Review #890 - Four Roses OBSV Recipe

This review is one of a ten part series: the Four Roses Ten Recipe Tasting Experience. It's possible to taste each of the ten Four Roses bourbon recipes by tracking down different variations of their Single Barrel Barrel Strength bourbon, but that would be quite time consuming and expensive; finally, in 2023, the distillery produced a kit that allowed fans to try all ten recipes with the same specifications (52% ABV, aged 8 to 10 years).

This OBSV bourbon recipe uses the high-rye 'B' mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley; it pairs that with the 'V' yeast strain, which is supposed to add delicate fruit flavors to the bourbon.

Four Roses OBSV Recipe

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 65 (2024)

Age Statement: ~8 years old

Strength: 52% ABV

Details: OBSV recipe, bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times (all 3 blind) over 4 months from a mini-bottle; tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes

Nose: Vanilla, coconut, bruleed sugar, cream soda, cola, floral, leans sweet, brown sugar, hint of rye spice

Palate: Rich rye spice and mint, sweet grain, golden sugary flavors like honey or maple syrup on waffles, pepper, brown sugar, orange peel, lemon-lime soda, bright complexion

Finish: Honey, mint, waffles or other sweet baked goods, herbal and spicy, brown sugar, vanilla, sage, linen, soft oak, icing sugar

Final Note: This recipe was full of sweet bright baking notes - creamy, with light fruits, a soft floral side, and some rye spice. With time, that herbal rye side grows stronger.

Do we agree with the Four Roses description the profile? Four Roses describes OBSV as "delicate fruit & rye." From our tasting experience, we definitely found the rye spices; the light fruits were much more subtle, and we found this bottle focused more on the sugary and baking spice side of things.

Our Rating: 7.2 / 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: 7.13

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.