I’d like to thank Four Roses and their PR Team for providing this sample with no strings attached.
Bonus Post time! And this time we are looking at one from Four Roses that, for the first time ever, I don’t think is for you and me. Which, coming from a long-time Four Roses fanboy, hurts to say. If you are here, you are looking for the opinion of a frugal bourbon drinker. And there is no $500 release that would be appropriate for a frugal person. Hell, I don’t think there is a bourbon that, in a vacuum, is worth $150. Arguably, at least not until you take scarcity into the equation. But reasonable people can disagree on pricing and value.
Chapter One: Origins is the first in a planned lineup of 10 annual releases that, according to the press release, are aimed at “collectors and enthusiasts.” This version is a series of OBSF single-barrel bottlings that are aged 21 years and bottled at cask strength between 102.5 and 124.9 proof. There were 1,200 bottles available initially.
Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?
Four Roses Anthology 21 year
Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $500 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $33.33
Details: OBSF, 51.3% ABV, 21 years old
Nose: Almond, caramel, vanilla, red fruit, wintergreen, and oak.
Mouth: First sip is hot and full of oak. Subsequent sips bring out more depth of flavor with notes of chocolate, cinnamon, red fruit, caramel, almond, and oak.
Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, nutty chocolate, cinnamon, and oak.
Thoughts: As might be guessed by a 21-year age statement, this is extremely oak-forward. Both oak as a note in and of itself, but also oak-derived notes like chocolate. It's very rich and thick in the mouth. There are lovely bright notes that help balance the oaky notes as well. This is a good bourbon. My only issue with it is that after that long in the barrel, it has lost a lot of its inherent "Four-Roses-ness." If handed it blind, I probably wouldn't have guessed Four Roses as the distillery on the first couple of tries. Add to that the fact that my personal preferences are for bourbons in the six- to ten-year age range (where the mash bill- and yeast-derived flavors haven't yet been overpowered by the barrel), and personally, I’d grab one of the F yeast Red Labels over this one. But that is just my personal preference.
If you are a fan of oak-forward bourbons, though, this would have been worth a look…if it weren’t so extremely limited, presumably sold out, and, of course, if the suggested retail price wasn’t 500 dollars! In a vacuum, I like it, even if I like others of their products more. As something I’d pay my own personal money for? I’d politely scoff at anyone who suggested I do so. God bless the folks who have $500 to spend on a single bottle of bourbon, but I’m not one of them. I can get ten of the Red Labels, which I legitimately enjoy more, for that price. Yes, this is a good bourbon. No, being good doesn't make it worth five hundred bucks.
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