Review #268 - Four Roses 11 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength
Another variety of the Single Barrel Barrel Strength bourbon that we tried during our visit to the Four Roses distillery near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. This bottle uses the OESK recipe (recipe 7), which utilizes mashbill E (20% rye, 'low rye') and yeast strain K, which could give us some slight spice flavors.
This barrel was aged for 11 years before being bottled at a barrel strength of 55.5% ABV (111 proof). It was bottled specifically for guests of the distillery's visitor center tasting bar.
Four Roses 11 Year OESK Single Barrel Barrel Strength
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 120 (2024)
Age Statement: 11 Years
Strength: 55.5% ABV
Details: OESK recipe; bottled February 2020; warehouse MW, barrel 29 1J
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 60% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Quite punchy and strong, with spice, tobacco, leather, and wood smoke. There are sweeter flavors hidden below: molasses, medicinal cherry, and an extremely rich brown sugar note. A very bold nose.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick. So rich and bold, with wood spice, black pepper, nutmeg, and clove; there are more baking notes, with brown sugar and bittersweet baking chocolate, too. Quite oaky and mature.
Finish: Medium-long, with chocolate syrup and brown sugar leading the way to sweetness. Leather and dark oaky flavors add maturity, and there are baking spices like clove and nutmeg.
Final Note: Very bold and spicy, one of the spiciest Four Roses whiskies that we've tried. Great oak flavors - it tastes old without being over-oaked. Great value, highly recommended if you can find an older barrel pick like this.
Our Average Rating: 8.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.04
Check out our other Four Roses reviews:
Review #267 - Four Roses 10 Year OESV Single Barrel Barrel Strength
