• Four Roses “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel OBSQ (8 years, 11 months) Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ( $64.99) The lastest cask of OBSQ marks one of the last of our Jim Rutledge picks and it’s the fruitiest of the bunch. Soft banana and tropical notes coat the entry, dusted with wood shavings and peppery notes. At no point does this whiskey ever feel like its 114.2 proof. It’s lithe and light on its feet, finishing with clean flavors of vanilla and oak, never once packing the richness or the power that the alcohol percentage might suggest. It would make a fantastic rocks Bourbon or a perfect Manhattan mixer due to it’s pure whiskey flavor but lack of cloying sweetness or big wood richness. It’s a finesse Bourbon through and through, but with plenty of fruit and flavor to back it up. Lovely stuff.

• Four Roses “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel OESO (11 years, 4 months) Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ( $64.99) Those looking for dark and decadent should snag a bottle of this 11+ year old OESO cask selection from the end of our Jim Rutledge series. As a contrast to some of the younger, fresher 8-9 year old barrels we picked, this 55% stunner of a whiskey is like a perfect wave of red fruits, vanilla, sweet oak, and dark chocolate, each flavor integrated and almost imperceptible from the next. This is a throw back to a style of Bourbon that has almost vanished off the face of the earth: a rich, full-boded, thick and supple whiskey that really shows the sweetness of the charred oak maturation and balances it against a fruity and vibrant spirit. You’ll be kicking yourself for not buying two of these. But only after it’s empty, of course!

K&L Wine Merchants http://www.klwines.com/ Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)

Email: wine@klwines.com San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA