Four Roses launching new series, releasing ‘ambitious and innovative’ bourbon
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Four Roses launched an Experimental Series pushing its 10-recipe framework.
- Experimental Series No. 001 is finished in Japanese Mizunara oak.
- Experimental Series No. 001 available at distillery gift shop July 30 for $55.
Four Roses Distillery is launching a new Experimental Series of limited edition whiskeys that will push the boundaries of the brand’s traditional 10-recipe framework.
Long known for using two recipes and five yeast strains to create a myriad of flavors, the Lawrenceburg distillery has been quietly experimenting with a technique that has become popular throughout the bourbon industry: finishing whiskey in secondary barrels.
According to a news release, Four Roses considers the new series to mark the beginning of “one of the most ambitious and innovative periods in the brand’s 13-year history, while remaining grounded in the DNA that defines Four Roses Bourbon.”
The distillery was purchased by Gallo for a record $775 million earlier this year, but the experiments, which were years in the making, had begun under previous owner Kirin before the transition.
Gallo was thrilled to find out about them, according to Four Roses master distiller Brent Elliott.
“They totally long term love the brand, love what we’ve done,” Elliott said during a private tasting in March for media. “When this whole thing started, the market hadn’t softened, and we didn’t know we were going to be sold. I just felt it was time for us to try different things, especially for the visitors center.”
After the sale, Elliott said, “we had a lot of conversations with Gallo about how do you want to proceed … how do you feel about innovation, and they are all for it. I was just amazed at how excited they were to learn about these things.”
The Experimental Series follows the release of Anthology, a 21-year-old bourbon, that also kicks off a new series and will be available in July.
“This series is an exciting new chapter for us,” Elliott said in a statement. “It allows us to take the craftsmanship that’s been at the heart of Four Roses and apply it in entirely new ways, experimenting with finishes and techniques that reveal dimensions of flavor our fans haven’t experienced before. For me, it’s about pushing boundaries while staying true to the character of Four Roses Bourbon, and giving our fans the chance to join us on that journey of discovery.”
The first release, Experimental Series No. 001, is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in rare Japanese Mizunara oak barrels, which have become prized in the whiskey world for their expressive flavor.
It was developed through extensive trials across recipes, yeast strains, barrel specifications and toast and char combinations to find an ideal pairing.
Elliott selected a 6-year-old OBSK recipe for the way the oak’s spice married with the bourbon’s sweeter notes.
Available at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Center in Lawrenceburg beginning July 30, Experimental Series No. 001 is priced at $55 for a 375ml bottle.
