Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2017: Bottled in Bond Fire

September 21, 2017 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I am reviewing something that I didn't pay for, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. I received media passes to this event for both myself and my wife

Warm and sunny. The perfect late summer Kentucky day. It's too bad it was our last day in Bardstown because it's days like those that make me never want to leave. And I was extremely excited to go to the Bottled in Bond Fire event that night. It seemed like it would be the perfect end to the trip.

Historically, Saturday night was reserved for the Gala, a formal event. And since the last time I was voluntarily in a tux was my wedding day 20 years previous, let's just say I am never going to be covering the Gala. Not my speed. I'm a bourbon around the fire sort of guy. Not a bourbon in a rented outfit sort of guy.

So yes, when they introduced the Bottled in Bond Fire event last year, I was pretty stoked. I didn't go, as it was introduced after I had purchased my tickets, but I was pretty sure I wanted to go this year. And as things worked out, I got media credentials to the event.

The Bottled in Bond Fire event is held at Wickland, Home of Three Governors. Wickland is an old Bardstown home (oddly the home of three different Kentucky Governors) which is available for tours and events. I had never visited before and was excited to see some of the details of the old house. When we first entered we were greeted by the check-in station and the food line. The event was serving barbecue, beans, and slaw. Perfect food for a bonfire.

Off to the right was a sitting area. Comfortable chairs and the featured speaker of the evening, Susan Reigler, Prsident of the Bourbon Women. Ms. Reigler was around to answer any bourbon questions that guests might have.

Bottled in Bond Fire, Buffalo Trace Selection

Off to the left of the main entrance was the Bourbon Room. Here, four distilleries were pouring mostly bonded bourbons. Buffalo Trace brought Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch and Single Barrel, Both Bottled in Bond.

Heaven Hill table at Bottled in Bond Fire

As is to be expected, Heaven Hill brought the most options to an event featuring Bonded products. They even brought one surprise...

I wasn't really expecting to see their Bonded Brandy, Sacred Bond, being poured at a Bourbon Festival. But it was and I tried it. It was fine, nothing to write home about.

Barton was only pouring Very Old Barton Bonded. Which is fine by me. VOB Bonded is my go-to bourbon for the hotel room or cabin when I'm in Kentucky.

Four Roses table at Bottled in Bond Fire

Four Roses was a bit of a surprise for me. Seeing as they have no bonded products. There were no representatives there, but they did have Small Batch and Single Barrel on hand.

Obviously, the fires were outside. There were also tables to eat at, bean bag toss and live music.

Fire pit just as it is being lit with the band in the distance.

The live music was provided by The Echoes, a Louisville trio. I enjoyed the music. It fit the mood of the event perfectly. I really hope someone thought to bring them a bourbon or two.

Indoor crowd at the Bottled in Bond Fire event

Since I had never been there before, they were nice enough to let me wander the house and go upstairs. Knowing that they offer ghost tours of the place, I was curious to go take a look. I didn't see any ghosts, but the empty old rooms in the light of the twilight were certainly a bit creepy. On the way down, I got a better view of the food and entrance area.

It wouldn't be a bonfire without s'mores. And although I'm guessing that liability concerns wouldn't allow people to toast their own, my wife tells me the desserts inspired by them were a very tasty substitute.

So, final verdict. I thought it was a decent event. My wife loved it. It was fun, the people were talkative, the bourbon was tasty, and the music was entertaining. Everything that you would want. All in all, I will probably drop the $75 to go as a paying guest next year so that I can enjoy myself a little more (hard to really relax when everyone thinks you work there due to the press credentials around your neck).

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Four Roses Single Barrel

June 1, 2017 Eric Burke

I have have been a Four Roses fanboy for as long as I've been a bourbon fanboy. To me, Four Roses Bourbon is everything that a bourbon should be.

Which makes it extremely odd that I have never reviewed their flagship release, Four Roses Single Barrel. I've talked about Yellow Label and Small Batch. I've talked about store releases of all ten recipes. But somehow Single Barrel has fallen through the cracks.

And it's about damn time that I remedied this gross miscarriage of justice. (It doesn't hurt that it gives me an excuse to buy another bottle either.)

Four Roses Single Barrel

Purchase Info: $33.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 50% ABV. Barrel 89-4S, Warehouse HW. OBSV (as all of the standard single barrel releases are).

Nose: Caramel, cherries, and leather.

Mouth: Warm and tingly with caramel, cherry, nougat, and baking spices.

Finish: Warm and long with lingering JuicyFruit gum and baking spice.

Thoughts: This has long been one of my favorite bourbons. I have no idea how it slipped through the cracks for all these years. I have a very short review to go with this very short post.

This is a fantastic bourbon. If you haven't had it yet, you should. If you buy it and you don't love it, I'll be happy to drink it for you if you send it to me.

Four Roses Elliot's Select Single Barrel, 2016

April 13, 2017 Eric Burke

If you follow me on Twitter, you might realize that I am a passionate guy. Whether the topic is politics, football or my loved ones, my opinion is out there for the world to see. But there is no topic that I am more passionate about than my wife. Over the years, I've lost count of the number of times that I've slept in a hospital chair as she recovered from surgery. But the one that happened about five years ago was the worst by far because that was the time she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

One of the reasons that I love my wife so much is that she has an unconquerable spirit. Instead of just quietly accepting her illness, she took every bit of her doctor's advice. She not only went through the chemotherapy but, to quote her, she did her very best not to let it "get in the way of living." Three months after Chemo was over, with her full strength just starting to return, she hiked up a mountain in the Rockies.

My wife truly is the best thing in my life. And so on Monday, when she got back from her cancer doctor and said that the doctor didn't need to see her anymore, we felt it was worth celebrating. And yesterday when we got the final test results back, we felt like celebrating again. Now yesterday's dram was pretty special. During one of her last Chemo treatments, we read the news that Elijah Craig 18 year was going on hiatus. She had me run out the next day and buy her two bottles. One to drink then, and one to put away until she officially reached five years cancer-free. Last night we opened that bottle to celebrate. It was the tastiest bourbon I've ever tasted, and it had almost nothing to do with what was inside the bottle.

Oh and the one we celebrated with on Monday? Well, that was a sample generously shared with me by a friend of mine. It was last year's Four Roses Elliot's Select. We have been big fans of Four Roses for a long time. Just about five years in fact...

See, my wife was sitting down in the chair for her first Chemo treatment. She was nervous as hell, as you might expect and earlier that morning she'd posted such on Twitter. Once her treatment began she basically just had to sit in the chair until it was done. When she opened her phone, she found a simple message from the Four Roses Twitter account: "Get well soon! You are in our thoughts." It's weird how much the fact that someone who wasn't a friend or family was thinking of her affected us both. From that moment on, I've been an unashamed Four Roses fanboy. So celebrating with a glass of Elliot's Select just seemed appropriate.

Four Roses Elliot's Select Single Barrel, 2016

Purchase Info: This large sample was a generous gift to us by one of our whiskey loving friends.

Details: 14 years old. OESK recipe. 58.6% ABV. Warehouse QN. Barrel 532W. Bottle 9483 of 10,224.

Nose: Brown Sugar, cedar, and a lovely floral note.

Mouth: Hot and sweet. Floral, nutmeg, and anise. The mouthfeel is lovely and viscous.

Finish: Long and hot with lingering floral notes.

Thoughts: (I did these tasting notes before we got the good news, so it didn't affect what I am about to say) I love this. I never seek out the Limited Single Barrels because they are mostly sold closer to the tall buildings here in the metro than I regularly venture. I really wish I had sought it out. I love floral Four Roses bourbons and much to my surprise, this OESK had that in spades. Just so much love!

What to try when you haven't tried much yet.

January 19, 2017 Eric Burke

It's not unusual for people to send me an email me with questions about how they can get started on their bourbon journey. Often, they've dabbled, but are looking to get more serious.

With Bourbon, there are a surprisingly significant number of flavor profiles on the shelf. It's weird. Almost all bourbon is made with the same three or four ingredients: corn, barley, and rye or wheat. And yet, the flavors produced range from floral and fruity to spicy and dry with an entire library of flavors in between.

I'd say that the quickest way to find out what you like is to try different things. But don't jump straight to the top shelf and only buy barrel-strength bourbons with age statements in the double digits. Don't get me wrong. These are probably very fine bourbons. But I wouldn't start there. First, they are expensive. And if the goal is to try as many as you can, it is helpful if you don't have to miss a mortgage payment to do so. Secondly, if you were to take a big swig of George T Stagg unknowingly, you are probably going to sputter and choke and possibly decide that bourbon is not for you.

So, what to do? Well since bourbon has so many flavor profiles, I think that the best idea is to run to the store or your local bar and try some of the delicious, yet affordable offerings out there that show off these distinct flavor profiles. And yes, I've compiled you a shopping list.

Maker's Mark

Due to being owned by one of the largest bourbon producers in the country, this red-headed darling is available at almost every liquor store and bar you'll come across. Made with wheat as its flavoring grain, Maker's Mark is a sweet and soft bourbon. It shows caramel, custard, fruit, and baking spice. It's inexpensive, ubiquitous, and very tasty. This is a great bourbon for trying to decide if you like sweeter bourbon flavors.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Produced by the Barton 1792 distillery in Bardstown, KY, this bourbon is a great example of a dry bourbon. Dry bourbon is a little different than dry wine, but it follows some of the same ideas. Namely, that sweetness is not the major flavor component. All bourbon is sweet, to an extent, but I find this bourbon brings a lot more peppery heat to the party. It feels like it evaporates in the back of your throat. This is a good one to see if you like drier bourbons and peppery spiciness.

Buffalo Trace

When speaking of bourbon, spice can mean two different things. It can mean spicy like the heat of a red pepper or it can mean spicy like the ground spices you put in cookies. In the case of Buffalo Trace, we are talking about the latter. Buffalo Trace bourbon leads with cinnamon and nutmeg flavors before adding in maple and custard flavors. Buffalo Trace is the perfect bourbon to see if you like bourbons that feature baking spice as their main flavor component.

Four Roses Small Batch

Most of the time, floral flavors are a by-product of the yeast used for fermentation. Along with carbon dioxide and ethanol, these little guys create flavor compounds that, if treated nicely, survive through distillation and maturation. Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon is a perfect example of a floral bourbon. Floral and fruity notes start at the nose, mix with sweetness and spice in the mouth and hang around into the finish. If you want to know if you like floral and fruity bourbons, try Four Roses Small Batch.

Wild Turkey 101

At six to eight years old, Wild Turkey 101 is a good example of what some extra time spent in the barrel can bring you. It is filled with the flavors of sweet caramel, ginger, and oak. Think you don't like the taste of oak? Remember that 100 percent of the color and more than 50 percent of the flavor of a bourbon come from the oak barrel it is stored in. Wild Turkey is a complex, yet inexpensive bourbon, and it is a good choice to see if you like oakier bourbons.

So there you have it. Five bourbons to get you on your way. After you identify what you like and what you don't like about each bourbon, then you can start expanding your horizons. And of course, it goes without saying that you should be taking notes along the way. After you've been at it for a while go back and revisit some of the ones you tried early on to see how your palate has changed. I think you'll be surprised to find out that you now like some of the ones you didn't previously or that you don't care for some of those you thought were favorites.

And here's the sales pitch. Are you looking for a journal to take your notes in? Well, at BourbonGuyGifts.com I offer hand produced bourbon tasting journals for a reasonable price. Of course, I offer many other hand-crafted items for sale as well.

Catching Up With Old Friends

December 20, 2016 Eric Burke

Four Roses Small Batch and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, my old friends.

It's the season of holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Festivus, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and...I continually marvel that some people are offended by Happy Holidays when this is literally the alternative if you want to be kind enough to wish someone blessings for the holiday they celebrate instead of the one that you do.

But whichever of the many options you celebrate at this time of year, it is often a time to gather with friends and family. For many people, that means visiting with people that you see only once a year, or even once every few years. It's a nice time to reunite with old friends, even if it just with a card, dropped in the mail.

As such, I've chosen to catch up with a couple of friends of mine tonight. It's been a while since we really spent some time together and I'm eager to visit with them and see how they are doing. As they were previously some of my favorites, I really hope they are still doing well. And yes, of course, I'm talking about bourbon here.

Tonight I'll be catching up with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, who I haven't seen since August 2013, and Four Roses Small Batch who was last treated very unfairly by being compared to two Limited Small Batch Releases in January 2013.

Four Roses Small Batch

Purchase Info: $31.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Ripe, juicy berries, almonds, and mint. This really reminds me of an alcoholic herbal tea blend.

Mouth: Follows the nose with ripe berries and herbal mint. Brown sugar, vanilla and a hint of oak that comes along for the ride.

Finish: Medium to short, but settles nicely in the chest with lingering sweet fruit.

Thoughts: Not to get too deep into the Four Roses marketing speak, but I've always found this to be a very mellow bourbon. Easy to drink with nice fruit and herbal flavors. I'm still a big fan of this one.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Purchase Info: $74.99 for a 750 mL bottle at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center Gift Shop (September).

Details: 69.7% ABV...you'll probably want at least a little water with this one.

Nose: Nutty oak, Cinnamon candies, caramel, vanilla, and baking spices.

Mouth: This is a hot one that you don't really want to drink neat or hold in your mouth very long, as might be guessed at very near to 140 proof. Beyond heat is a sweet bourbon with lots of caramel, nutty oak, and baking spices.

Finish: This finish is long and very warm with lingering oak and spices.

Thoughts: I've been enjoying the heck out of this one since I opened it. At this proof and price, I don't go to it often, but that's because I don't want to empty it too fast. Big, big fan of this.

Four Roses Limited Small Batch 2016

September 29, 2016 Eric Burke

Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon, 2016 release.

Tonight I’m going to get right into the review, not because I can’t spin yarns about the place that the Four Roses Limited Small Batch has in my life or why I have a fondness for it. I could easily do that. And might if you give me half a shot. No I’m going to jump right into it because I have a surprise for after the review and I don’t want this post to be so long people don’t get down to it. Plus, if you follow me on twitter, you already know I love this one so why drag it out.

Four Roses Limited Small Batch 2016

Purchase Info: $120 for a 750mL at the Four Roses Distillery Gift Shop, Lawrenceburg, KY.

Details: 55.6% ABV. 3 recipes at varying ages: OESO (12 years old), OBSV (12 years old), and OESK (16 years old).

Nose: Mint and apricot with baking spice, caramel and a hint of smoke underneath.

Mouth: Earthy honey, citrus, apricot, cloves, oak and herbal notes.

Finish: Beautiful, warm finish with lingering notes of mint cloves and apricot.

Thoughts: I love this every year and this year is no exception. Looking back at previous years I’m often found writing the words “this might be my favorite yet.” Well, they can’t be the best every year, can they? Do they all just keep getting better? It’s kinda hard to say. They are pretty damn good. And I tend to love or really like every release. But, unless you are some super compulsive person who keeps samples of everything you’ve opened for the last few years, it’d be hard to compare one year to the next. (whistles nervously…)

Overall, the one that I remember liking the best out of all of them is 2009. I remember it as fruitier than the more spice forward versions that have come out in recent years. Of course upon tasting this year’s release for the first time, I tweeted out that this might even give 2009 a run for it’s money. I was called out on that by Josh at SipologyBlog.com as 2009 is one of his favorites as well. So the challenge has been extended and accepted. I’m pulling one of my 2009 samples out of storage in order to see. As it was the last of these to use the OESO recipe, it’s an apt comparison.

Four Roses Mariage 2009

Purchase Info: $80 at Haskell’s Wine and Spirits, Woodbury Minnesota (in 2011)

Details: 54.8% ABV. 2 recipes at varying ages: OBSK (10 years old), OBSK (19 years old), and OESO (10 years old).

Nose: Caramel, mint and cinnamon candies with a light fruitiness underneath.

Mouth: Delicate fruitiness with caramel, oak, cinnamon and herbal notes.

Finish: Nice and long with delicate fruit and spice flavors.

Thoughts: This embodies the Four Roses ideal of “Mellow.” It’s flavorful but not over-powering. Tasty and fruity with nice spice. I still love this one.

Comparison: 2016 has more oak on the nose, but otherwise they are fairly similar. Though certain notes push themselves to the forefront in each, they also follow a similar flavor profile. 2016 is sweeter and more boldly flavored while 2009 is more delicate and mellow. I love them both, but I would personally lean toward the 2016 release and it’s bolder flavors. My verdict is that 2016 certainly gives 2009 a run for its money and even surpasses it. Josh, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on this one.

And now for the surprise. Unless you are very lucky, it is unlikely that you will see this bourbon on the shelf. But I want to do something to make this post a little more inclusive. Every attendee at the Let’s Talk Bourbon event during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival get’s a few things. One is a pen and some paper so you can take notes during the event. There is science being explained and I’ve taken my fair share of notes at these. You also get a program that outlines how bourbon is made, going ever so slightly into the science. And as you are leaving, they often give you a gift bag. This year the bag contained a set of four metal whiskey cubes (these can be used instead of ice to chill your drink) each contained with the Four Roses logo. I haven’t tried them, but they look cool.

The odds of my wife and I using two sets of these stones is slim so I thought I’d give one to a lucky reader. I was also able to get the Let’s Talk Bourbon Program signed by both four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliot and Four Roses Brand Ambassador Al Young. And I’m giving that away to a second reader. The pen…well Brent Elliot stole that when he signed the book. So I guess I already gave that away.

You can enter the giveaway using the form below, please only enter once. I’m planing to remove duplicates before I randomly pick a winner so it won’t help your chances. There will be two winners chosen one getting each item. All I’m asking in return is that you answer a question. The answers will help inform future posts and in an anonymized and aggregate sort of way may end up in a future post on their own.

Good Luck! You have until Saturday, October 8th to enter (you need to "log-in" so I can receive your email address to notify you if you win, either log-in method gets me that).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Antiquing and Bottle Dating: Four Roses and Related

April 14, 2016 Eric Burke

Spiritus Frumenti. Four Roses medicinal whiskey bottle.

Due to a recent sickness I’ve been talking about buying old bottles and how I go about figuring out a little about what I’ve just bought. How old it is, what’s the story of the company, etc. I couldn’t end this little series without a look at the bottles I picked up from one of my favorite brands of whiskey: Four Roses.

Once again I’m presenting a little bit of how I got to where I gave up with each bottle and this time I show that the results you come up with aren’t always as firm as you’d like them to be.

Paul Jones Whiskey Bottle

Picked up for $8 at a bottle and advertising show.

If you are a Four Roses fan, you’ve probably heard the name Paul Jones. He is the man who they credit with starting the brand. Less well publicized is that Four Roses was just one of Paul Jones’ brands. One of which was just named: Paul Jones Whiskey.

I found this bottle at a Bottle and Advertising show here in the Twin Cities. It was being sold by the man who dug it up, I believe locally. Being a Four Roses fanboy, I noticed it right away in the mess of bottles he had on his table. Unlike most of the tables, he hadn’t really spent a lot of time polishing the years of age off his bottles. They looked like they were dug up and washed, still containing all the scuff marks that time and elements had put on them.

Once I got home, it was time to see what I had. I opened my usual bottle dating site and found that to my surprise, it was no help. Bottle dating as is done on that site depends on a lot of small features: mold seams, embossing, makers marks, etc. The problem was this bottle had no marks, no seams, no embossing. The only thing it had was a glass seal containing the name of the whiskey and the words Louisville, KY. This seal had been applied to the shoulder of the bottle after the bottle was formed. Other than that, nothing. It’s a very well made, cylindrical and symmetrical bottle of uniform thickness that was somehow made without seams, or the seams had been polished off either during production or after. In either case, it was of no help to me.

Glass seal affixed to the shoulder of 19th Century Paul Jones Whiskey bottle.

So knowing that this whiskey was from one of the most well known historical whiskey men, I turned to my next favorite site for help in dating bottles: Google. And there I found a lot of interesting information. Those Pre-Pro Whiskey Men has a great write-up of the man Paul Jones and his business interests. Pre-pro.com has another that contains similar, though slightly different information. But the biggest bit of information came on an image search. There I found tons of examples of this or very similar bottles for sale. All of them said they were from the 1880s or 1890s. How did they get that info? No idea. But it is all I have to go on so I’ll have to tentatively go with that. If I ever see the bottle seller again, I’ll need to see if he has any further info.

Four Roses Embossed Bottle

Picked up for $10 at a bottle and advertising show.

Prohibition era Four Roses Medicinal Whiskey bottle

Speaking of Four Roses, the other bottle I picked up at the same seller was a bottle from Four Roses itself. The amber bottle is embossed on the front with four roses on vines and space for labels. In the upper space is the battered remnants of a label. On the label are the words: “Four Roses, Spiritus Frumenti, 100 Proof, An Alcoholic Stimulant Made From The Fermented Mash of Grain.” Along the tattered edges of the label are a few leaves.

I have an inkling that this bottle was a medicinal whiskey bottle as it looks a lot like others I have found online. Right down to the threads for the screw on “shot glass cup” that others in much better shape still have. So let’s see if I can glean any info from the bottle itself.

The “FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR REUSE OF THIS BOTTLE” statement is not on the bottle so the bottle is either pre repeal or post 1964. Other than that, the bottle dating site isn’t of much help. There is a scar on the bottom of the bottle, the statement: TM REG U.S. PAT OFF, PAT PENDING,” what looks to be a 7 and what looks to be a Diamond makers mark. Unfortunately, the scar runs right through the diamond obscuring if it has an I inside if there was, it is an Illinois Glass logo if it is empty it would be the Diamond Glass company. Either could be in use during Prohibition. So no help.

Once again Google image search is my answer on this one and this particular Pinterest pin by friend of the blog Coopered Tot makes me think I was correct all along. The label is the same (though in better shape), the metal cover matches where the screw threads are on mine. I’m calling it. Prohibition-era medicinal whiskey pint.

Four Roses Mini

Picked up for $10-$20 at an antique mall in Southern Minnesota.

This little miniature bottle of Four Roses was purchased about a year or so ago so I’m not quite sure on the price, but I’m thinking it was in the $10 to $20 range. I picked it up both becasue I am a Four Roses fanboy and because I noticed that there happened to be something in it. Now I’m not quite crazy enough to put something in my mouth that has been sitting in a partially full bottle for half a century or more, but I will smell it. And it smells pretty tasty.

Miniatures can be a bit harder to date as it seems many of the federally mandated features that allow me to date a bottle of whiskey are allowed to be missing. Those features only being mandated on items over 8 ounces.

Starting with the basics. I notice this bottle has both a state and federal tax stamp. This little guy came to southern Minnesota by way of New Mexico. I often wonder about things like this. Why did a mostly empty bottle of whiskey travel from New Mexico to Minnesota? How did it end up on that shelf in the store? These bottles only have about 2 ounces in when full. Why leave two-thirds of an ounce or so behind and why not return later if it was good or at least dump it out if it wasn’t? I picture all sorts of stories when I think of things like this. Maybe one day I’ll write one of them down.

The bottle is amber with a metal cap and a black foil label. The label reads: “Four Roses Bourbon, A Blend of Straight Whiskies. Blended by Frankfort Distillers Incorporated, Louisville KY Baltimore MD.” The back label is intact as well reading: “Four Roses, Reg U.S. Pat Off. 100% Straight Whiskies • 90 proof. Blended by Frankfort Distillers Incorporated, Louisville KY. A Blend of Straight Whiskies. 90 proof. 1/10 Pint. The Straight Whiskies in this Product Are 5 Years or More Old. Contains not less than 51% Straight Bourbon Whiskey.”

the bottom of a Four Roses miniature bottle from 1941 as seen by the 41 date code.

The bottom of the bottle is stippled and includes the Owens-Illinois logo. To the left of that is a 6. To the right is a 41 and below it is a 5. If the placement of everything is as usual, the 41 should be the date code. The description of the state tax stamp for that time period matches so I’m pretty confident in that being the date. Meaning that this little guy was made in 1941. Purchased in New Mexico. Partially consumed. Sealed back up and left to sit for almost 75 years. Somewhere along the way it made its way halfway across the country before ending up in rural southern Minnesota where I found it. I know the story is probably mundane, but I wish I had a way of knowing it. Thoughts like these are what keeps me going back to antique stores.

Four Roses Single Barrel, Gift Shop - September 2015 Brent Elliott selection

January 5, 2016 Eric Burke

Four Roses Single Barrel-Gift Shop Selection

Change is hard sometimes. That’s an understatement, right? For examples see the uproar after any change on any social network. Change is so hard for people to take that even rumors of change can cause news articles to be written. (Real headline from Fortune on New Years Eve 2015: Facebook Might Change It’s Newsfeed.)

Change is especially hard when it involves something you really like. Years ago, I ran the art department of a magazine. When I took over, I wanted to clean up the look of the book a little. In my research, I remember reading a lot of angry letters in other magazines that took them to task for the smallest of changes. I’m thankful that this was basically pre-internet being useful for much or I’d have probably been too scared to make my changes. Because, believe it or not, people don’t like it when you mess with their stuff.

And I really do mean their stuff. People get invested in their favorite brands and products. And the bourbon-world is no exception. The popular outcry that forced Maker’s Mark to reverse an unpopular business decision a few years ago is proof of how much people love their chosen bourbon.

Last summer well-loved bourbon brand Four Roses announced a change of a different sort. Beloved Master Distiller Jim Rutledge was retiring. And while there was honest congratulations for him on a well-deserved retirement, there was also an underlying nervousness. Would the bourbon change? Would the quality decrease? Would they put out a flavored bourbon now?

And while it will take some time to find the answers to the first couple of nervous questions, newly minted Master Distiller Brent Elliott got a round of applause when he announced to a September crowd that the answer to that last question was a resounding no.

But wait, I guess there actually is a way to get a hint of the hands, or at least the palate, that now puts its stamp on Four Roses. And that is to grab a gift shop single barrel selection chosen by him. Which is what I did last September when I visited. Along with the a bottle of one of Mr. Rutledge’s last selections (which I will be sitting on for a bit), I grabbed one of the first two selections by Mr. Elliott for the gift shop. I figure it should be a fair assessment of what he thought was good.

Four Roses Gift Shop Selection

Purchase Info: Roughly $76 after tax for a 750mL at the Four Roses Gift Shop

Details: OBSF, 11 years 4 months old, Chosen by Master Distiller Brent Elliott, Bottled September 2015, 51.2% ABV, Warehouse GW, Barrel 81-1F

Nose: Sweet fruitiness, cinnamon, mint, brown sugar. After some time in the glass rich oaky notes of tobacco and leather are revealed.

Mouth: The mouth leads with a spicy cool tingle before resolving into oak, cloves, eucalyptus, honey and pears.

Finish: The finish is long with a warmth that settles in the chest and a minty coolness in the mouth. Pears and eucalyptus linger.

Thoughts: If I had any fears that the quality of the barrel selections would drop off at the gift shop once Mr Rutledge wasn’t doing the choosing, those fears are laid to rest. While this is certainly different than any of the other picks I’ve gotten there in the past, it is just as tasty. Love this one.