Four Roses

The Yellow Label bottling is the entry-level bourbon under the Four Roses name. It is far and away considered the ugly duckling of the Four Roses line, but I think this attribution is unfair. The Yellow Label is a blend of all ten Four Roses recipes, comprised of two mash bills (one with 20% rye, the other 35%) and five yeast strains (delicate fruitiness, robust fruitiness, spicy, floral, and herbal).

On the nose, it is spicy, bready, and floral. It has cherries, marzipan, cinnamon, and sawdust. It is slightly hot, and certainly less refined than the other staple offerings (the Small Batch and the Single Barrel).

The palate has a bit of “zing” to it. It is lightly nutty and yeasty, with some mild astringency to boot. It is fairly thin, but not unpleasantly so.

Though the Yellow Label release is generally intended for mixing, I think it makes a perfectly acceptable sipping whiskey. It is nothing magical, but it is nonetheless quite drinkable.

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