Dept of Purity: Four Roses

[Capn Jimbo]

All those bottles and how to choose?


Most of the regulars here have - if I may abuse the word - pretty healthy collections of spirits. Many of these were purchased with great hopes but at times lacking experience or knowledge. How many we own that we'd never, ever buy again but fortunately now are well balanced by fewer but truly fine and memorable products.

Yesterday I was in the mood for a nightcap, but rum wasn't in my mind. A search through the spirits closet found a bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon and somehow that struck my mood.


Bourbon: the original pure spirit

Bourbon really defines purity. By legal definition no additives. No flavorings. No used sherry barrels. And no coloring. What you see, smell and taste is pure spirit. It's what you want and what you get. In fact, this industry is the source of most of the barrels used by the others.

Like any fine spirit, a good bourbon is an acquired taste, and one that truly reflects its heritage and raw material: corn and its legal time in a first use, charred American oak barrel. Accordingly the wafting sweetness of the corn, the incredible and subtle honest vanillans of the wood all balanced by the smoky overtones is simply brilliant. Sue Sea took a turn and loved the smokiness and what she called a floral, honeysuckle effect.

I found my self doing something from the far distant past: namely, spending at least 20 minutes just enjoying the high aromas, just as I was once drawn in by Appleton 12. Both of these were so lovely and aromatic that I could have just nosed them all evening.

I marvelled at the clarity and natural golden color. The harmony and consistency, and an aftertaste that kept coming back. Purity is a good and beautiful thing. It forces quality as there's nothing to hide behind other than the spirit itself. Poorly done the mistakes are revealed; well done and it's brilliant and memorable and a tribute to artistry.

Why the rum distillers never "got" this I'll never know. They remind me of the auto industry in the 50's and 60's when we were being sold tail fins, wheel covers, and "Continental" rear bumpers. Compare to the VW beetle or transporter, or Porsche 912 where form is function.

It was indeed a pleasant evening...

[da'rum]

Funny, I've been getting into Bourbon a bit lately and have enjoyed the odd glass. Four roses was one I tried recently along with Makers Mark. Both a nice drop.

[Bearman]

I have only tried the regular Four Roses, and I didn't really like it..
I was in fact under the impression that I didn't like bourbon, until recently where my brother introduced me to Maker's Mark. It was quite an eye-opening experience, and Maker's Mark has been kind of a gateway drug into bourbon for me. It never ceases to amaze me how many great spirits that are out there..

[Hassouni]

I dunno, it may be the most honest spirit out there (ahem, so is American rye, btw), but I find bourbon also to be the most insipid of the real brown spirits. For sipping, give me some undoctored pot stilled rum, or especially some proper single malt instead. For cocktails, give me the spicy kick of rye.

[NCyankee]

Hassouni,

I am surprised to hear you call Bourbon insipid then in the next sentence talk about the spicy kick of rye. There are some very popular Bourbons that I find to be on the bland and boring side - among them Maker's Mark and jim Beam Black. But there are some high rye content or higher proof Bourbons that can be quite flavorful. In fact many people think Bulleit Bourbon is spicier than their straight rye (which has a 95% rye mashbill.)

My favorite Bourbons are Elijah Craig 12 yr (which makes Jim Beam taste like water), Old Weller 107 proof, and Old Grand dad 114 (which is a high proof high rye Bourbon.)

[Hassouni]

I've been so put off by the usual suspect bourbons that I haven't bothered doing much deeper exploration. I'll try the Bulleit, and someone else already recommended the OGD 114.

For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of WT101, as it doesn't have that trademark bland sweetness that many other bourbons have.

[da'rum]

Elijah Craig 12 yr, nice one NC.

[NCyankee]

For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of WT101, as it doesn't have that trademark bland sweetness that many other bourbons have.

WT 101 is also one I like - and you might want to try their higher end Bourbons, Rare Breed and Russell's Reserve. Rare Breed is also one of my favorites, but it is a little more expensive than the other three (but 108 proof). Quite spicy as well as a little minty / piney. The Russell's Reserve is a little smoother and more refined, but still interesting.

I miss their 101 proof Rye, which used to be available for under $20. I liked it better than Rittenhouse 100, which is now my go-to mixing rye.

Four roses single barrel is also outstanding, but another whole price level at around $40. It has a higher rye content than their standard offering, and is 100 proof. (I was lucky enough to grab one on sale for around $30.)

[NCyankee]

Elijah Craig 12 yr, nice one NC.

Craig is one of my favorites, at any price. The fact that I can get a 1.75 ltr for around $40 on sale makes it all that much better.

I was lucky enough to grab a couple bottles of their 18 yr last spring before it went away, since they have now decided to sell 20-21 yr old versions at over $100. I used to get the 18 here in NC for $35 on sale, at which price it was a steal.

[Hassouni]

For what it's worth, I'm a big fan of WT101, as it doesn't have that trademark bland sweetness that many other bourbons have.

WT 101 is also one I like - and you might want to try their higher end Bourbons, Rare Breed and Russell's Reserve. Rare Breed is also one of my favorites, but it is a little more expensive than the other three (but 108 proof). Quite spicy as well as a little minty / piney. The Russell's Reserve is a little smoother and more refined, but still interesting.

I miss their 101 proof Rye, which used to be available for under $20. I liked it better than Rittenhouse 100, which is now my go-to mixing rye.

Four roses single barrel is also outstanding, but another whole price level at around $40. It has a higher rye content than their standard offering, and is 100 proof. (I was lucky enough to grab one on sale for around $30.)

WT 101 Rye is back. Available by the litre only, around $30

[NCyankee]

Unfortunately, only in 21 states - and NC is not one of them. Supposedly in GA, but I don't see it listed in Total Wine's inventory.

[Hassouni]

Unfortunately, only in 21 states - and NC is not one of them. Supposedly in GA, but I don't see it listed in Total Wine's inventory.

Time for a trip to DC?

[Hassouni]

Picked up some Bulleit bourbon:

While it has a very interesting spice going on (overwhelming cinnamon actually), and not AS sweet as run of the mill bourbons, I still am not a huge fan of the inherent bourbon/corn sweetness.

I can see it playing very well in an old fashioned with scant syrup and a lot of bitters, though

[Bearman]

This thread inspired me to do a bit of research on bourbon, and I eventually stumbled upon Jason Pyle's site:

http://sourmashmanifesto.com/

I don't know if you guys know it, but he has reviewed quite an amount of bourbons and tends to like the more spicy ones. So Hass you might find his site interesting. He also used to do Vlog's on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jmpyle1?feature=watch

They are also very nice, I especially like how he compares Wild Turkey 101 to having a porcupine running into your mouth, which apparently is a good thing.. Very good stuff Bearman recommended

[bearmark]

One thing to consider when you're trying out bourbon is the mash bill. Bourbon is at least 51% corn with other grains to complete the mash... typically rye, wheat and/or barley. Those with a high amount of rye tend to be spicy with lighter fruit notes and those with a high amount of wheat tend to be less spicy with dark dried fruit notes. Of course, you should always expect to taste some amount of caramel and vanilla. Some famous wheated bourbons are Pappy Van Winkle and William Larue Weller (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection). A famous rye forward bourbon is George T. Stagg (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection).

Maker's Mark is a wheated bourbon, while Elijah Craig 12, Old GrandDad 114, Bulleit, Wild Turkey, Russell's Reserve and Four Roses are more rye forward.

Here are some entry level bourbons that I would highly recommend:

• Evan Williams Vintage Single Barrel ($22-27) - 2004 vintage was just released and I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard good reports. 2002 and 2003 were good and 2004 is supposed to be a bit bolder. This is a great bourbon at a great price!
• Weller 12 Year ($20-24) - This is a wheated bourbon and a good example of one at a great price. IMHO, this is much better than Maker's Mark. Some prefer Old Weller Antique (107º)for a couple of dollars more due to the higher proof. Another popular thing to do is a 50/50 blend of the two (let it "marry" for a couple of weeks).
• Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 Year ($22-27) - This is not a wheater, but it has some great dark fruit character along with cocoa and tobacco. There is some variation from barrel to barrel, but I've never had a bad one yet.
• Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond (White Label) ($11-13) - This is a good example of a young bourbon without as much barrel influence.
• Four Roses Single Barrel ($31-35) - This is one of 10 different mash bills used by Four Roses and it's got some floral notes that are quite nice.
• Angel's Envy ($40) - This is always my first recommendation to a Scotch whisky drinker who is interested in exploring bourbon. It's more subtle than other bourbons with a degree of complexity that's nice to see in this price range and that single malt drinkers are typically looking for.

If you want to experience wheat whiskey in order to experience the characteristics of wheat without the corn, then try Bernheim's Original Wheat Whiskey ($22-27), which is a nice whiskey in it's own right. If you like the rye-forward bourbons, I can recommend some rye whiskeys as well.