Four Roses 2020 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon

I’d like to thank the folks at Four Roses for providing this review sample to me with no strings attached.

If you’ve been reading for a while now, you’ll know that every year I travel to Bardstown, Kentucky to attend the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. For years, one of the highlights of my trip to the Festival had been my first taste of that year’s Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch at one of the events hosted by Four Roses during the Festival. Sadly, this will not happen this year. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival has been postponed and has gone virtual. While this means that many more people may be able to watch the educational content, I’m sad that I won’t get to hang out with the friends that I’ve made over the years.

However, that doesn’t mean that I do not get to taste this yearly release. As they did last year, Four Roses was kind enough the send my first taste to me ahead of the release of the product. And I thought that this would be a good way to kick off 2020’s Bourbon Month.

Here is what the company had to say about their new release:

Non-chill filtered and bottled at a 111.4 proof, the 2020 Limited Edition Small Batch features four different hand-selected batches aged 12 to 19 years. These batches represent four of the distillery’s 10 distinct Bourbon recipes – a 12-year-old Bourbon from the OBSV recipe, a 12-year-old OESV, a 16-year-old OESK, and a 19-year-old OBSK. “Each batch in this year’s limited edition bottling is an exceptional whiskey that could have stood on its own as a single barrel offering,” Elliott said. “But in this case the sum is even greater than the parts – as together these bring a perfect balance of bright, vibrant flavors and aromas from the 12 and 16-year-old barrels combined with the oak tones and aged expressions from the 19-year-old batch.”

This product will be heading out to retailers in late September and since there will be no events or camping out at the distillery in order to try to get a bottle, they are having an online lottery from August 25 until September 9, 2020. If you are feeling lucky (and will be able to get to the distillery to pick it up) you can enter at the Four Roses website.

2020 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by Four Roses for review purposes. Suggested retail price is $150.

Details: 55.65% ABV. OBSV 12-year-old, OESV 12-year-old, OESK 16-year-old, OBSK 19-year-old

Nose: Sweet caramel, floral vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, and oak.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy. Follows the nose with Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, nutty cocoa, and oak but adds a fruity note and some nice heat.

Finish: Warm and long. Strong cinnamon, JuicyFruit Gum, vanilla, and oak.

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Thoughts: This is one of the more "stereotypical bourbon" flavor profiles I've seen in one of their Limited Small Batch bourbons. I think a lot of people are going to really like this one. It isn’t the fruity/herbal profile I prefer from Four roses, but it is very good and has just enough of that JuicyFruit gum flavor that has kept me coming back to Four Roses over the years. I’m giving this is a high Like rating bordering on a Love. It’s very close but it doesn't quite get over the hump for me.

Curious how this compares to previous releases in the Limited Small Batch line? Stay tuned this month as we put 8 of them head to head to see which of the last 8 years was the best of the bunch! Thanks to Master Distiller Brent Elliot for convincing me that it was time to bring those guys off the shelf and open them up.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Remus Repeal Reserve Series IV

I’d like to thank the folks at MGP and Gregory + Vine for providing this review sample to me with no strings attached.

Well, here we are, another November and another release of Remus Repeal Reserve. I look forward to this one every November. At 100° proof, it makes the perfect winter warme...

Wait. Wait. Now, wait just a dang minute. It’s August outside. Why on Earth is there a Bourbon that celebrates Repeal Day (December 5th) in my house in August?

Well, they’ve decided to time the release with September, National Bourbon Month, this year. And I for one, heartily approve. I mean this has been a pretty shit year and it’s nice to have nice things happen. And a fairly affordable Limited Release is a nice thing. Their press release describes it thusly:

In response to growing demand, Remus Repeal Reserve Series IV is planning an early fall release (timed with National Bourbon Month in September), and will roll out with a series of consumer tastings and events with special focus on the birthdate of George Remus (November 13) and Prohibition Repeal Day (December 5).

To be honest, this particular sample has been sitting in my closet for a month or more. They sent it out early, but I wanted to time this to closer to when other’s could get it. I was expecting that to be some time next month, but last week I got a marketing email from Binny’s in Illinois inviting folks to come in and buy a bottle of Remus Reserve Series IV. And, well, that bumped this to the front of the list.

Like all previous releases, Remus Repeal Reserve is a blend of two or more of the bourbons from the massive stocks of MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This year features a pair of 12-year-old Bourbons. One, which makes up 77% of the blend, is their 21% rye recipe. The rest of the blend is composed of their 36% rye recipe. Both of these were distilled in 2008.

Remus Repeal Reserve: Series IV

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by the MGP for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $84.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.67

Details: 50% ABV. The mash bill is composed of 77% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye) 23% 2008 Bourbon (36% Rye). It’s available in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Washington DC.

Nose: Strong toffee and vanilla lead with hints of mint and citrus underneath. All followed with cinnamon and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, orange zest, mint, oak, almond, and maple.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Notes of oak, cinnamon, mint, almond, and orange zest.

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Thoughts: This is delicious. I think I say this every year, but I have yet to be disappointed by one of these. I'd say that Remus Repeal Reserve is consistently one of the best Limited Releases each year. I look forward to it every year and even though I get a sample, I almost always grab another bottle or two throughout the year. It’s a good price point and I can usually find it on the shelf. And these qualities are two of the three things I look for in a Bourbon (the third being a tasty Bourbon and this has that one covered too).

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel and a small comparison sample of Elijah Craig Small Batch with no strings attached.

Hey there! Sorry about last week. It turns out that I had the opportunity to rent a private house on the north shore of Lake Superior for a few days and I took it. My wife and I were in desperate need of time out of our house and we felt like we could sterilize and isolate effectively enough to take the risk.

I mean it couldn’t be worse than visiting our local grocery stores where half the patrons are not only not wearing masks, but are also making fun of those who do.

And it was a wonderful trip! Listening to the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline while drinking my coffee in the morning was very relaxing. And doing it while not having internet or cell service was even more so.

But just before I left, I got a package from Heaven Hill. Inside was a bottle of the recently announced Toasted Barrel version of Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Bourbon. Helpfully they also included a comparison sample of standard Elijah Craig Small Batch as well as example barrel stave samples to illustrate what has causes Toasted Barrel to be different than Small Batch Elijah Craig. So what is the difference between this new expression and the Small Batch one that has been out for a few years now?

In a nutshell, it was finished in a second new charred oak barrel in which the staves had been heavily toasted and lightly charred. This bourbon started out as the same juice used in Elijah Craig Small Batch. As with most other Heaven Hill products, including standard Elijah Craig, it had been aged in a barrel whose staves were charred to a #3 level char. I’ve included an example of that below (ignore the shininess, they were kind enough to put a finish on the wood so that we didn’t get charcoal all over everything).

After it was fully matured, the juice that could have become Small Batch was entered into a second barrel. As I said above, this was a second new charred oak barrel. The staves were heavily toasted and lightly charred to a #1 level char. According to Heaven Hill, the toasting was done to “bring forward dark sugar flavors within the wood, caramelizing and blending them together to create a toast that is not too smoky and offers just the right amount of sweetness.” The charring was done to maintain the standards of identity of Straight Bourbon Whiskey by only using new charred oak in the finishing process. (In other words, they don’t have to say “Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in XYZ barrels” on the label.) I’ve included an image of both of the example staves they sent along below. One stave illustrates the level of toasting that happened before charring and the other shows the char level of the staves that the finishing barrel was made of.

I think this stuff is pretty neat. But you are probably wondering how the new kid tastes and how it compares to standard Elijah Craig Small Batch.

Elijah Craig: Toasted Barrel

Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $49.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 47% ABV. Finished in new charred oak barrels that have been heavily toasted.

Nose: Toffee, mint, cinnamon, ginger and hints of molasses.

Mouth: Sweet. Caramel, fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Lingering fruit, cinnamon, mint, nutmeg, and some cocoa.

Comparison to Elijah Craig Small Batch: Noses are pretty similar with the Toasted Barrel showing much more toffee. The mouth of Toasted Barrel is sweeter, richer and fruitier. The finish of Toasted Barrel is softer than the finish of the standard Small Batch.

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Thoughts: This is great! Many of the same notes as Elijah Craig Small Batch, but more concentrated and refined. I find it to be sweeter and richer. I really like it and I'll happily grab a bottle of this if I see it.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2020 Edition

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Well, I stepped on the scale today for the first time in a few years. My wife told me the battery had died so I’d replaced the battery and decided to test it out to make sure it worked.

I knew I’d gotten fat, but whooo…didn’t realize it was that much.

Luckily, I’ve been down this road before. I know what to do. I have a treadmill and an exercise bike. l know how to track calories and hold myself accountable. I know not to order DoorDash twice or more per week. I know not to have as much bourbon and beer. I know all of that.

So I’m going to try to get healthy. Or at least healthier. I’ve never been a believer in giving up all the things you like. But moderation is always a good policy. And if I’m going to moderate and monitor my intake of “good things” I might as well go for quality over quantity. Have a really good meal once in a while instead of multiple “ok” but convenient ones. Have one really great pour of bourbon instead of a couple pours that are merely good.

Speaking of bourbons that should be really good, let’s look at tonight’s sample, shall we?

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2020 Edition

Purchase Price: This sample was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $90.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: Made: Spring 2011. Bottled: Spring 2020. 50% ABV. 9-years-old. Wheated.

Nose: Cinnamon red hots, caramel rolls, vanilla.

Mouth: Cinnamon, oak, brown sugar, vanilla.

Finish: Sweet and spicy and medium length. Really getting some lingering caramel cinnamon rolls.

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Thoughts: Well, my wife (the accountant and our major breadwinner) has informed me that if I happen across this one at anywhere near SRP, that it had better be coming home with me. I guess that says all that needs to be said. Well, except... Yes, ma' am!

Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.

Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, and more.