I really enjoy the story of Four Roses because, as the story goes, the name came about as one of those Southern ",Scarlett O'Hara ", moments, steeped in romance. The company was started in 1884 by Paul Jones Jr. on Louisville's Whiskey Row. The influence of the company's name came from his sweetheart who told him that she would wear four red roses to a grand ball if she were to accept his proposal. She did and he used the moment as an inspiration for his new bourbon business. Had she not accepted the name may have been slightly darker and somewhat disparaging, but such is not the case and we are left with a rosy whiskey.
What Makes Four Roses Different
Over the years many distillers have produced bourbon in the heart of Kentucky. What we see widely available on today's shelves are the cream of the crop among those distilleries. Four Roses has a checkered past, one marked by a few company buyouts and one one of those which led to a near extinction of the brand in the US market.
What Four Roses has going for it today is that it is the only bourbon whiskey distillery to use five proprietary yeasts with two separate mashbills ranging from 60-75% corn to produce 10 different bourbons. They also use single-story rick houses to age the bourbon while many of their counterparts have grown to use multi-story houses.
Here is a primer to help you understand Four Roses Bourbons:
- All ten recipes are used in the brand's signature Yellow label.
- Three to four recipes are used to create a Small Batch.
- One recipe is used to create a Single Barrel.
- Limited Edition releases of any of the above are hand picked by the Master Distiller.
Since 1995 Jim Rutledge has been doing a wonderful job at Four Roses as its Master Distiller. He is also known as ",Mr. Four Roses",. The distillery is located in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky while the rickhouses are in Cox's Creek, and both are open for tours. Check their website for more details.
Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon
Four Roses Yellow Label is the brand standard, much like Jim Beam White Label or Johnny Walker Red Label. This is going to be the bottle that you find on a regular basis in most liquor stores and is priced between $20-25. At that reasonable price this is a good bourbon and may quickly become one of your ",old reliables.", You will find that this is a mixable whiskey, perfect for almost any whiskey drink you are in the mood for. It's character is floral, smooth, and sophisticated. It is a great introduction to bourbon for the uninitiated.
Tasting Notes:
This bourbon has a floral aroma and has rosy, grainy, and spicy undertones with a bit of a honey twist. The taste is crisp, smooth, and soft at the same time, marked by vanilla, pear and apple and notes of oak that gently melt into the fruits. It finishes with a soothing smoothness that is semi dry and holds hints of spicy orange.
Other Four Roses Bourbons
Four Roses has an impressive line up of bourbon whiskies and the Yellow Label is just the beginning. There are different bottlings found through the world. Japan is unique in that the Black Label and Super Premium are only released there, but you can also find the Single Barrel. In Europe you will find Yellow Label, Small Batch, and Single Barrel. In the US the Yellow Label, Single Barrel, Small Batch, and any Limited Edition and Mariage Collection bourbons are available.
In the summer of 2010 two special bottlings were release, one from each the Single Barrel and Small Batch collections and both are limited editions. These were hand picked by Master Distiller Jim Rutledge and are amazing sipping bourbons for the conniessuer and not-so-experienced bourbon drinker. They are collector worthy and you will want to find these before they are gone.
Instead of boring you with two reviews that will end up nearly identical, check out Lance Mayhew's reviews of these two tasty bourbons, which I back up wholeheartedly.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy .
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