Bourbon

Four Roses Bourbon Review

The Four Roses series ends with a review of their entry label, Four Roses Bourbon.  It’s referred to as their Yellow Label.  This can usually be found in the <$20 price range, and is available almost everywhere. (Thanks to the Baddish Group for the samples.)

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Usually, bourbons under $20 are rough around the edges.  This one not so much.  It is more refined than others I’ve tasted at the same price range.  Four Roses Yellow Label is a lighter style whiskey, like their Small Batch, just not as refined.  When it’s first poured, I get alcohol fumes, slight caramel and corn.  After 5 – 10 minutes the caramel smell really comes out.  Taste-wise, it’s just what I expected – a slightly less refined version of their small batch, which offers a little more complexity. This one, however, isn’t just one note –  Rye earthiness, caramel, corn, spiciness.  The finish is short and spicy with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

This is the only Four Roses label that contains a blend of all 10 of their bourbons.  The Small Batch is a blend of 4, and their Single Barrel is, well, one.    Four Roses Yellow Label is a great value at under $20.  I haven’t tried this one as a mixer because it’s darn good neat and on the rocks.

Cheap and tasty

8/10

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon Review

Last week I posted about Four Roses Small Batch.  Now I’m looking at their Single Barrel offering.  Their Small Batch bourbon was light and delicate.  How does this Single Barrel compare?  (Thanks to the Baddish Group for the sample.)

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Four Roses Single Barrel is exactly that – a single barrel of one of their 10 bourbon recipes.  There was no recipe designation on the sample bottle I received, but it was probably their OBSV recipe, which their website describes as “delicate fruit, spicy, creamy.”  That’s pretty spot on.  Where their Small Batch was a light bourbon, Four Roses Single Barrel has a bit more body to it.  Maybe it’s due to the proof (100, by the way) or the particular bourbon recipe.  There’s a little more depth in the smell – caramel, brown sugar, spiciness and oak.   This is thicker and a bit more syrupy than the small batch.  Taste-wise, it starts sweet (toffee and caramel) and builds up some spiciness.  The finish is moderate, sweet and spicy.

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All in all, this is a solid bourbon, especially at the $35 – $40 price point.  Four Roses does put out a yearly limited edition Single Barrel at a much higher cost.  Some stores buy a barrel and have it bottled at barrel strength.  I bought one such bottle in Nashville for $50, which I’ll get to at some point soon.  I eagerly recommend the standard Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon to anyone looking for a nice, full bourbon.

8.5/10

Buffalo Trace Addresses Inventory Shortages

Bourbon is a hot product at the moment.  Long readily available brands are now becoming scarce on store shelves.  Buffalo Trace Distillery put out a statement addressing it’s supply shortages:

FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (May 8, 2014) The bourbon boom shows no signs of letting up. At Buffalo Trace, the 228-year-old Distillery continues to take steps to mitigate the problem, but shortages still remain. About a year ago, Buffalo Trace Distillery warned consumers a shortage was looming, but many markets across the nation are just now feeling the full effects.

“We’re making more bourbon every day. In fact, we’re distilling more than we have in last 40 years,” said Harlen Wheatley, master distiller. “Still, it’s hard to keep up. Although we have more bourbon than last year when we first announced the rolling blackouts, we’re still short and there is no way to predict when supply will catch up with demand.”

Along with increased production, adding more bottling lines and hiring more people, Buffalo Trace has also hired a full-time barrel allocation manager, just as the company intended last year. The new allocation manager will balance bourbon inventory with sales volume. Monthly allocations will ensure all markets get some Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Blanton’s every month, preventing long periods of time when these brands are unavailable.

“We taste, approve and bottle what barrels we have available each month. There are shortages, because Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Blanton’s sell out quickly, but no shortage should last more than one month before reinforcements arrive,” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director. “We’re asking for continued patience from our fans. The recent surge in demand is quite flattering, but we just need to keep in mind these bourbons were put into the barrel many years ago.”

Comstock added that other highly allocated whiskeys such as Pappy Van Winkle and the Antique Collection will continue to be released annually every fall.

Despite the increase in distillation over the past few years, bourbon demand still outpaces supply. The overall bourbon category is experiencing 5% growth, but premium brands are up nearly 20% from last year. Bourbon must be matured in new oak barrels and Buffalo Trace ages many of its barrels for eight to ten years, and some over two decades. That’s a long time to wait for a bottle of bourbon. Not to mention, with the amount of bourbon lost to evaporation over time, barrels are half empty after ten years. The increase in sales, coupled with the aging process and evaporation loss, leads to a shortage with no end in sight.

I’ve seen shortages of Blanton’s, WL Weller 12 Year and Eagle Rare.  They’re gone as soon as they hit the shelves.  Buffalo Trace isn’t the only distillery facing this problem.  I hear Heaven Hill is halting it’s single barrel program.  It’ll be interesting to see how this shortage of supply resolves itself.  Will it result in stricter allocations?  Higher prices?  Time will tell.