Four Roses Small Batch Select Review

About – Master Distiller Brent Elliott selected and mingled six of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes, each aged a minimum of 6 years, to handcraft Small Batch Select. Non-chill filtered and 104 proof, our newest permanent product-line extension offers truly unique flavor characteristics. 104 proof. 52% alcohol/volume. Small batch launched in 2019, and is so far only available in select markets. I bought this bottle in Kentucky for $55.

Nose – Light at first. There is a quick hit of ethanol. After getting past that I am picking up some vanilla, caramel, a touch of banana, some barrel spice, but overall it is a fairly light nose.

Palate – No ethanol present, surprising from the nose. Baking spice forward with an oily mouthfeel. Vanilla and clove are lightly present. The finish is odd. I am picking up something that reminds of varnish , and is a but off putting.

Score – C

Verdict – I am usually a large fan of everything Four Roses puts out, but this one misses the mark for me. There are some pleasant flavors to be found, but even those come across as light. The finish is where things really took a nose dive. To be honest I liked this bottle much more when I first opened it. The more times I have revisited it, however, I have enjoyed it less and less. I can’t say I would recommend spending $50+ on this bottle.