Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon is everything an annual bourbon release should be. The now 17-year-old series is rare but not utterly impossible to find. It’s pricey and, like all aged bourbon these days, has crept up in cost over the years, but it still features an MSRP that remains on the low end of the ultra-premium price spectrum. And most importantly, it’s usually extremely delicious.
Case in point, last year’s release received a 4.5 rating from Nick Beiter at Breaking Bourbon and a 9/10 from Suzanne Bayard at The Whiskey Wash and Christoper Null at Drink Hacker. And that’s just a tiny sample of accolades.
As usual, in August, we now know all of the details concerning the 2024 release, which will mark the 17th iteration in the long-standing series.
For those less familiar with Four Roses Bourbon, much of the brand’s mystique revolves around using ten distinct bourbon recipes developed from two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains.
Like most releases in the series, the 2024 edition of Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon is made from a blend of four different bourbon batches. Specifically, the non-chill filtered 108.2 proof whiskey includes a 12-year-old- and 20-year-old bourbon from the OBSV recipe, known for delicate fruit and rye flavors. The other two bourbons used include a 15-year-old OESK, known for baking spice flavors, and a 16-year-old OESF, known for flavors of grain and mint. The result, according to Master Distiller Brent Elliot, is a middle-aged bourbon that is “truly vibrant, bright and unique.”
While that description might seem vague, details around the bourbon release are more specific. Four Roses has stated that approximately 16,000 bottles will be available in the U.S. for $220.
