Aah, another nice day, another cigar and some Bourbon tasting. In the glass today is a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel. This is 100 proof and has been aged 8 years and 5 months. It sells for around $39.00.
Speaking of the bottle, this one makes for a great presentation. It’s shape reminds us of the Southwest. It has a cool grouping of roses etched into the glass and another in red on the label. The bottle also sports a leather band around the neck. It is also a corked bottle which we happen to like.
Most of Four Rose’s Whiskey’s are pretty readily available. I have actually found the Single Barrel in a local supermarket. They have several versions of the Single Barrel, we have tried several, not a huge difference between them.
NOSE
Ron: Has a sweet, fruity, leathery nose.
Todd: I thought it had a good nose of new leather, candied green apples, and spice. Almost seemed like smelling a rye.
TASTE
Ron: I could also taste the leather and the fruit, specifically the fruit, it seemed a little like pears. It has kind of a hot punch at first sip, but mellows quickly. I found this to be much improved with one ice cube that had partially melted. Took a little of the heat off and opened up the flavors some.
Todd: On tasting neat, I thought it was a little hot and somewhat rough. I could taste the spice from the rye but not the apples that I smelled. The 8 years in oak came through in a nice way. It also seemed to have a full body, almost thick and creamy. I was not a huge fan until the ice/water, the flavor really blossoms and the heat goes away.
FINISH
Ron: It had a mid to long fruity finish.
Todd: Decent finish but not much else, couldn’t really taste much of anything different.
OVERALL
Ron: Decent Bourbon especially if you like a lot of Rye in your juice.
Todd: I liked it but not sure it was worth the price.
Nose 3 out of 5
Taste 7 out of 10
Finish 3 out of 5
Total score 13 out of 20 Barrels
Overall, with all the hype that seems to surround this Bourbon, we were not greatly impressed. Not to say it is bad, but we have friends who rave about it. It is also prominent in some local high end bars. Some even having their own hand selected barrels.
At this price, we expect a little smoother and a little more of a taste profile, as well as a longer more distinct finish. And as we have stated, we do take price in consideration.
Now it does make a pretty good traditional bourbon cocktail. Part of that being the proof and part being the strong rye. And don’t get us wrong, with some ice we really liked sipping it.
This is also an example of a high rye, it has 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% barley. So it is not a bad item to have in your cabinet. And remember, a lot of Bourbon connoisseurs like this better than we did, another reason to have a bottle handy.
And don’t forget, the bottle makes for good presentation.