Review #891 - Four Roses OBSK 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 OBSK bourbon recipe uses the high-rye 'B' mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley; it pairs that with the 'K' yeast strain, which is supposed to add slight spice flavors to the bourbon.

Four Roses OBSK Recipe

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 65 (2024)

Age Statement: ~8 years old

Strength: 52% ABV

Details: OBSK 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: Caramel and some drying oak, rye spice, a bit herbal, oranges, soft hint of red fruit

Palate: Leathery, rye spice, bruleed sugar, wood char, tannins, tobacco, candy cane-like rye notes

Finish: Oranges and plums, wood smoke, drying oak, tannins, leather, sage, herbal and floral

Final Note: A bit drying overall, some light hints of fruit. Herbal and floral, with tannins and a decent amount of oak.

Do we agree with the Four Roses description the profile? Four Roses describes OBSK as "rye & baking spice." We did find a decent rye influence, as well as a surprising hint of dark fruit that we generally associate with other profiles. Oak was quite strong here, though - the softer yeast influence allowed a lot of oak spice to come through.

Our Rating: 7.3 / 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: 7.30

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.