Four Roses Distillery is located in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The distillery is renowned for producing high-quality bourbon whiskey with a rich history dating back to the 19th century. The distillery was founded by Paul Jones Jr. in 1880. The distillery was built in 1910 and was initially named Old Prentice Distillery. The distillery has changed ownership over the years but is currently owned by Kirin Brewery Company, a Japanese beverage company.
Back in mid-August, the distillery released its limited edition ten-recipe tasting kit. Since that release, I wanted to give insight into what makes the recipe unique.
The distillery differs from others because it uses two different mash bills (grain recipes) and five different yeast strains to produce its bourbon. This variation results in ten distinct bourbon recipes with unique flavor profiles. Each recipe is assigned a four-letter code, and the first letter is always “O.” The “O” is in homage to the first letter of the original distillery’s name, Old Prentice Distillery.
“Having ten recipes allows us to stand out amongst other bourbon brands and also allows us to maintain consistency and create variety across our core line of expressions,” explains master distiller Brent Elliott.
The following letters designate the mashbill: “B” or “E.” “B” is the high-rye mashbill and is made up of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley. This mashbill produces a spicier finish to the bourbon. “E” is a lower-rye mashbill containing 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. The third letter will always be “S,” which stands for straight bourbon, which must be aged at least two years.
The last letter of the recipe represents one of the five yeast strains used in the recipe. Each one develops a different flavor profile. The letters are “V,” “K,” “O,” “Q,” or “F.” Each taste varies, as “V” may have more fruit flavor, whereas “F” has more herbal notes.
Here are the ten recipes that Four Roses distills:
- OBSV
- OBSK
- OBSO
- OBSQ
- OBSF
- OESV
- OESK
- OESO
- OESQ
- OESF
I hope this helps your bourbon journey. Cheers!
Click here for more Original Pours.
