Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 96 2023 Top 50 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 54% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $199.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2023-12-19 |
Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Review
Four Roses’ annual Limited Edition releases are bound to get bourbon fans excited, both for the (generally) very high quality and surprises lurking within the well-aged blends. (They have 10 recipes to choose from, after all.) And for the brand’s 135th anniversary, master distiller Brent Elliot and his team seem to have pulled out all the stops. That includes dipping into the distillery’s oldest stocks for some of the highest-aged Four Roses bourbon we’ve ever seen.
The 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch releases in Sep. 2023 and contains four different components. Fortunately, Four Roses is forthcoming about the percentages of each in this particular blend.
- 12 year-old OESV (35 percent)
- 14 year-old OESK (40 percent)
- 16 year-old OESV (20 percent)
- 25 year-old OBSV (5 percent)
The release is bottled at 108 proof; though some early review samples were 112 proof, the sample used for this article was the final 54 percent ABV blend. As a brief reminder, both of Four Roses’ mash bills could be considered “high rye” bourbons by most standards. Mash bill “B” is 60 percent corn, 35 percent rye, and 5 percent malted barley. Mash bill “E” contains 75 percent corn, 20 percent rye, and 5 percent malted barley. The rest of the variation in the recipes comes from their five current yeast strains.
With such a range of potential recipes, profiles, and ages at their disposal, it’s tough to predict exactly where these yearly blends will land on the flavor spectrum. Let’s dive in and find out!
Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch: Stats and Availability
Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition — the2023 LE release — will top out at about 15,060 bottles. The suggested retail price is $199.99, available at select retailers nationwide or through an online lottery system. (Winners were announced in early September.)
While certainly a premium release, Four Roses’ LE batches don’t command the absolute top-tier retail markups we see in some special American whiskey releases. Given its bottle count, variation from batch to batch, and allocation, this is one some folks might actually see at close to the suggested retail pricing.
Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
I’m immediately hit by a wave of clove-laden spice; it’s rich, dark, and oaky without drying the nostrils. In addition to wood, there’s something else earthy here, not metallic or terribly vegetal but rich and minerally, which helps accentuate the beautiful aromas of oak and wood tannins. There’s also some smoked applewood and mesquite, with just a wisp of campfire on the very back end.
Beyond clove, there isn’t one dominating note here, but instead an extraordinarily balanced nose with characteristics of very old whiskey. Again, it’s not so much as to be overly oaked or even cardboard-like as some 20+ year bourbons can become.
More time in the glass brings on a heavier dose of cinnamon candy, which conveys both sweetness and spice. This nose is one of the more intriguing — and downright capitating — of any release I’ve sampled hits year.
Taste
The palate takes me by surprise, as it drinks well below its 108 proof, but not for lack of flavor — there just isn’t much ethanol to be found on the first sip. There’s molasses and nutmeg, and a medium-viscosity mouth feel that keeps things from getting too bogged down on the palate.
Predominant notes are (again) some rye-forward spice, moving away from clove and cinnamon and more into nutmeg and allspice. The sweetness is almost akin to whipped cream, light and refreshing and just kissing parts of the tongue before dissipating and leaving behind richer flavors of oak and stone fruit. That fruit opens up after multiple sips but does take a little bit of time to unveil itself.
Overall, there’s a lovely interplay between characteristics of age and sweetness here. Though that 25 year-old OBSV is only 5 percent of the blend, it’s easy to sense its influence in every sip, balanced by those welcome younger components. (A little bit of very old whiskey goes a long way!)
Finish
This is a long finish that peaks in spice just after swallowing, and it does so without relying on an ethanol kick; this is pure, flavored, rich spice, through and through. The liquid quickly calms down into a protracted dissipation of rye, sugar, and spice. That gradually gives way to a flavor of strawberry candy that lingers in the back of the mouth for long minutes after each sip.
Four Roses 135th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch Rating
96/100
Recap
With a milestone anniversary on the horizon, Four Roses’ blending team nailed the assignment (and then some). The 2023 Limited Edition has extraordinary depth and brightness of character working in close-to-flawless harmony.
In striking that symmetry between bold aged flavors and more delicate, sweeter notes, Four Roses’ 135th Anniversary blend is accomplishing something rare here, and that’s a testament to the distillery’s deep stocks and blending prowess. With more big name bottles yet to come in 2023, this release stakes an early claim as a “Bourbon of the Year” contender. Regardless of year-end rankings, it’s certainly earned a spot on the list of pours I could never turn down.
Related Reads
Learn About Bourbon
Related Bourbon Reviews
Frey Ranch Quad Malt Bourbon Whiskey:
This limited edition Frey Ranch release features the same mash bill as the producer's flagship bourbon, but with a twist: all four grains ...
Five & 20 Spirits Deep Water Bourbon:
For $70, some might find the price of this 7-year-old New York release a little steep, but it’s a stunning outlier in many positive ...
Blue Run Spirits Reflection II:
This stellar release from Blue Run is a testament to the prowess of the brand’s whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon. In a complete pivot from ...
William Larue Weller Bourbon 2023:
Perhaps no annual release in American whiskey is as hotly anticipated as William Laure Weller. Often seen as the Buffalo Trace Antique ...
Featured Bourbon Articles
The 50 Best Spirits of 2023:
Read on for VinePair's authoritative list of the best 50 spirits of 2023! These are 50 of the best spirits you can buy. See them all now!
How to Make Your Pappy Bottle More Valuable? Paint Tom Brady’s Face on It:
Offered on online auction sites, Pappy Van Winkle bottles painted with celebrity faces are selling for over $3,000.
Was Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Really the Founding Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry?:
The E.H. Taylor line has become a prized catch for bourbon hunters. But was Taylor really the founding father of the modern bourbon industry?
The Key to a 30-Year-Old Old Fashioned? Dehydrated Whiskey:
I spent a memorable evening this summer enjoying Kevin Peterson’s strange multi-sensory cocktails at his small space in midtown Detroit.
