The 2016 Limited Edition Small Batch was selected by master distiller Brent Elliott. It blends three recipes aged 12 to 16 years and is bottled at barrel strength, 111.2 proof.
About This Bourbon
Elliott built this blend around a 12 year old OESO, the first time that fruity recipe had appeared in a Limited Edition Small Batch for more than seven years. He added a 12 year old OBSV for rye spice and a 16 year old OESK for age and baking spice. The bourbon was bottled without chill filtration at 55.6% ABV, and 9,258 bottles were released in the US.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Sweet cherry and green apple, with apricot and a firm line of rye.
- Palate: Tart citrus at first, then molasses, pepper and a creamy crème brûlée note.
- Finish: Long and gentle, with honey and light mint.
Serving & Food
Bright and fruity even at 55.6%, it drinks well neat or with a single ice cube. Try it with Peking duck pancakes, cherry clafoutis or a mild blue cheese.
How to Enjoy
Collectors building a run of Four Roses limited editions, and drinkers who like a fruity, bright bourbon at barrel strength.
Product Details
Producer: Four Roses Distillery
Expression: Limited Edition Small Batch
Release: 2016
Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
Country: USA
Region: Kentucky
Blend Detail: OESO 12 yr, OBSV 12 yr, OESK 16 yr
Age: 12 to 16 years
ABV: 55.6%
Proof: 111.2 proof
Filtration: Non-chill filtered
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Four Roses was trademarked by Paul Jones Jr. in 1888. Its distillery at Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, a Spanish Mission style building from 1910, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Japan's Kirin owned the company from 2002 until April 2026, when it passed to E. & J. Gallo of California. Barrels age in single-storey rack warehouses at Cox's Creek, where temperatures stay more even than in tall rickhouses.
The distillery works with two mash bills, B at 60% corn and 35% rye and E at 75% corn and 20% rye, and five house yeast strains coded F, K, O, Q and V. Crossing them gives ten recipes, each written as a four-letter code on the label, such as OBSV or OESK.