Review #897 - Four Roses OESO 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 OESO bourbon recipe uses the low-rye 'E' mashbill of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley; it pairs that with the 'O' yeast strain, which is supposed to add rich fruit flavors to the bourbon.

Four Roses OESO Recipe

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 65 (2024)

Age Statement: ~8 years old

Strength: 52% ABV

Details: OESO 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: Dark complexion with tobacco, cherries, cardamom and sweet caramel. Lots of red fruit, with a lighter creme brulee topping later

Palate: Red fruit of cherry, strawberries, and other berries combines with tobacco and cigars, as well as lots of spicy oak

Finish: Leathery, some oak tannins, but lots of red berries too. Cherry cola, Vanilla Coke, strawberry, hints of rye

Final Note: Nice dark fruits notes and some sweet, sugary accents like creme brulee and vanilla; takes extended oak aging well with some tobacco flavors and a bit of cola.

Do we agree with the Four Roses description the profile? Four Roses describes OESO as "rich fruit & vanilla." We think they nailed this profile - lots of red fruit flavors, and with the absence of the rye spice, there's lots of vanilla and sugar from the oak aging.

Our Rating: 7.7 / 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: 7.63

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.