Review #690 - Four Roses 10 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Total Wine Pick

The OESK recipe from Four Roses uses the distillery's low-rye recipe of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley; it pairs that with the 'K' yeast strain, which they describe as adding 'slight spice.' The brand describes this recipe as spicy and full bodied; that texture should be aided by the fact that this example is more than 10 years old, specifically 10 years and 1 month.

This selection from Total Wine & More was aged in warehouse FS. The strength on these single barrel selections can vary widely, generally from the low 100 proof range up towards 130 proof; this pick comes somewhere in the middle of that range with a strength of 57.8% ABV (115.6 proof), which makes sense as the barrel was aged on the third of the 6 rickhouse tiers.

Four Roses 10 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength - Total Wine Pick

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 100 (2025)

Age Statement: 10 Years

Strength: 57.8% ABV

Details: OESK Recipe, warehouse FS, barrel 36-3I; bottled April 2025

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 2 months; bottles at 100%, 80%, and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Brown sugar, some oak, and a bit of oatmeal-style grain; lighter scents like linen, vanilla and peanut brittle arrive with time. While the oak is mild at first, leathery scents build up, though this doesn't have the same rich 'old' oak note that other Four Roses SBBS bottles sometimes have; we also get hints of dried grass and the softest dark cherry smell.

Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; spice from rye and oak lead the way, but we also get sweetness from brown sugar, waffle cones, maybe a candied pecan. There's a stronger herbal side, too: sage, cotton, then a very light, dry vanilla. Leather slowly builds in the oak; it's a classic spicy bourbon profile.

Finish: Leathery oak continues to build, and it gains a savory side as well. Hints of floral perfume, linen, and dry vanilla continue that lighter complexion, and we get some baking notes like brown sugar and graham crackers, the softest notes of caramel and cardamom. It's nice but a bit simple now; the length of the finish is medium-long.

Final Note: It's hard to go wrong with the single barrel barrel strength version of Four Roses bourbon. This pick isn't necessarily the best that we've tried, but it's still a very good bourbon: decent complexity and layers, plenty of heft on the palate from that bottling strength, and a lengthy finish. True to its OESK recipe, this bottle leaned into those dry, spicy notes, especially from leathery oak, but also had a lighter side of vanilla, linen, and floral notes to add balance.

Generally speaking, we think that these single barrel, barrel strength offerings from Four Roses present good value despite the cost of about $100, as their flavor is very good; this Total Wine pick actually falls a bit below average compared to the other SBBS bottles that we've tried, but value is still fair, and we think it's worth picking up a bottle like this.

Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 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: 6.36

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.