Four Roses Private Selection Reviews
I'm going to compile the rest of my Four Roses Private Selection reviews here, as I try more of the distillery's single barrels, hopefully at least one of each recipe.
Four Roses Private Selection, OBSV/Hi-Time Wine (59.2% ABV) - Here's one from my recent group order with some buddies. As an OBSV, this bourbon shares the same recipe as Four Roses Single Barrel, the widely available upper-end of Four Roses's regular lineup. The differences are slightly more aging -- 9 years, 10 months in this case, versus 8 years for the standard single barrel -- and a significantly higher ABV. This is a great example of the higher quality of the private selections, albeit at a significantly higher price of about $75 a bottle. The nose is fruity, with concentrated citrus notes, and frosting sugar. But there's also a savory layer of brown sugar, caramel, and cedar. The palate has a great balance between savory, rich notes of leather and espresso, on the one hand, and dried, rich fruits, almost like sherry, on the other. This finishes on notes of dried fruit, cooking spices like cumin, and a nutty savoriness. I'd put this a hair below the two other Private Selections I've tried, an OESK from Hi-Time and an OBSO from New Orleans Spirit Exchange. This is a great example of how additional aging balances out the sweeter notes of bourbon and add a layer of complexity. A-
Four Roses Private Selection, OBSQ/Hi-Time Wine (53.9%) - This one's significantly older than the first one, having aged for 10 years and a month, and stranger. The Q yeast is supposed to be floral, and it certainly produces an interesting contrast with the other ones I've tried. The nose is so woody, warm, and earthy, like a forest floor. On the other hand, the palate bursts with tropical fruit and butter. The finish, in contrast, has some spearmint and anise, and has a noticeable drying effect. I wouldn't characterize it as floral, and each of its three phases doesn't seem to bear much resemblance to the others, so it comes across as a bit of a jumble. Each individual phase has its strong suits, and it certainly offers much more unique notes than a typical bourbon, but it does not cohere into a meaningful whole. For those who favor complex and challenging bourbons, however, this one would be a worthy study subject. B
Four Roses Private Selection, OESV/Spec's Liquor (57.2%) - I was excited to try this and thought going in, "9 years, 8 months of Four Roses goodness in a glass." OESV's distillery description is delicately fruity, fresh, and creamy, which also sounds like it'd be right up my alley. But what followed was a letdown, to say the least. Here's some real-time narration of the experience.
Banana is the first scent to leap out of the sample bottle, although it fades to a background note once it's in a glencairn glass. This is the strongest caramel scent I've detected from a bourbon, which is saying something considering that caramel is the quintessential bourbon aroma. It's so powerful that it may be overwhelming other flavors, although I do notice some toasted oak every once in a while. The palate is over-oaked, hot, and bitter, and I'm not finding the sweeter notes that are needed to counterbalance the wood. This bourbon probably could have been taken out of the barrel a year earlier, and it would have been in good shape. The finish here is chili pepper hot and leaves a rough, scratchy feeling in the throat, with the final notes returning full circle to banana's foster. This is the most disappointing Private Selection that I've had by a long shot, so much so that I'm now worried about future purchases. I hadn't experienced anything this bad from Four Roses in a while, and didn't think the Private Selections could be like this. I added a lot of water just to see what would happen, and it did mellow out the experience and bring some floral notes to the surface, but a lot of bitter, ashy harshness remained. C+
Four Roses Private Selection, OBSF/Blackwell's Wines (60%) - At 8 years and 11 months old, this is the youngest Private Selection that I've tried to date. It also is my first time trying the slightly rarer "F" yeast, which doesn't appear frequently in Four Roses distillery bottlings. The distillery description of this recipe is "minty, fruity, spicy, full body." On the nose, I immediately got some classic vanilla and cream bourbon notes, along with strawberry, banana, and oak on other whiffs. The nose is surprisingly light and less rich than a typical Four Roses. However, on the palate, I find where all that flavor was lurking: dark brown sugar and bread pudding, caramel, and banana again. On the other hand, some of those fruit and vanilla notes from the nose have dropped out. The finish is dry, woody, peppery, and spicy (clove), and a few degrees too hot. It improves markedly with a little water, while remaining spicy. This is an enjoyable bourbon with some atypical notes, and the relative youth is not a detriment but, if anything, a positive. B+
Four Roses Private Selection, OESO/Crown Liquors (55.4%) - Picked up this bottle in Indianapolis while visiting my parents. Tip for residents of Indy: Crown Liquors up north on Allisonville Road has a massive selection of Private Selections. They may have all 10 recipes, depending on when you go. Faced with such a bounty, I picked up two expressions, for a reasonable price of about $58 a pop. This OESO is a little on the young side at 9 years, 5 months, whereas I have an unfair but hard-to-shake bias in favor of 10-year-old-plus expressions. However, this OESO demonstrates why age is just a number. The nose is Biscoff cookies (if you've ever flown American Airlines, as just about everyone in the U.S. has, then you've gotten these), spiced honey, caramel, and a hint of oak. It has a younger demeanor than the ones I've reviewed above, but here the vitality is to its benefit. The palate is quintessential Four Roses bourbon: floral lavender, rosewater, honey, and lemon cough drops. It sounds odd, I realize, but it's pretty wonderful. The finish is spicy and brings out some waves of vanilla and apple skins. This is one of my favorite Private Selections that I've experienced. A
Four Roses Private Selection, OESV/Crown Liquors (56.4%) - Here's my second Crown Liquors buy. This was the older of my two choices, weighing in at 10 years and 7 months old. Aromatic wood is the first note evident in its aroma, and it's a rich, spicy, aromatic wood, befitting of a high-end cologne. Also, banana and chocolate eclairs -- not the right dram for the days after New Year's, when everyone's on a diet and no one needs to be reminded of such delicious dessert flavors! The palate features richer flavors of burnt brown sugar, maple syrup, and caramel, and following on its heels are mild chocolate, almond, and oak. This is a spectacular OESV expression, which demonstrates the full confidence of its age, and stands up with any expression of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. It also happens to form a great pair with the OESO I got, which has younger, fruitier flavors. Another smash hit for Crown Liquors, I'm going to have to grab a minimum of two bottles on future trips. A
Four Roses Private Selection, OESK/Third Base Market (57.1%) - This is the second bottle of OESK that we acquired, bottled shortly before its 10th birthday (9 years, 7 months old). It probably should have graduated from the barrel even earlier, as it is an intensely dry and almost acidic whiskey. Its nose suggests a bourbon that failed to hit its stride: there's a sharp and piercing acetone and permanent marker note that is common in slightly younger juice. However, it lacks some of the more pleasurable scents of a younger bourbon and instead packs a heavy firewood and brown sugar combination. On the tongue, it's oily, dry, and tart like orange rinds. It finishes on the same notes of acidic orange peel, cinnamon, and oak. B-