Review #656 - Four Roses 11 Year OBSF Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Binny's Pick

Written By Me, My Wife & Whisky

11 Years - 11 years and 8 months, actually - that's the age of this single barrel pick of Four Roses. Selected by Binny's, this bottling uses the distillery's OBSF recipe, which means a high-rye mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. The 'F' yeast strain is supposed to give floral notes to the bourbon; on the distillery's website, they describe the OBSF recipe characteristics as 'delicate rye and mint.'

This is one of the older SBBS picks that we've tried; they generally range from 8 to 11 years old, with the bulk being either 9 or 10. Four Roses bourbon seems to age gracefully, at least to us, and the fact that this 'tier 5' barrel comes in at a strength of 62.3% ABV (124.6 proof) means it should deliver plenty of oak-forward flavor.

Four Roses 11 Year OBSF Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Binny's Pick

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 105 (2025)

Age Statement: 11 Years

Strength: 62.3% ABV

Details: OBSF Recipe, warehouse RS, barrel 76-5K; barreled March 10, 2011; bottled December 7, 2022

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 100%, 70%, and 60% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Rich and dense with sweet notes of caramel and bruleed sugar. Oak comes in strong - perfumed oak, leather, hints of soft tobacco. So many sweet notes build with time: Sweet Tarts candy, grape candies, just a hint of dark red fruit. The complexion is dark, and we get a hint of savory pepper.

Palate: The mouthfeel is thick; it's rich and oily, with brown sugar, dark fruits of cherry and plum, wood smoke, and sweet floral notes. Molasses arrives, and the complexion is quite dark and brooding like the nose; lightly bitter tobacco builds over time.

Finish: Leathery oak, polished oak, more drying notes; still, syrupy brown sugar, cherry jam, and vanilla add balance with sweet flavors. Tobacco is again an accent; it's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: This bottle just goes to show why Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength bourbons have become one of our go-to options when we're looking for a nice pour. It started out a bit subtle, but time brought many layers of flavor: fruits, baking notes, a variety of oak dimensions. Despite this being a rye-forward recipe, we didn't get a ton of rye here - maybe the long oak maturation meant that the wood notes began to overtake that spirit character. Either way, this is an excellent bourbon, one we'll miss when it's gone (which will be far too soon).

Now, in terms of value: we think that these single barrel, barrel strength versions of Four Roses can be very good value if you get them for a fair price. Depending on the store you buy them at, or if you're looking on the auctions/secondary market, prices can vary widely; generally, for 9 to 11 year old versions, we're seeing prices between $90 and $130. We were able to pick up this 11 year old version at auction for $100, and we think it's awesome value at that sort of price.

Our Average Rating: 8.7 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 7.39

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.

Me, My Wife & Whisky
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