Four Roses Single Barrel

Four Roses provides a wealth of information about their bourbon, something that I greatly appreciate. This particular batch is from Warehouse RS, and is barrel 80-1U. It uses recipe OBSV, which is a 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley recipe using yeast strain V.

Appearance: slightly amber-tinted gold. Appears very thick and oily when the glass is tilted or swirled.

Nose: Delicately fruity with some sweet maple and a strong dose of fresh honey. Clear notes of nutmeg are laced with cinnamon, cocoa, gentle oak and dry cedar. Rye is definitely present but despite this it's very mellow, a trend that would continue throughout the experience.

Palate: Creamy and full-bodied but surprisingly delicate. Rich honey and honeycomb, cinnamon, and red fruit (predominantly plum and redcurrant with touches of raspberry) laid over undercurrents of oak, dusty rye, nutmeg, and dark cocoa. A faint floral touch as well, perhaps honeysuckle or rose petals; it's hard to tell exactly as it's quite in the background.

Finish: Long, smooth, and again quite delicate. Oak, cinnamon, and lush red plum linger from the palate while orange, maple, and a whisper of spearmint appear as well.

Overall impressions: Great nose, a fabulously coating and rich mouthfeel, and surprisingly refined, intricate and subtle flavors make this one a very interesting bourbon. I especially liked the interplay between the richness of the mouthfeel, sticky honey and deep cocoa notes with the lively, bright, tart fruit, floral and nutmeg notes. A bit lacking in intensity perhaps but it's clear that this is by design rather than accident; the mellowness and delicacy of the whiskey are qualities to be praised rather than scorned, because they've been done exceedingly well.

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