Four Roses Small Batch Select! Have you tried this one? I have had this one for quite a long time and I’m finally revisiting it. Between @amongstthefernsco and me we might end up bottle killing this one tonight! What’s your favorite @fourrosesbourbon release?
This review was first seen on my Instagram on the 31st of January, 2022.
From the Four Roses website:
Master Distiller Brent Elliott selected and mingled six of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes, each aged a minimum of 6 years, to handcraft Small Batch Select. Non-chill filtered and 104 proof, our newest permanent product-line extension, offers truly unique flavor characteristics. Balancing notes of candied fruit with warmth and spice, Small Batch Select is enjoyable to both casual drinkers and Bourbon connoisseurs. Small Batch Select is best enjoyed straight up or on the rocks.
Company on Label: Four Roses
Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: A blend of 6 recipes: OBSV, OESV, OBSK, OESK, OBSF, and OESF in undisclosed proportions
Proof: 104°
Age: NAS (6-7 years)
Further identification: This product was first released around 2019
On the nose there’s a ton of caramel chew sweetness with just a touch of salt in the background. Dusty oak, smoke and hints of plum skins. Walnut shells are potent, dusty and bright. The empty glass smells of delicious honey and it exudes an old-school diner vibe with coffee pots passing by regularly.
On the palate there’s a medley of tannic fruit. Raisin, dark cherry skins, and cherry hots dance well on the palate. A tiny bit of chocolate dances well alongside orange peel. This feels like it would go really well in a mellow old fashioned. The linger has a bit of nuttiness that transferred from the nose well.
Rating: 4/5
This bottle is always filled with good flavors, but for some reason I don't find myself reaching for it all that often. That might just be an artifact of the fact I have too many options though! For the record - we did end up finishing this bottle - Brittany went for 2 old fashioned cocktails I mixed up for her with this. It was quite tasty, but I personally went for rye. This bottle has some kind of old-school feel to it that also feels somehow naval. It makes me want to sit and thump along to a shanty like Stan Rogers' Barrett's Privateers. However you take it, enjoy it! Cheers.