award-Winning Smooth and Mellow Bourbon Whisky - Higher Rye Content Than Most Bourbon's

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For a delectable combination, you can’t go wrong with dark chocolate. The sweetness of the treat is harmonized perfectly by its bitterness, producing an entirely new flavour experience that’s sure to tantalize your taste buds! Cheeses are also amazing to pair this delicacy with; feel free to experiment with sharp cheddar, creamy brie or even pungent blue cheese – you won’t regret it! Four Roses Small Batch is made with an average of 250 barrels per batch with a combination of four recipes (two different mashbills with two different yeasts in each). The bourbons blended are anywhere from 6-8 years old.

Great balanced, medium body and mostly a smooth ride with only a minor rough patch or two as it cruises over the palate. Spice! Oak, complex dark sweets, dried dark fruit, leather, nuts, vanilla and bits of alkaline bitterness/metallic notes. Finish: The spice on the finish is playful enough to keep reminding you it’s there, but because the proof is only 90, it never gets carried away. A bit of toffee and oak remain and are fond reminders of the legacy of the recipes this one blends together. But the main question is will all of that actually translate onto the palate with this batch? Let’s find out. I’m especially excited about this batch because the 25 year old component is oldest bourbon ever used in the Small Batch Limited Edition. Here’s a shoutout to JC for making this review possible. As usual, I sampled this neat in a glencairn. Tasting Notes Four Roses Small Batch blends barrels of OBSO, OBSK, OESO and OESK together into a rich and velvety liquid that, like everything else Four Roses puts out, is magnificent. If you’re not sure what all of those esoteric letters mean visit Four Roses to see all 10 bourbon recipes Four Roses uses. Though all you really need to know is that this is a truly delicious blend of Four Roses characteristics and that it being a small batch blend, can change a bit from bottling to bottling over the years. Not nearly as much as the single barrel bourbons do, but if you keep drinking them for long enough (or if you keep notes… or a blog) you’ll probably notice some variation.I have been compiling data on every release of Small Batch Limited Edition to see if I can find any trends. Here’s an interesting one: Among the batches of recipes each release is made up of, OESK has been used most frequently (a total of 16 times) while OBSO has never been used.

That’s why Small Batch should be a required pour for any new whiskey drinker looking to go deeper and farther into their journey with bourbon. –> Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon Rating Breakdown

Four Roses Small Batch Select is made of both their ‘Mash bill B’ and ‘Mash bill E’ ratios, containing a blend of 6 bourbon recipes. Each of these 6 bourbons uses different yeasts for a variety of flavours which are then individually matured in barrels for 6-7 years and later blended. This whisky is non-chill filtered. Corn, rye and barley grains used in both Four Roses’ grain recipes | Image credit: Four Roses Bourbon

These two mashbills could then be mixed with a single type of yeast to make two types of bourbon. Instead, Four Roses use 5 different types of yeast, each with their own unique flavour and corresponding letter code. Briefly, if you’re new to Four Roses, it’s worth knowing about their 10 unique bourbon recipes. Very simply, they use 2 signature mash bill ratios which are used with 5 different yeast strains. This produces their 10 bourbon recipes which are used to concoct their whiskies.If you’re new to whisky (or bourbon) this section explains the unique aspect of Four Roses’ approach to making their spirits. I won’t get into the whole 10 recipe spiel here. If you’re a Four Roses fan, you already know all about them. You probably even have a favorite. But if you’re new to bourbon, my advice to you is to find a way to taste each one (trading for samples is a good start) so you’ll know which ones you like. The Small Batch Select is part of Four Roses’ permanent product line. With a great price and steady availability, it’d make an excellent gift for any occasion. Containing a unique blend of six bourbon recipes, it would make a great addition to any whisky collection. Comparing Four Roses Single Barrel vs Four Roses Small Batch Select