First Impression of 2016 Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel

[Generic section where I describe stuff about Four Roses]

Four Roses is a distillery in Kentucky.  They make awesome bourbon.  Blah, blah, blah…

No wait, their bourbon is terrible.  Avoid it, especially the Limited Edition ones and the Private Store picks.  Go for Orphan Barrels.  Much better use of your money.

Ok yes, that was sarcastic.  Four Roses store picks to this day remain the best deal in the bourbon world.  For people really wanting to know more about Four Roses in general, see this review I did in 2014 (http://wp.me/p5n6MB-2w).

For the rest of you, carry on.

[Generic section where I describe how the bottle came to be]

Jim Rutledge was the Master Distiller of Four Roses for a really long time.  Something like 48 years.  He made a lot of bourbon.  He “retired” late last year and Brent Elliott was named new Master Distiller.  Brent worked for many years with Jim.

It was announced a few months ago that Brent Elliott would be releasing a 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel (there had been an LE SiB every year since 2007, but there was not one in 2015 due to shortages).  After much begging and pleading with about 25 different people, I was finally given a sample of it.  It lasted about 2 hours before I opened it and drank half of it.

[The reason you are here]

This year’s Single Barrel LE is a 14 year OESK.  I don’t know that I have ever had an OESK, but OBSK to this day remains my favorite recipe.  It’s possible I have had an OESK in a ‘tasting’, where usually the only tasting I remember is the first couple things I try and then usually Waffle House 3 hours later.

The nose smells to me, and feel free to call total BS on this, but it smells like banana cream pie.  No kidding.  It smells like a nice aged wheated bourbon to me, but there is no wheat at all.  Just 75% Corn, 20% Rye, and 5% Barley.  The age definitely softens it up.  Me likey.

At barrel proof (I think around 118), it is so easy to drink with no burn at all.  It’s low rye, so there isn’t as much spice, but it’s got just enough.  I definitely get the caramel and vanilla that I’m used to with OBSK, but man that finish lasts forever.  Honey is the only word I can think of, but damn is it nice.  I’m going to write the word damn until the finish ends.  Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn.  Sorry that would have been longer but my dog grabbed my sock and took off.  I just got back, I think the finish just ended.  So good.

To make sure I wasn’t wrong, I just finished the second half of the sample bottle I got.  It lasted less than 3 hours at my house.  100ml, down the hatch.

*editors note, I think the second half was even better.

I know the retail price went up a little on this bottle this year, but man I could drink this one every single night if I that was possible.  Surely that’s possible right?  I meant from a monetary standpoint, not so much the health standpoint.  Bourbon is zero carbs though, you know that right?

For now, I’ll settle on however many bottles I can find around town.  Definite winner, it’s delicious.

Wait, I mean its terrible, pass it over in stores.  K thx.  🙂