Beginning in 2008, Four Roses has released a limited edition small batch blend each year, and this 2013 edition is largely regarded by whiskey geeks and Four Roses groupies as one of the best of those (the 2008 and 2009 were called “Mariage” but the name was changed beginning in 2010). The 2012 edition was named American Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate back when those types of awards had some shred of credibility, so the pressure was on the distillery to release another winner in 2013 (spoiler alert, they did: the ’13 won the same award). The 2013 blend includes 13 year old OBSK, 13 year old OESK, and 18 year old OBSV, the latter of which has its own interesting story. Essentially, when they were making that bourbon (presumably in about 1995, 18 years prior to 2013) the “V” yeast had mutated but they didn’t realize it until after they had fermented a whole batch of mash, which would have been tens of thousands of gallons. The resulting bourbon ended up being something special but they did not keep any of the mutated yeast to make additional bourbon, which supposedly retired Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge claims as one of the only regrets from his long whiskey career.
In addition to this being released when whiskey awards may have had more meaning, this was released when limited editions such as these actually hit shelves, albeit briefly, and could be found. I was able to locate several bottles of this at the time in addition to several bottles of the Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel, which was also generally excellent, but which they do not release anymore, and which I will review at some point also. I hope you enjoyed my which sandwich. Let’s get into the tasting notes.
Smell: musty and earthy, then a big heaping spoonful of vanilla yogurt, big oak notes, and black cherry. The whole thing is like walking through a Kentucky rickhouse on a warm, wet spring day.
Taste: cherry cough syrup up front, which transitions to tongue-tingling spice and then freshly sawn but well-seasoned oak. There’s some turbinado sugar as well, but on the whole it keeps from being too sweet.
Finish: it’s mostly about the spice here, and it’s mostly savory. Damp oak and some funky stewed fruit notes are here too, along with the trademark Four Roses mint. Texture is medium.
Overall: really interesting transition from smell to taste to finish. A very solid release and worth at least some of the hype it gets.
Spirit Type: Bourbon
Proof: 103.2
Vintage:
Age: 13
Cask Type: American Oak (New)
Rating: A-