At Last, The Fourth Rose Has Landed!

Small Batch Select Completes the Four Roses’ UK Line-Up  

Two years after it launched Stateside, Four Roses Small Batch Select has made it to the UK, completing the brand’s permanent line-up as the ‘Fourth Rose’.

The UK is the only market outside the US where the bourbon is available. Limited to just 3,000 bottles, it arrives 15 years after Four Roses’ last line extension (Small Batch). It’s also the first non-chill filtered bourbon to be added to the distillery’s permanent line-up. Previously, only Limited Editions were non-chill filtered.

It will be distributed, as ever, by long-standing UK partner and 2021 IWSC Spirits Distributor of the Year, Spirit Cartel.

133-year-old Four Roses remains the only bourbon distillery that combines two mash bills with five proprietary yeast strains to produce 10 distinct recipes. Six of these – all aged for between six and seven years – were selected and mingled by Master Distiller Brent Elliott to create Small Batch Select.

Four Roses recipes are described by a four letter ‘code’ – each indicating the production facility, the mash bill, the spirit (always straight whiskey) and the yeast strain. In this instance, they are: OBSV, OBSK, OBSF, OESV, OESK AND OESF (see notes below).

Select represents the most significant addition to Four Roses since Elliott took the position in 2015. Named Master Distiller/Blender of the year at 2020’s ‘Icons of American Whiskey’ awards, Elliott says he’s crafted a bourbon that: “Showcases bourbon recipes and flavours that aren’t as forward-facing in the rest of our line-up. It’s an extension of what we do well at Four Roses – balancing candied fruit with warmth and spice and enjoyable to both connoisseurs and casual drinkers alike.”

Tasting notes:

On the nose, raspberries, clove and nutmeg. As it hits the palate, it opens into flavours of apricot, ripe berries, vanilla and light oak. The finish lingers with notes of spearmint and a touch of cinnamon.

Weighing in at 52% ABV, Small Batch Select has an RRP of £58.00/75cl. High-res visuals: https://we.tl/t-88igkG6ZEO

1. All Four Roses’ Limited Editions are non-chilled filtered. Select is the first permanent addition to its line-up that’s non-chill filtered.
2. Four Roses recipe code: The first and third letters always remain the same (‘O’ for Four Roses, ‘S’ for straight whiskey), while the second pairing (second and fourth) show which of two mash bills are used – ‘E’ for low-rye (20% rye/75% corn/5% malted barley) or ‘B’ (35%/60%/5%) – and the yeast strain employed. The latter could be one of five – ‘V’ (delicate fruit); ‘K’ (slight spice); ‘O’ (rich fruit); ‘Q’ (floral essence) and ‘F’ (herbal notes). Helpful infographic here: https://fourrosesbourbon.com/our-recipes/
3. Four Roses permanent line-up: Original (Yellow Label); Single Barrel; Small Batch; Small Batch Select.