Review: Four Roses Single Barrel – Barrel Select – OBSO

We picked up a store pick bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Select, OBSO, aged 9 years, 11 months.  This was a private selection by Crown Liquors.  The label also notes this bottle is 116 proof (58.1% alcohol), was aged in the LW warehouse, and from barrel number 47-2F.

For a quick lesson on Four Roses, let’s talk about their recipe distinctions.  If you have ever looked at the label of a Four Roses bourbons, you might have noticed a four letter code.  This code is a hint at your drinking experience, because it indicates what recipe was used for that bottle.  Four Roses uses two mash bills and 5 proprietary yeast strains which are combined for their 10 recipes.  The 10 recipe codes are OESK, OESK, OESO, OESO, OESF, OESV, OBSK, OBSQ, OBSO, OBSO, OBSF, OBSV.  The key is to look at the 2nd letter (Mashbill) and 4th letter (Yeast Strain) to really know what you are buying.

Let’s break down the code on this bottle, OSBO.The first letter O is always O, which stands for Old Prentice Distillery, the original name of the current Four Roses Distillery location.

B stands for the B Mashbill.  The B Mashbill is comprised of 60% Corn, 35% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley.  The other option would be the E Mashbill, made with 75% Corn, 20% Rye, and 5% Malted Barley.

S stands for Straight Whiskey. Much like the first O, the S is always S.

O indicates the flavor profile of the yeast strain that was used.  The O yeast strain offers flavors of rich fruitiness, light vanilla, caramel, and full bodied.

As for the taste of this bourbon, you definitely catch the oak right away as soon as you go in for a sip.  It tastes more like a rye whiskey than I thought it might, which I have been warming up to.  There is that spicy essence one comes to know with ryes, but still offers those rich fruity accents as promised.  I definitely picked up the vanilla and caramel.  At 116 proof, one pour packs a nice punch after a long day at the office, but remains very drinkable.  Overall, this I enjoyed this one.  If you like traditional bourbon, but also like rye whiskeys, this is definitely a treat.  This will be one on my shelf that I will want to surprise a friend with.

Cheers, Y’all!