That Sweet Kiss

It's been a while since I remember tasting an initial enveloping, sweet kiss of vanilla when I sip a glass of Kentucky Bourbon. With the push towards bold, brash, and more intense flavors and the age statements dwindling as a result, I've missed that rich, easy-drinking flavor in my glass over the last year or so. This new barrel of Four Roses brings back all that nostalgic bliss. It tastes like I remember Bourbon tasting when the category was still new and exciting to me, before everything about whiskey became a size contest to see whose finish was longer (you know what I mean, wink wink).

If you feel like going back to that place, that wonderful moment when Bourbon rolled over your tongue and made you feel happy, then get a bottle of this OESV single cask we just received in. It's bottled at 53% cask strength and weighs in at 9 years, 10 months on the scale.

Four Roses "K&L Exclusive" Single Barrel OESV (9 years, 10 months) Cask Strength Bourbon $64.99 - I don't think we'll ever get tired of drinking Four Roses single barrels casks of this quality. Our latest barrel, just shy of ten years, begins with a lovely kiss of sweet vanilla, transitions into woodier notes of dried oak and pencil shavings, then finishes with a smidge of burnt sugar and candied fruit. Whereas some of our previous exclusive cask offerings from Four Roses clocked in at over 60% ABV, this lovely whiskey proofed itself down to 53% naturally, giving it a rather soft and textured mouthfeel that glides over the palate like a wave of smooth Bourbon richness. The finish continues to evolve, however, once that wave has washed ashore. Pepper, herbs, baking spices, charred oak, and more continue to linger before the next wave begins. We could tell you to grab a bottle while you can, but you already know that. We're buying as many single casks of Four Roses as we can get our hands on and its still never enough!

-David Driscoll