Another day, another Bourbon tasting, well, somebody has to do it. Today Talking Bourbon is going to taste and talk about Four Roses Small Batch, not to be confused with the more expensive Four Roses Small Batch Select which we reviewed earlier this spring. Four Roses Distillery has two mash bills and five yeast strands to make ten different recipes. It can be confusing getting into all the differences, so we will skip that, you can go to their site for more info. Suffice it to say that their different expressions are made from these different barrels. The yellow label entry product has all ten while the single barrel, well, only has one. The Small Batch has four of the recipes. From their website “Four Roses Small Batch is a perfectly balanced everyday bourbon that elevates every moment to a special occasion.” We will see.
Small Batch is 90 proof, sells for around $30, is aged between 6-7 years, is available at pretty much any place that sells Bourbon, and comes in a nice looking corked bottle with the same cluster of roses that the rest of the lines have. One mash bill has 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley, the other has 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. We could not determine if it is a 50-50 blend.
Four Roses, like other Bourbons we have mentioned in other reviews, has an almost cult-like following, especially the Single Barrel. But even the Yellow Label is popular, and the Small Batch will probably be in every bar you visit. As for us here at Talking Bourbon, we have never really seen the appeal. Having said that, we have not drunk a ton of the stuff either. Sure, the ones we have had, seemed like decent Bourbon, but nothing that would cause us to run out and buy a bottle. Maybe Small Batch will change that.
NOSE
Matt: Rye, grain, and brown sugar with a little bit of orange and light vanilla.
Todd: Rye, citrus, tobacco, and leather, not bad, reminds me of a traditional Bourbon nose.
TASTE
Matt: Rye tobacco and oak, adding ice brought out very light tastes of the orange and vanilla that I got on the nose.
Todd: A little hot neat with some sweetness that was not on the nose. Caramel, vanilla, with a hint of wood.
FINISH
Matt: Medium with a little spice.
Todd: Medium with the same tastes mentioned above.
OVERALL
Matt: Meh, I guess it is okay for what you are paying, but I can think of other bottles I would buy at this price point.
Todd: I agree, although the strong rye makes it a good mixer.
Nose 3.5 out of 5
Taste 7.5 out of 10
Finish 3 out of 5
Total score 14 out of 20 barrels.
Well, guess we are just not cult-like people, sure Small Batch is an okay Bourbon for the price, but we do not understand the crazy popularity of this juice. There are still a lot of good bottles that are for sale at this price range. Again, we did not dislike this Bourbon, we just feel like there is nothing about it that separates it from its peers.
Final verdict, Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a decent Bourbon at a decent price, has a cool bottle, and will make for a good cocktail, especially if you like them to lean on the rye side. It is also not a bad idea to have a bottle around the house, given its popularity, you never know who might ask for it.