Review #899 - Four Roses OESF 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 OESF bourbon recipe uses the low-rye 'E' mashbill of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley; it pairs that with the 'F' yeast strain, which is supposed to add herbal flavors to the bourbon.

Four Roses OESF Recipe

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 65 (2024)

Age Statement: ~8 years old

Strength: 52% ABV

Details: OESF 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: Strong oak and vanilla notes, buttered toast, a bit of licorice and cola. Subtle, more mellow, with some orange peel

Palate: Nutty - pecans, then oranges and anise. Leathery oak, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and grain come next

Finish: Leathery and oak, with some prickly tannins and amaro-like spice. Bright vanilla builds, and we get some barbecued wood notes

Final Note: A bit more oak-dominated, as the distillate has a lighter influence. Bright, sugary with a little oak spice, more dominated by baking spice notes.

Do we agree with the Four Roses description the profile? Four Roses describes OESF as "light oak & mint." We didn't get as much of the minty rye spice in this one - more oak spice, which was also suggested by the profile, but then some baking spice notes as well. Overall, we think fits their suggested profile somewhat, but not exactly.

Our Rating: 6.9 / 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: 6.96

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.