This fall’s limited release bourbons so far have been amazing. The Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and the Yellowstone Limited Release were both outstanding. Before Thanksgiving I snagged a bottle of the Four Roses Small Batch 2019 Limited Edition. Really excited about this one.
This limited edition has a 21 year old high rye delicate fruit bourbon (OBSV), two fifteen year old low rye bourbons, one with slight spice and one with delicate fruit, and an eleven year old low rye delicate fruit bourbon. It weighs in at a healthy 112.6 proof. And I still love the non-chill filtered warning label which is also found on the Small Batch Select.
Color is a lovely light mahogany. On the swirl is a nice film and lovely long legs. The 21 year old bourbon in this batch is really showing off here. Nose has some lovely oak notes, fruit, graham cracker, and baking spice. On the palate, cherry cordial, cream, rye, followed by oak, cinnamon and Italian maraschino cherries. Long lingering finish that is juicy and not astringent. Medium rich mouthfeel.
Where other Four Roses limited editions have been short on oak, this one really has it without it being too much.
This is an utterly fine Four Roses limited release. To me, the addition of the oak to this bourbon really differentiates this release from the Al Young and the 130th. This is my favorite of the three.
2019 so far has been a great season for limited edition bourbons.
The Whiskey Jar 
If it isn t already, Four Roses Yellow Label should be your go-to budget bourbon (though the label isn t actually yellow anymore). It s great in cocktails, you can sip it on its own, and it is hands-down one of the best bourbons you can find for 20 bucks. The Single Barrel is an excellent whiskey too, but for something tasty and more moderately priced, check out Four Roses Small Batch. The distillery used two mash bills and five yeast strains to create 10 different recipes to work with, and four of these recipes were used to make Small Batch. The newer Small Batch Select uses six recipes, it s non-chill filtered, and it s bottled at a higher 104 proof. Generally, the bourbon is about six to eight years old, with the spice from Four Roses high rye mash bill nicely complementing the fruity notes from the yeast. The new Michter s Fort Nelson Distillery is up and running in Louisville, a small operation with stills producing whiskey that will be bottled in a few years time, although the main production facility remains the much bigger Shively distillery. The Michter s range includes bourbon, rye, American whiskey, and sour mash whiskey. And while these aren t the cheapest bottles you can find, they are some of the best. The Michter s team carefully selects contract-distilled barrels of whiskey before blending the liquid into an incredibly balanced flavor profile that hits all the right notes sweet, spice, vanilla, cocoa, and more. Go ahead and pick up a bottle of the 10- or 25-year-old bourbon if you can find it (sorry, you probably can t), or the bold Barrel Strength Rye, but Michter s US1 is what you should turn to for everyday drinking.
LikeLike