Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky produces this bourbon, a clear step up from the standard bottling. The distillery works with two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains, giving ten distinct bourbon recipes. Four of those are hand-selected and married here, chosen for how they balance one another rather than for volume alone.

Barrels are typically drawn at six to seven years, matured at Cox's Creek in single-storey warehouses that age the whiskey evenly. Master distiller Brent Elliott oversees the selection, and the whiskey is bottled at 45% ABV. It stays approachable, but there is a good deal more weight and detail than the entry level release.

• It has a smooth nose of winter spice, honey, buttered toast and cut flowers.
• The palate is fuller and nicely balanced, with manuka honey, toasty oak, custard and thick fruit.
• The finish runs on at good length, with that custard note returning.

Serve neat or over one large ice cube, and it holds up well in an Old Fashioned. Pair with barbecue pork, mature comte or a bread and butter pudding.