When I first started drinking whiskey several years ago I stuck mainly to (Highland) Scotch and Irish Whiskeys. I tried a few bourbons but they weren’t really my thing, with the exception of Four Roses Small Batch on ice. A few years later when I decided to try and become a Certified Bourbon Steward, it was partially as an excuse to delve into a category I hadn’t really explored. Now with quite a selection of bottles, Four Roses is a mainstay in my collection.

As you can see from the picture above, I am almost done with my bottle of Four Roses Small Batch Select, so I decided it would be a great opportunity to try them side by side. The Small Batch Select came out last year and was the first new addition to the permanent line-up in twelve years.

Four Roses is unique in that it has 10 different recipes it uses to make their bourbons. This is from combining two different mashbills and 5 different yeast strains to get an assortment of flavor profiles to play with. Each of the bourbons in the line has a different blend of these recipes, which you can find here.

The Tasting

Here are my tasting notes from the side by side tasting:
Small Batch – 45% ABV, blended from 4 Recipes
Nose: Corn, Oak, Hint of Leather
Taste: Corn, Hint of bubblegum, Light Leather, Baking Spices
Finish: Baking Spices continue, with hints of Leather returning as a back note. Lingers a good while. Smooth and warming

Small Batch Select – 52% ABV, blended from 6 Recipes, Non-Chill Filtered
Nose: Oak, Leather, Baking Spices, Vanilla
Taste: Oak, Vanilla, Leather, Red Hots
Finish: Red Hots, fades slowly. Richer mouthfeel then Small Batch. Small Batch is a bit sweeter, as well.

These are both great bourbons. If you are new to bourbon, I would start out with the Small Batch.

A Note on “Chill-Filtering” and ABV

Chill-Filtering is a process that rids the finished product of some sediments such as fatty acids, proteins and esters. All these things are referred to as “congeners”, basically everything that comes out of the whiskey making process that is not ethyl alcohol. If the Alcohol by Volume (ABV) is less than 46% they can crate a cloudy drink when served cold which is why many distilleries will go through this process for purely aesthetic reasons thinking that consumers won’t like a cloudy drink. But congeners also add flavor, flavor that is taken out through chill-filtering. The Small Batch Select is at an ABV high enough that it doesn’t need to be chill filtered, and it isn’t, indicated on the label as being “Non-Chill Filtered”. To me it has a richer, almost chewy mouthfeel compared to the Small Batch.

Four Roses Small Batch is a great bourbon at a great price, around $30. The Small Batch Select is around $55 and is also a wonderful sipper. You don’t necessarily need both in your collection at the same time, but I would suggest that they are better suited for different seasons. Small Batch, with it’s sweeter taste and lighter body is well suited for the summer, and yes, adding ice is allowed in this situation if the weather calls for it, especially if you are sitting next to a barbecue. With it’s heavier body and warming baking spice notes (and higher ABV), the Small Batch Select is great during the winter months.

Either way, sip and enjoy!

Stuart