One of three new single barrels, OBSF has lush notes of apple, vanilla, and cocoa greeting the palate with a luxurious richness, while a bright touch of rye and a hint of brown sugar balance things out. The result is a bourbon with a lasting, full-bodied flavour that seamlessly marries sweetness with mellow spice to elevate all favourite bourbon-forward cocktails; this recipe is also enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
At the end of 2024, the company announced that they would be releasing a new Single Barrel Collection to coincide with their 20th anniversary. Their intention is to expand on their current single barrel product. The company states that “The Single Barrel Collection will feature the first three new 100 proof Single Barrel bourbons – OBSF, OESK, and OESO – alongside the flagship Single Barrel, OBSV.” The company goes on to state that “Following this first Single Barrel Collection, which will be available throughout 2025, Four Roses will continue to introduce a new set of Single Barrels each year, rotating between the nine unique recipes that complement the flagship Single Barrel recipe.”
Four Roses uses two different mashbills and five different yeast strains to create 10 unique bourbon recipes. The OBSF mashbill consists of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. The strain of yeast used is version “F” and when combined to create the specific recipe, it’s described as containing flavours of delicate rye and mint. Like the other bottles in the single barrel collection, the bourbon in the review was aged between 7-9 years. Of note, Four Roses releases single barrel, barrel proof versions of all 10 of their recipes, however, these are only available via private selection.
This single barrel representation of OBSF pulls in spiced apple and rye spice that focuses on a lighter, pleasing delivery. Mint leaf appears upfront, which is a nice touch, but overall, the sip leans into a more traditional repertoire of flavors. For fans of the standard OBSV recipe, OBSF is made from a completely different recipe but ultimately offers only a slight variation of flavor that will likely appeal to fans of the standard version. For everyone else, they’ll most likely find OBSF to be an inoffensive and straightforward drinking bourbon.
Sharing the same mashbill as Four Roses OBSV but swapping the “V” yeast strain for the “F” yeast strain, OBSF Single Barrel Collection delivers an inoffensive pour filled with traditional bourbon flavours.
This is a higher proof allocated single barrel that is a little tougher to come across with a higher proof of 126.
Four Roses Bourbon has a longstanding and eventful history, both in the United States and internationally. The story of the bourbon’s founding is quite charming. Legend has it that founder Paul Jones Jr. came up with the Four Roses name after being smitten with a Southern belle to whom he proposed. He told her that if she agreed to marry him, she would wear a corsage of roses to an upcoming ball. She said yes, and chose to wear a 4 red rose corsage, hence the name.
The bourbon was officially founded in 1888 in Louisville, Kentucky, but Paul Jones Jr. claimed to have been making this bourbon starting in the 1860s. Paul purchased Frankfort Distilling Co. in 1922 and the business flourished. In 1940, Seagram purchased Frankfort, also acquiring the Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon business. Four Roses was the top-selling bourbon in the U.S. from the ’30s to the ’50s, but they decided to stop selling it in the U.S. and focused instead on the growing European and Asian markets, in which it also became the top-selling bourbon. Seagram then focused solely on a blended whiskey version of Four Roses for the U.S., which damaged the brand’s domestic reputation, putting it in the “rotgut” category.
