Every year Four Roses comes out with a limited edition Bourbon. This year it is to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the registration of their trademark with the government. The brand itself is much older, but this is the 130th anniversary of Paul Jones registering the trademark with the United States Government. As always, it is a collection of very special whiskeys going into these bottles. If there was an age statement on the bottle, it would be a 10 year old whiskey because that is the youngest Bourbon in the mix. They have chosen 10yo OBSV, a 13yo OBSF, a 14yo OESV and a 16yo OESK for this whiskey and bottled it at barrel strength. It really is special whiskey.
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch
Proof: 108.4
Nose: Caramel toffee, roses and ripe apples with a hint of baking spices and oak. As it breathes, some milk chocolate comes out on the nose.
Taste: Candy apples with buttered toffee, nutmeg and oak. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the oak and spice come forward. Tasted with a pecan and some citrus fruit and cinnamon come out.
Finish: Long. Starts sweet but dries with some oak tannins and dark chocolate. The cranberry removes the sweet start and adds some spice to the finish. The pecan shortens the finish and makes it very dry with lots of oak.
Today I am smoking a Nat Sherman Schrader cigar with this whiskey. This cigar was designed to pair with wine with lots of creamy vanilla and spice in the smoke. The Bourbon makes the vanilla more of a caramel and sweetens the spice notes. The smoke brings out the fruit and spice in the Bourbon. An excellent pairing.
Photos Courtesy of Four Roses and Rosemary Miller
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