We have a guest speaker joining us to help taste today’s drink. Dan is a friend of both of ours; likes beer, wine, tequila, and of course Bourbon. And get this, Dan has a real job as a realtor with Trueblood Realty, he doesn’t just sit around drinking and smoking cigars. Crazy. Today’s dram will be Four Roses Small Batch Select from, you guessed it, Four Roses Distillery.
The Small Batch Select is bottled at 104 proof, sells for $50-$60 for the 750ml bottle, is aged 6-7 years, and comes in the same corked bottle as the regular Small Batch though the label is darker.
Four Roses, like others we have reviewed, has an almost cult-like following, especially the Single Barrel. We have tasted and rated a few of the options from Four Roses and they have generally been favorable, even though probably not as high as others have them rated. Will the Small Batch Select make us drinkers of the Four Roses Kool-Aid?
NOSE
Dan: Not a sweet nose, woodier and nuttier along with some leather. Also, get a slight aroma of dried fruit. Adding ice didn’t change it much. I like it.
Matt: Rye is the only thing that really comes on strong. Lots of subtle scents though. Most prominent of them include oak, leather, and apricot. With a cube, I got a floral aroma along with citrus and coffee.
Todd: Cherries and rye upfront followed by cedar, and toasted nuts. Ice brought some sweetness and a little spice. For being 104 proof, it didn’t smell hot.
TASTE
Dan: Much sweeter than expected from the nose. Raisins and cherry hit first followed by oak and nuts. Adding ice lightens up all flavors. Like the nose, I like the taste as well.
Matt: Too hot neat, had to add some ice to bring out flavors of sweet red fruit and toffee. I didn’t get as much on the tongue as I did on the nose.
Todd: I agree with Matt, too hot for me neat. Once a little ice had melted, I picked up hints of rye, oak, dates, leather, and brown sugar. Behind all that, a little pepper. No real dominant flavors.
FINISH
Dan: Medium with a little more of the leather and wood.
Matt: A pleasant medium-length finish.
Todd: Medium with a little bitterness.
OVERALL
Dan: Ice lightened up both the nose and the taste. I like it but it certainly is not a favorite.
Matt: Decent Bourbon but needs Ice to bring things out. I find it priced a little too high for what you get.
Todd: Good nose but not enough flavors to justify price.
Nose 4.5
Taste 7 out of 10
Finish 3.75 out of 5
Total score 15.25 out of 20 barrels
Well, after a promising nose, we all thought it was a little too hot neat, and not a ton of complexity when it comes to the taste or the finish. If you are a big fan of all things Four Roses and don’t mind the price point, we definitely recommend trying it. However, we feel like there are better Bourbons out there at this price level.
Final verdict, Small Batch Select didn’t pull us into the Four Roses cult.