Country: USA
Brand: Four Roses
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: NAS (Said to be around 5-6 Years)
ABV: 40 %
Date: 03/10/2013
Colour: Amber with Orange Notes
Nose: Relatively Light and Clean and with a bit of Alcohol but pleasant enough. I find Orange, Sweet Grains, Bread Dough, Grandma's Furniture Polish, Honey, Toffee, Banana, Vanilla, light Oak and Spices like Cinnamon and Cloves. A Hint of Butterscotch Chocolate.
Palate: The delivery is a bit thin. This Four Roses would benefit from an ABV of 43-46%. I find Sweet Grains, Coconut, Oak, Vanilla, Honey, Citrus Peel, Toffee, Pear Drops and Spices like Cloves, Cinnamon and Aniseed.
Finish: On the Short side, Sweet and Dry with Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Orange and Nut Casks.
With a bit of Water the Nose gets lots of extra Honey. Try it out! But Palate and Finish do not accept H2O very well. Better sip it neat or over an ice cube or two.
Rating: 82.5
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5
General Remarks: The Four Roses Brand was established in 1888. It is probably named after founder Rufus Mathewson Rose, his brother and their two sons although there are other stories around that could be true as well. Four Roses is distilled and aged by Four Roses Distillery LLC, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky that is nowadays owned by the Kirin Brewery Company from Japan. The distillery produces 10 different Bourbons using 2 Mash Bills (60-75% Corn) and 5 Yeast Strains. The Standard Yellow Label expression we are tasting today is a blend of these ten Bourbons. The price varies from 20 to 30 US Dollars, depending on where you live.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Drinking Experience On the Rocks: Good
Conclusion: A well-crafted Bourbon at a very attractive price level. The Nose is soft but pleasant. The Palate deserves a higher ABV but that would make it much more expensive of course. This standard Four Roses won't surprise you but will not disappoint you either. And it proves once again that, on average, low priced Bourbon is a better buy than low priced Scotch.
Jan van den Ende October 2013
