Four Roses 2024 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon Review
It's rich-rich on the palate. A blend of honey and Demerara syrups usher in deep oak tones and long-cooked fruit characters like blackberry preserves.
BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Four Roses Distillery
- MASH BILL: OBSV (high rye), OESF (low rye) and OESK (low rye)
- AGE: Blend of 12-20 year old bourbons.
- YEAR: 2024
- PROOF: 108.2 (54.1% ABV)
- MSRP: $220
- BUY ONLINE: Not available yet online. Bottles will be available for purchase at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky or at the Visitor Center at Four Roses Warehouse & Bottling Facility in Cox’s Creek, Kentucky starting on September 14
STEVE'S NOTES
SHARE WITH: Anybody who loves and truly appreciates great sipping bourbon.
WORTH THE PRICE: Even at $220, yes. Call it a treat of a lifetime.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle.
OVERALL: Year after year, Brent Elliott shows his mastery of blending Four Roses bourbon in the Limited Edition Single Barrel release. This product has been his baby since 2016, the year after master distiller Jim Rutledge retired. If memory serves me correctly, that blend was lean, lithe, floral and fruity, an LESB that not only made clear that Elliott was worthy of his master distiller title, but that this annual fall favorite release was headed in a new direction uniquely different from his predecessor's typical flavor marks (which were legendarily good also).
This year is no exception. Reviewers quicker than me to report their findings on the 2024 LESB have placed it near or at the top of the list for their whiskey of the year choice. I share those opinions.
On an August Zoom press call, Elliott gave the following details about the bourbon's components–69 percent of which was 15-years and older bourbon:
- 20-year-old OBSV bourbon that made up 7 percent of the total blend
- 16-year-old OESF bourbon that made up 39 percent of the total blend
- 15-year-old OESK bourbon that made up 23 percent of the total blend
- 12-year-old OBSV bourbon that made up 31 percent of the total blend
Of 21 total test blends, Elliott said No. 17 was the winner. He genuinely liked blend when he tasted it, but he kept testing for good measure.
“I’d hit the goal and kept going, but I realized I’d already passed the finish line," he said. "I backed up and revisited 17 several times and ultimately ended on this blend.”
According to my notes, I'm betting these attributes drew him: On the nose is that classic Juicy Fruit Gum tropical and candied fruit bomb. Dried roses and lemon peel followed by eucalyptus and rye bringing up the rear.
It's rich-rich on the palate. A blend of honey and Demerara syrups usher in deep oak tones and long-cooked fruit characters like blackberry preserves. Despite so much old bourbon in this blend, there's only the barest hint of dryness, and even that's blunted by more interesting allspice and rye notes. The finish is a blend of cherry pipe tobacco, dates and more blackberries. How this blend strikes such a perfect balance between weighty mouthfeel and delicate flavors–without a load of tannin–is likely mysterious to all but the man who created it. This bourbon is a truly rare treat. Let's hope many reading this will get one of those 16,680 bottles.
BRAND NOTES
The four batches used to create the 2024 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon result in notes of creamy vanilla, honey, and brown sugar on the nose, followed by flavors of ripe berries and tangy citrus on the palate. To balance the layers of complexity and sweetness, herbal notes and Four Roses’ signature mellow spice provide a smooth finish.
This year, Four Roses will distribute approximately 16,680, 750ml limited edition bottles in the United States at a suggested retail price of $220. Bourbon fans will have a chance to purchase their bottle at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky or at the Visitor Center at Four Roses Warehouse & Bottling Facility in Cox’s Creek, Kentucky starting on September 14. The 2024 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon will also roll out to select retailers across the country starting this September.
Read the full Four Roses press release here for more information.
Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.