Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, or Four Roses Yellow label, is the entry level Bourbon for the Four Roses brand. It falls below the Small Batch and even farther below the Single Barrel. As with the other two, Yellow Label is a high Rye.
Yellow Label sells for around $18, bottled at 80 proof and is widely available. It comes in an ordinary looking screw top bottle and is aged at least 4 years. The history of this brand and the name is odd and somewhat confusing. We recommend doing an internet search on the topic if you are interested.
NOSE
Ron: Somewhat slim on aromas, at least the desirable ones. I get ethanol and medicine up front. Then get slight smells of spice, grass, cherries and honey.
Todd: Strange, my first impression on the nose reminded me of a field. I also got nice aromas of cedar and citrus. On a more slight note, I got rye, leather, grass and bananas.
TASTE
Ron: Hot for 80 proof with slight tastes of caramel, spice and cinnamon. Not very complex and just about nil going on.
Todd: I agree with Ron, very hot and all flavors were subdued. I had to really concentrate to get to them. Having said that, I tasted a little caramel, fruit, vanilla and spice.
FINISH
Ron: Medium-short with faint hints of caramel, nothing else.
Todd: Medium-short with a little sweetness.
OVERALL
Ron: Not real impressed, at $18 a bottle I can name at least 7 other, reasonably easy to find, Bourbons I would buy. However, if there is nothing else available except Jim Beam, “this dog will hunt”.
Todd: I am not quite as down on Yellow label as Ron. There is not a lot of high Rye out there for under $20.
Nose 3 out of 5
Taste 7 out of 10
Finish 2.5 out of 5
Total 12.5 out of 20 Barrels.
Well Four Roses Yellow Label didn’t really blow us over. It is not terrible, just not a lot going on. Yellow Label makes a decent 2nd glass but needs a few cubes to cool down the heat. The high Rye content makes for an ok Bourbon cocktail like a Manhattan, but the low proof dooms it with something like cola.
Our final verdict, there is better juice out there for the same or even lower price. At $18 though, we would encourage you to try it for yourself and see what you think.