Four Roses Small Batch Select Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Four Roses Distillery
• MASH BILL: Features 6 unique Four Roses recipes – OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK and OESF
• AGE: Mingling of 6 and 7 year old bourbons.
• YEAR: 2019
• PROOF: 104 Proof (52% ABV) - Non-Chill Filtered
• MSRP: From the brand, "Price point for Small Batch Select will vary by market and retailer, but will be positioned slightly above Single Barrel as it's non-chill filtered and 104 proof."
• AVAILABILITY: Available in limited quantities at the Four Roses Distillery and Warehouse & Bottling Facility Visitor Centers on Wednesday, April 17 beginning at 9 a.m. Small Batch Select will roll out to additional select retailers in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia in the weeks following, and will be available in additional locations in the future.
  

POPS' NOTES

NOSE: Gentle Baking Spices  |  Hint of Juicy Fruit gum  |  Caramel  |  Clove

TASTE: Vanilla  |  Caramel  |  Sweet Fruits (think apples/peaches)  |  Toasted Oak

FINISH: Medium to long finish flush with cinnamon infused caramel, toasted oak and a hint of mint chocolate.

SHARE WITH: Four Roses fans will flock to this release but it's also a great bourbon to share with bourbon lovers of all experience levels.

WORTH THE PRICE: Compared to regular Small Batch it's worth every penny. Is it worth more than single barrel? That's a tougher question. I love single barrels and consider them worth more of a premium. Others enjoy blends and will think differently.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle - a fantastic bottle to add to your collection at home. I plan on making it a part of my regular drinking rotation once it's fully available in my area.

OVERALL: When I first received the press release announcing the upcoming release of Four Roses Small Batch Select, I was a bit hesitant to get my hopes up. Four Roses does a great job with their regular lineup and limited releases so I was concerned that a new expression, slated to be part of the regular lineup, would be different enough to warrant such a move by one of my favorite distilleries.

I'm pleased to say my concerns were unwarranted. I found Four Roses Small Batch Select to be a lovely whiskey that is a welcome addition to their regular release expressions. Fourteen extra proof points and the fact that it's non-chill filtered creates a velvety mouthfeel full of flavor that stays balanced through the finish. Add a few drops of water, and it gets even better. Faint notes of chocolate and mint expand creating a whiskey that I could easily sip all night. (all this from a guy that usually doesn't like adding water to bourbon)

When tasted side-by-side with the well established Four Roses Small Batch, I found the newcomer to have a more complex nose, creamier mouthfeel, and more vibrant notes of caramel and vanilla that gently pushed down the signature dried spice notes of the regular Small Batch. I also observed the juicy fruit notes of the original are also diminished in Small Batch Select - but based on the recipe, that appears to be by design. I prefer the new Small Batch Select in a direct taste test but would never refuse to drink either if offered.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this one, and I look forward to making it part of my regular rotation at home. If you're a Four Roses fan, you'll appreciate the extra proof and non-chill filtering offered by Small Batch Select. And if you're relatively new to bourbon, and are looking to expand into a bit higher proof and richer profile - without breaking the bank, it's a more than solid choice.

Let us know what you think of Four Roses Small Batch Select in the comments once you get a chance to try it. Cheers!

BRAND NOTES

On the nose, Four Roses Small Batch Select offers raspberries, clove and nutmeg. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavors of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak. The finish lingers with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.

“Small Batch Select certainly can be one of your special occasion Bourbons, but we want it to be more accessible so you don’t hesitate to open up that bottle and enjoy it any time,” Elliott said. “I am particularly proud of this Bourbon, as it is the biggest addition to the storied history of Four Roses since I became Master Distiller.”

FOUR ROSES CELEBRATES DISTILLERY GRAND REOPENING WITH DEBUT OF NEW SMALL BATCH SELECT

Non-chill filtered Small Batch Select first available at the Four Roses Distillery and Warehouse & Bottling Facility Visitor Centers on April 17

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. – Four Roses Distillery marked the culmination of its $55 million expansion project with the official launch of Small Batch Select–the first permanent addition to the Distillery’s Bourbon lineup in 12 years. The Distillery’s expansion project began in 2015 and is doubling production capacity to accommodate for growing industry demand.

“It’s an exciting time at Four Roses and we are proud to celebrate the next step in our effort to provide even more Bourbon to our consumers, while maintaining a commitment to produce the same premium quality that defines the brand,” said Four Roses Chief Operating Officer Ryan Ashley. “We welcome and encourage you to make the trip to our Distillery in Lawrenceburg to experience our continued growth first-hand.”

The expansion project invested $34 million into Four Roses’ Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky., and $21 million at the Warehouse & Bottling Facility in Cox’s Creek, Ky. At the Distillery, Four Roses added two new buildings and equipment, including a new column and doubler still and more fermenters. With the duplicate column and doubler still, production capacity is scheduled to increase from 4 million to 8 million proof gallons, enough to fill more than 130,000 barrels a year. Louisville, Ky. based architecture firm Joseph & Joseph designed the original Distillery in 1910, and modeled the new buildings after the existing Spanish mission-style structures unique to Four Roses.

At the Warehouse & Bottling Facility, Four Roses built a new bottling facility, containing two bottling lines, including one specifically designed for Single Barrel and a high-speed bottling line, bottling support areas and office space. Warehouse X, the first of several new Four Roses warehouses to be built in the coming years, was completed in November 2018.

The award-winning Bourbon company has experienced exponential growth since its return to the United States in 2002. The project has created numerous new jobs, and Four Roses plans to continue to add new jobs in the near future.

Debut of new Bourbon underway
Non-chill filtered and bottled at a 104 proof, Small Batch Select will join Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses Small Batch and Four Roses Bourbon. It will first be available in limited quantities at the Four Roses Distillery and Warehouse & Bottling Facility Visitor Centers on Wednesday, April 17 beginning at 9 a.m.

Small Batch Select will roll out to additional select retailers in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia in the weeks following, and will be available in additional locations in the future.

Four Roses is the only Bourbon distillery that combines two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to produce 10 distinct Bourbon recipes, each with its own unique characteristics.

“Small Batch Select includes six of our recipes and offers truly unique flavor characteristics from our current lineup of Bourbons,” said Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott. “It’s all new, but at the same time, it’s an extension of what we do, and what we do well.”

Master Distiller Brent Elliott hand-selected and mingled six of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes, each aged a minimum of 6 years, to create Small Batch Select. This bottle will feature OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK and OESF.

“Beyond the unique flavor profile, we wanted to give something to the consumer that they’re really looking for–a non-chill filtered, higher strength Bourbon–and that’s what they will experience with Four Roses Small Batch Select,” said Elliott.

Four Roses Small Batch Select balances notes of candied fruit with warmth and spice for a nuanced, mouth-coating flavor enjoyable to both casual drinkers and connoisseurs.

Disclaimer:Four Roses provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.