Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Four Roses Distillery, Lawrenceburg, KY.
Proof: 117.8, non-chill filtered.
Age: 10 years, 8 months.
Selected by: T8KE. Recipe OBSQ, Warehouse No. FS, Barrel No. 35-3G.
Mash bill: 60% Corn/35% Rye/5% Malted Barley.
Retail Price: $129.99 ($22 is donated to ENDALZ).
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
This profile leads with rich oak flavors of crème brûlée, toffee, pralines, and lots of vanilla bean, with underlying flavors of apricots, orange peel, lavender, sage, baking spices, and toasted oak. This is a nicely balanced, beautiful nose with lots of rich oak that becomes sweeter over time, adding notes of butterscotch, hazelnuts, cola, and a touch of mint.
Palate
The palate matches the nose’s rich barrel character, leading with crème brulé, toffee, subtle cola, and vanilla beans. Underneath is a layer of apricots, orange peel, a pop of floral, sage, baking spices, and toasted oak. This has a very good, creamy mouthfeel, and the balance of flavors is spot on.
Finish
Baking spices linger on the palate with leather, apricots, lavender, orange citrus, vanilla, green tea, and tobacco. As the spice fades, more leather develops, carrying notes of caramel, vanilla, and floral, with a hint of stone fruit. This has a very long oak-forward finish, with just a bit of dryness at the very end.
Conclusion
T8KE mentioned that OBSQ was his favorite Four Roses recipe as one of the reasons he picked this barrel. OBSQ isn’t a Four Roses recipe you hear much about compared to some others, but I’ve become a fan. As you’d expect, there’s a nice pop of floral, but there was also more stone fruit than I expected, with a nice orange peel note throughout. Paired with herbal sage and green tea notes that added some complexity, this recipe offers a unique and interesting Four Roses profile. But what makes this barrel exceptional is its rich flavors of crème brûlée, toffee, subtle cola, and upfront vanilla that carry through the whole profile. Compared to an excellent Private Selection single-barrel OESO I own, this OBSQ is just as good in its own way, with more barrel character. This Four Roses OBSQ Private Selection exceeded my expectations, with a bonus to support the Alzheimer’s Association.
Rating: 8.0/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
