Four Roses is an American whiskey distillery that is located in the town of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky is at the heart of the whiskey industry in America with seven distilleries operating and producing numerous brands of whiskey and bourbon. Four Roses is owned by the Kirin Brewery Company from Japan and is one of Kentucky’s largest distilleries, producing almost eight million litres of whiskey a year. Much of this is released under the Four Roses name, although as with many of the American distilleries they also release whiskies and bourbons under different names. This expression was historically referred to as ‘Yellow Label’ Bourbon, but you will now find labelled as simply Four Roses Bourbon. It is approximately five to six years of age, and is the biggest selling whiskey in the Four Roses range which also includes a Small Batch Bourbon, Small Batch Select and Single Barrel Bourbon.
Our Tasting Notes
Light yellow brown in colour, the nose is light also and has a lovely delicate freshness. It is loaded with vanilla, oaky woodiness, sweet cereal grains (think of corn/maize) and a citrus note (imagine lemon zest). On the palate, this offers heaps of vanilla and fresh coconut (imagine scooping out the flesh having just cracked the nut open). It has a medium refreshing body that also has those cereal and citrus elements from the nose and a delicious honey note (the clear runny variety). The finish is short but has an interesting woody bitterness to it that counteracts the previous sweetness well and makes the bourbon more balanced.
What’s The Verdict
This Four Roses is lighter, fresher and more subtle than a number of the bourbons that are on the market. It would be a great choice to introduce someone to a bourbon whiskey, or enjoy on a hot day over a glass filled with ice. It offers really good value for the quality of product at £20-25 a bottle largely to be found in specialist alcohol retailers.
