Review #215: Four Roses Limited Edition (2024)

MASH BILL and AGE: 4R 2024 LE is a blend of the following 4 bourbons:

• 31% 12 year OBSV (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley)
• 23% 15 year OESK (75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley)
• 39% 16 year OESF (75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley)
• 7% 20 year OBSV (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley)

Derived mash bill is 69.3% corn, 25.7% rye, 5% malted barley with an average age of 14.8 years

PROOF: 108.2 

COST: $120 for 700mL bottle (Auction)

I happened to pick up this bottle for below MSRP in an auction on my birthday (happy birthday to me!). I was initially not that impressed by it. However, as I’ve sipped it more over the last 6 months it’s grown on me. I think the bottle breathing is part of it, but I think the bigger thing is this is just a complex pour that took a few sips to really dissect the various layers. This is my first bottle of Four Roses Limited Edition to own, so let’s dive in!

This is bottle 939/6000, imported to the UK. Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Rich, red mahogany (1.6), syrupy looking as it clings to the glass and forms small beads of simple syrup looking droplets leading to thin and slow legs. 

NOSE: Classic Four Roses delicate fruit notes, but it goes much deeper than that. Apricot, cherry, and fig are wrapped up in tobacco leaves. Allspice is ever present. Perfectly seasoned oak provides a nice back drop, at times, it’s a bit campfire smoky oak like. Black pepper and dark chocolate can be found with a particularly deep inhale. Complex, layered, rich.

PALATE: The mouthfeel is soft and warm on the palate. Rich fruit notes of apricot, plum, and red berries. Allspice, rye, and spicy seasoned oak show up at mid-palate and shift towards the front as the sweeter notes move to the back. Digging deeper searching for more sweet notes I just find other variants of fruit notes such as currant and raisins. There’s a little vanilla and caramelized sugar that shows up towards the end before going into the finish.

FINISH: The age shows up most here with a long, dry, tannic finish. The oak notes aren’t heavy though and still balance well with the more delicate, fruity sweetness that lingers. Rye, allspice, and cinnamon really show through in the finish with the fruit notes taking more of a back seat. Barrel char and burnt caramel show up towards the end and outlast other notes.

RATING: 8.5/10

OVERALL: In the end, this met expectations. It didn’t exceed them, but it met them. It showed its age well. All the delicate fruit notes you would expect from a Four Roses product are present and amplified. The nose was wildly layered and complex. The palate and finish were a little less complex but still represent the blend of bourbons this contains. I’m glad I got this for the price I did because at MSRP (~$220) this would be hard to convince myself to get again. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that there are some 4R SiB bottles that I could get for about $60 that would tickle my fancy just as well. 

One thing I thought while sipping this bourbon is it would be cool to get a SiB of each mash bill at the highest age you can find, ideally 10yr plus. Then each year after the LE release is announced, blend up your own version of the LE to get an idea of whether you would like it or not. This can’t make up for the ultra-high age statement some of the LE components have, but it would still give you a decent idea of what the blend would be like. I’m certain some of you have probably already done this. Let me know in the comments how well that works.

 

1 | Disgusting | see my 1/10 ratings

2 | Poor | see my 2/10 ratings

3 | Bad | see my 3/10 ratings

4 | Sub-par | see my 4/10 ratings

5 | Good | see my 5/10 ratings

6 | Very Good | see my 6/10 ratings

7 | Great | see my 7/10 ratings

8 | Excellent | see my 8/10 ratings

9 | Incredible | see my 9/10 ratings

10 | Perfect | see my 10/10 ratings