All the pieces’s developing roses for me…
I was equal elements excited and nervous once I discovered that the Bourbon Crusaders, of which I’m a member, have been allotted a 4 Roses barrel choose. At least, this meant that I’d be capable to buy a bottle of the resultant choice. My true hope, nonetheless, was that I’d be one of many lucky six chosen to journey to Kentucky to take part within the choose.
Since I nonchalantly plucked a 4 Roses barrel choose (formally generally known as 4 Roses Single Barrel Barrel Energy) off a retailer shelf again in 2018, these have change into a number of the most desired of bourbon whiskies. I needed to rush to a neighborhood retailer when a pair turned obtainable in early 2020, simply earlier than pandemic lockdowns shuttered my metropolis. By that point, picks have been buying and selling arms on the “secondary market” at multiples of their retail worth.
The information of a “sticker ban” (not precisely) illustrated that demand for these bottles far outstripped provide, to the extent that the implicit risk of being excluded from future picks was seen as a enough deterrent to sticker foolishness. A 40% enlargement in this system (to 1,200 barrels per 12 months) doesn’t come near satiating whisky lovers’ urge for food for this format. Thus, our group was fortunate to be awarded one of many 50 annual “advertising barrels” put aside for non-retail prospects.
Having beforehand loved my experiences selecting Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and Outdated Forester Single Barrel Barrel Energy with the Crusaders, I used to be eager to throw my identify within the hat. I’m happy to say {that a} random drawing went my means, and I ready for a late June journey to the 4 Roses Bottling Facility in Coxs Creex, KY, the place the alternatives happen.
The six of us have been hosted by the gracious Mandy Vance, who associated some fascinating tidbits to us previous to the tasting. For instance, do you know that the “O” in 4 Roses’ “O_S_” stands for “Outdated Prentice,” the identify of the distillery in Lawrenceburg bought by Seagram in 1946? All through the tasting Mandy was in a position to share her experience and expertise with us, and I’d prefer to thank her for her sort hospitality.
One distinctive side of the 4 Roses choose course of is that not like different distilleries – which often provide solely a handful of barrels from which to make a choice – 4 Roses permits us to select from 10 barrels, representing every of the recipe codes. For all however probably the most voracious collectors, this would be the solely likelihood to style all the recipes side-by-side.
Nonetheless, there’s additionally the problem of constructing a discerning judgment on such a voluminous quantity of whiskey. Going into the tasting, I hoped that a number of barrels could be such standouts as to permit for the straightforward elimination of the higher a part of the sphere. To that finish, we established the next guidelines for tasting:
- Every taster would strive all 10 barrels and award their high three alternatives a rating of three factors (first alternative), two factors (second alternative), or one level (third alternative).
- The three whiskies with the best scores would then be arrange in a blind association by our hosts.
- The three finalists could be tasted blind, with taster given the selection between awarding a rating of two factors (first alternative) and one level (second alternative), or awarding a rating of three factors to a single whiskey (standout favourite)
We might not know any of the small print about recipe, age, rickhouse, or proof till we made our ultimate choice.
With these guidelines in thoughts, me and my 5 fellow Crusaders undertook the duty of selecting one of the best of the barrels supplied. Whereas I’d love to provide you detailed tasting notes on every barrel we tried, the time allotted and the sheer amount of whiskey to be thought of rendered this not possible. Nonetheless, I’m able to share with you my sketchy notes and the scores awarded at every level within the course of, which can maybe assist illustrate the dynamics of the choice.
First Spherical:
Barrel 1
Nostril: Floral, wealthy, caramelly, grape soda, rye bread.
Palate: Agency and candy.
Outcome: 10 factors, finalist.
Barrel 2
Nostril: Candy, confectionery, grape bubblegum.
Palate: Astringent and candy.
Outcome: 3 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OBSO, 10 years and 5 months.
Barrel 3
Nostril: Inexperienced, grassy, grape.
Palate: Spherical, nutty.
Outcome: 0 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OBSV, 10 years and 5 months.
Barrel 4
Nostril: Candy and natural.
Palate: Spherical and fruity.
Outcome: 6 factors, finalist.
Barrel 5
Nostril: Floral and salty/savory.
Palate: Agency and tannic.
Outcome: 3 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OBSF, 11 years and three months.
Barrel 6
Nostril: Floral and cinnamon.
Palate: Heat and spherical.
Outcome: 3 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OBSQ, 11 years and three months.
Barrel 7
Nostril: Spicy and natural, licorice.
Palate: Candy however barely skinny.
Outcome: 5 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OESV, 11 years and 5 months.
Barrel 8
Nostril: Floral and woody.
Palate: Spherical and nutty.
Outcome: 6 factors, finalist.
Barrel 9
Nostril: Sweet and natural.
Palate: Corny, candy.
Outcome: 0 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OBSK, 9 years and 4 months.
Barrel 10
Nostril: Grainy and natural.
Palate: Rye pushed and woody.
Outcome: 0 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: OESF, 11 years and three months.
At this level our group stepped outdoors whereas Mandy eliminated the eradicated barrels and rearranged the remaining contenders. She marked every glass with a colour, and we re-tasted the three.
Second Spherical:
Crimson
Nostril: Spherical, licorice.
Palate: Tart fruit, minerality.
Outcome: 0 factors, eradicated.
Reveal: Barrel 7 from above, OESV, 11 years and 5 months.
Black
Nostril: Cocoa, spice.
Palate: Thinner and extra tart, astringent wooden.
Outcome: 8 factors, second alternative.
Reveal: Barrel 1 from above, OESK, 10 years and 4 months.
Blue
Nostril: Mint, herbs, wooden, fruit
Palate: Tart and tannic, woody, rounds out properly.
Outcome: 10 factors, winner.
Reveal: Barrel 4 from above, OESO, 9 years and three months.
We’ve got a winner! That is barrel #O13B26-B12BNB-1, from the east facet of warehouse H, rack 36, tier 2, place M.
I consider there are some fascinating observations that may be gleaned from this expertise. In no specific order:
The blind format is efficacious by way of maintaining our preconceptions out of the method. For instance, we picked the youngest of the ten barrels supplied to us, proving as soon as once more that age isn’t every part.
Extra fascinating, I consider, is that the consensus favourite from the primary spherical got here in second. For anybody setting the foundations for their very own choose (or maybe as a enjoyable thought for a blind tasting), the break and re-blinding of the barrels proved that perceptions can change drastically from the primary impression.
I’m now eagerly awaiting my bottles of this, not least of all so I could make a extra full and detailed evaluation beneath circumstances extra conducive to affected person tasting. I’m planning a follow-up piece the place I style it towards another barrel picks… if I can discover any, that’s! Within the meantime, I ought to say that this expertise was an excessive amount of enjoyable (thanks once more to our sort hosts), and I’d strongly suggest it to anybody who can get themselves included on a choose.
