Four Roses Single Barrel
24 Days of Christmas: Day 11!
0 786
Review by @SquidgyAsh
- Nose23
- Taste21
- Finish21
- Balance21
- Overall86
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- Brand: Four Roses
- Type: American
- ABV: 54.7%
So tonight after a long day at work, hell after a long week at work I got home and decided to try yet another whisky from my awesome whisky calender from Master of Malt.
This time I've decided to jump across the pound back to the good ol' US of A!
Bourbon!
Maybe it's in response to all the people I hear each week that say Americans can't make whiskey, maybe it's because I'm tired of hearing about people pouring bourbon into coke, I just don't know why, but when I got home tonight, I looked at several imperial stouts in the fridge, a couple Belgian strong ales, a few Scotch blends and a lot of single malts and the Four Roses just called out to me.
Now this surprised me, quite a bit, because the last time I'd had Four Roses, while it wasn't bad, my brother in law and myself both found it too syrupy, too sweet, almost sickly so.
But this one was sitting at cask strength, and was the Single Barrel from 2012 and like I said, I knew that I needed to crack it open it tonight.
So I crack open the sample bottle and pour it into my glencairn where it pours a very sexy dark golden color, with long thick thick legs that almost hang onto the side of the glass, ever so slowly going down the glass sides.
Sweeeeet.
Lovely little nose on this, very typical bourbon nose, but still lovely. There's something so nice about taking a whisky, nosing it, and going that's a nose of the homeland.
Coconut, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Honey, Vanilla, faint hints of cherries and cocoa.
Loving it! Just the thing that I needed tonight to get me in the mood.
What a lovely taste!
Spicy, but sweet, a strong oak presence, quite a bit of vanilla and coconut.
It's very easy drinking, especially for almost 55% ABV, very sweet though, but not sickly so.
A nice long finish with cherries and vanilla that lingers a good long time. Lovely. Just lovely.
Now for the sad part, I've yet to see a cask strength Four Rose for sale in Australia, and the 50% ABV version that is standard over here, yeah that one I've seen go for $120-$145 AUS, when you can find it, and it's very difficult to know which batch of that Four Roses your drinking.
That sadly makes me suspect a bottle of the cask strength will hit at least $150 AUS, just guessing, or more and once you start reaching those prices, especially $200 plus, you might as well start staring at a Stagg.
It's a pity, because I'd like to own a bottle of this. I can think of a few friends who'd get a kick out it.
Que cera cera, sadly what will be, will be.
If you get a chance to try this batch, this strength, do so, you won't regret it.
Find where to buy Four Roses whisky
I really enjoyed a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel. It comes in many varieties though as you noted and it is hard to tell what you are getting with the more standard 50% bottling. In my part of the United States (Virginia), I have only seen it at 50%, not the higher proof cask strength you have and the price is a lot lower than what you quote (US$40) notwithstanding of course higher taxes, import duties, etc. for Australia. I'm sure the cask strength one would be more expensive were it available in my area, but the regular 50% single barrel was quite excellent when I had it.