4 Roses! I really like me some 4 Roses. I’m not going to lie: I’m going into this evaluation with my completely happy, bourbon-colored glasses on. I really like 4 Roses for plenty of causes, not the least of which is that I used to be just lately at an occasion the place that they had a sales space right here in Portland, Oregon—they usually gave me a 4 Roses baseball cap “simply because” and they didn’t even know I evaluation whiskies.
The Historical past of 4 Roses
Promotional objects apart, 4 Roses Bourbon boasts a storied historical past relationship again to 1888, when it was established by Paul Jones Jr., a whiskey pioneer who registered the identify after reportedly being impressed by a romantic gesture involving 4 roses. (Who doesn’t love romantic story that features brown booze on the onset?)
Throughout Prohibition, the model survived by producing medicinal whiskey beneath a authorities license. Nonetheless, its fortunes shifted within the mid-Twentieth century when it was transitioned right into a blended whiskey for the U.S. market, whereas its straight bourbon continued thriving internationally, notably in Japan.
The model’s renaissance started in 2002 when it was acquired by Kirin Brewery Firm, which reinstated its dedication to producing distinctive straight bourbon within the U.S. market.
The Distinctive Mash Payments
4 Roses is just about the one bourbon distillery combining 5 proprietary yeast strains with two separate mash payments to handcraft ten distinct bourbons. To enter this additional—and I’m warning you, that is going to start like a pattern GRE examination logic query—every recipe is described by a four-letter “code.” This means the manufacturing facility, the mashbill, the spirit sort, and the yeast pressure.
The primary and third letters stay the identical: “O” for 4 Roses, and “S” for straight whiskey. The second exhibits which certainly one of two mash payments is used: the “E,” or low-rye, which is 20 p.c rye, 75 p.c corn, and 5 p.c malted barley; and the “B,” which is 35 p.c rye, 60 p.c corn, and 5 p.c malted barley. The final letter of the code displays the yeast pressure: “V” (delicate fruit), “Ok” (slight spice), “O” (wealthy fruit), “Q” (floral essence), and “F” (natural notes). This useful infographic from 4 Roses exhibits the attainable permutations.
All 10 recipes are utilized in 4 Roses’ yellow label, which is what I evaluation right here. In September 2015, Brent Elliott took over as 4 Roses’ Grasp Distiller from Jim Rutledge, and the enduring bottle hosted on most again bars throughout America now carries his identify.
Tasting Notes: 4 Roses Bourbon
Important stats: 80 proof; about $20; makes use of all 10 bourbon recipes.
Look: It’s yellow label—and the bourbon itself has a yellow high quality to it. Like discovering previous newspaper clippings in an attic, particularly the extra-yellowed outer corners (why does that occur?). Additionally: weak ginger or lemon teas.
Nostril: It smells…like bourbon. I do know, this isn’t saying quite a bit however I get to style lots of bourbon. Some odor extra like bourbon than others. That doesn’t imply it’s alcohol-ey, it means it smells like good bourbon. Wealthy, a browned butter, and the nice and cozy pleasantness that surrounds you if you’re nicely right into a glass sitting with somebody you want whereas sitting by a hearth. It smells, fairly frankly, like consolation. (Additionally, apples.)
Palate: I’ve tried a bunch of 4 Roses concoctions, they usually by no means disappoint. This one is easy-drinking and lightweight, and but with sufficient substance to do nicely by itself, neat, or on the rocks. It has a light-weight syrup mouthfeel however not syrupy sweetness. It’s slightly chewy. Additionally, apples. Once more. It tastes like its odor, which is to say good bourbon, not stunning or wonderful, however a stable, easy-drinking beverage. It tastes like a costlier bottle.
This evaluation was initially revealed in December 2018, and up to date in December 2024.
