Four Roses Single Barrel OBSO “Grape & Grain”

Four Roses Single Barrel OBSO “Grape & Grain"

Four Roses

55.5% ABV/111 Proof

8 Years, 6 Months

Eye: Light amber, thin-to-medium rims and quick droplet legs.  

Nose: Spiced caramel, baklava spices. Light nuttiness, vanilla in the background. Rye almost nonexistent. 

Palate: Spicy and hot. Singes the tip of my tongue. Nuts and dried red fruits follow, but that heat is borderline overwhelming. Chew releases yet more spice, further blocking the fruity and nutty flavors. Mouthfeel is coating and tingly, yet light.

Finish: Hits every corner of the mouth and makes my mouth water, though more from astringency than delicious flavor. 

Overall: I wish this was more complex - maybe it is, but the heat just blows everything out. It’s unbalanced. The underlying flavors are pleasant if only the heat would die down a bit.

Rating: 4.8

*Thanks to my friends at The Bourbon Culture for the sample!

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)