Four Roses Bourbon:
10 Recipes. One Legendary Distillery.
The only Kentucky distillery using 2 mash bills and 5 proprietary yeast strains to craft 10 distinct bourbon recipes. Every expression in stock from the approachable Yellow Label to limited-edition barrel strength releases.
Shop Single Barrel → Shop Small Batch SelectWhich Four Roses Is Right for You?
Shop the Full Four Roses Lineup
From the entry-level Yellow Label to rare limited editions every in-stock expression, with what makes each one worth buying.
Four Roses Yellow Label
Five of Four Roses' ten recipes blended for a consistently approachable, well-balanced bourbon. Light oak, delicate fruit, soft vanilla, and a clean finish. The least intimidating way into the Four Roses world smooth enough for beginners, interesting enough for regulars. The bottle to have when you want something reliable that everyone at the table will enjoy.
Shop Yellow Label →Four Roses Small Batch
Four of the ten recipes, hand-selected by the master distiller for balance and complexity. More depth than the Yellow Label richer caramel, dried fruit, and a longer spiced finish. The natural progression for anyone who's enjoyed the Yellow Label and wants to understand what Four Roses can really do. Solid everyday sipper at a fair price.
Shop Small Batch →Four Roses Single Barrel
Bottled at 100 proof from a single barrel which means every bottle is slightly different from the last. Bold, rich, and assertive: vanilla, caramel, ripe cherry, and baking spice with a long, warming finish. The best Four Roses for neat sipping and cocktails that need the bourbon to hold its ground. The bottle most Four Roses enthusiasts cite as their everyday pick.
Shop Single Barrel →Four Roses Small Batch Select
Six recipes, 104 proof, and non-chill filtered the most complex expression in the standard Four Roses lineup. Layers of oak, caramel, dried berries, chocolate, and spice, with a long, evolving finish that rewards patience. The bottle that shows what Four Roses' multi-recipe system is truly capable of. A must-try for anyone serious about bourbon.
Shop Small Batch Select →Small Batch Barrel Strength 2024
The most anticipated Four Roses release of the year a limited-edition barrel-strength expression that changes annually. 2024 delivers intense toasted oak, baking spices, dark fruit, and a long, warming finish at full proof. No dilution, no compromise. Allocated nationally and consistently sells through fast. The bottle to buy when you see it.
Shop Barrel Strength 2024 →Four Roses OESV Private Select
A private selection bottling showcasing the OESV recipe one of the ten distinct Four Roses bourbon profiles. OESV uses the high-rye mash bill (B) with the delicate, fruity V yeast strain, producing an elegant, fruit-forward bourbon with subtle spice and a refined, smooth finish. The most nuanced and approachable of the private select expressions.
Shop OESV Private Select →Four Roses 135th Anniversary
Released to commemorate 135 years of Four Roses' storied history, this limited anniversary small batch represents the distillery's craft at its most celebratory. Rich, complex, and beautifully balanced a collector's bottle that also rewards actually drinking it.
Shop 135th Anniversary →The Ten Recipe Tasting Experience
The only way to taste all ten of Four Roses' distinct bourbon recipes side by side. This tasting experience set is the definitive way to understand what makes Four Roses unique how the same base spirit expresses completely different character across yeast strains and mash bills. Ideal for enthusiasts, gift buyers, and anyone who wants to go deeper than a single bottle.
Shop The Ten Recipe Experience →What Makes Four Roses Different: The 10-Recipe System
No other bourbon distillery in Kentucky does what Four Roses does. While most producers use a single mash bill and yeast strain, Four Roses combines 2 distinct mash bills (one high-rye, one low-rye) with 5 proprietary yeast strains, each producing distinctly different flavor compounds. The result: 10 unique bourbon recipes all made in the same distillery, all genuinely different.
Compare Every Four Roses Expression
| Expression | Recipes Used | Proof | Best For | Key Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Label | 5 of 10 | 80 | Beginners, everyday, cocktails | Light fruit, vanilla, clean finish | Buy → |
| Small Batch | 4 hand-selected | 90 | Everyday sipper, step-up | Caramel, dried fruit, spice | Buy → |
| Single Barrel | 1 (OBSV or varies) | 100 | Neat sipping, cocktails | Bold vanilla, cherry, spice | Buy → |
| Small Batch Select | 6 of 10 | 104 | Premium sipper, enthusiasts | Oak, berries, chocolate, spice | Buy → |
| Barrel Strength 2024 | Selected recipes | Barrel proof | Collectors, intensity seekers | Dark fruit, toasted oak, baking spice | Buy → |
| OESV Private Select | 1 (OESV) | Barrel proof | Fruit-forward, elegant sipping | Delicate fruit, subtle spice, refined | Buy → |
| Ten Recipe Experience | All 10 | Various | Exploration, gifting, enthusiasts | The complete Four Roses system | Buy → |
The Best Four Roses Gift: The Ten Recipe Tasting Experience
For the whiskey enthusiast who thinks they know Four Roses or anyone who wants to understand why it's one of America's most distinctive bourbon distilleries. The Ten Recipe Tasting Experience is the only way to taste all 10 of Four Roses' unique recipes side by side. Exceptional gift, exceptional experience.
Shop The Ten Recipe Experience →The Four Roses Story: 136 Years of Frontier Bourbon
Four Roses was founded in 1888 by Paul Jones Jr., who named the brand after a romantic legend a Southern belle he'd fallen in love with wore a corsage of four roses to signal her acceptance of his proposal. The brand became one of the most celebrated names in American whiskey before Prohibition nearly ended it. Four Roses was one of the few distilleries permitted to continue production during Prohibition for "medicinal purposes" a distinction that preserved its legacy when others didn't survive.
The distillery's Spanish Mission-style building in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Under the current ownership of Kirin Brewery Company (since 2002), Four Roses has been revived and re-elevated moving from a brand largely forgotten in the US market to one of the most respected names in craft bourbon. The 10-recipe system, while rooted in decades-old tradition, has become the brand's defining modern identity.
Aging takes place at Four Roses' warehouse facility in Cox's Creek, Kentucky a single-story, open-rick warehouse that ensures consistent temperature throughout the aging process, contributing to the predictability and quality that defines each expression across batches.
Every Four Roses expression in stock from Yellow Label to limited-edition barrel strength.
Shop Four Roses →3 Four Roses Cocktails Worth Making Tonight
Four Roses' fruit-forward, multi-yeast character makes it exceptional in cocktails. These three put it to best use.
Four Roses Old Fashioned
- 2 oz Four Roses Single Barrel
- 1 sugar cube (or ½ tsp demerara syrup)
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Large ice cube · Orange peel to garnish
Muddle sugar and bitters in a rocks glass. Add Single Barrel and ice, stir until cold. Express orange peel over the glass and drop in. The addition of orange bitters amplifies the fruit character Four Roses Single Barrel already brings cherry, orange peel, and caramel in perfect balance. One of the best Old Fashioneds you can make with any bourbon.
Make it with Four Roses Single Barrel →Mint Julep
- 2½ oz Four Roses Small Batch
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- 8–10 fresh mint leaves
- Crushed ice · Fresh mint sprig garnish
Gently muddle mint with simple syrup in a julep cup don't shred the leaves, just bruise them. Add bourbon, pack with crushed ice, and stir until the cup frosts. The Mint Julep is Four Roses' signature cocktail for good reason the brand's natural fruity and floral character complements fresh mint better than almost any other bourbon. Four Roses Small Batch delivers the right sweetness and depth without being too heavy.
Make it with Four Roses Small Batch →Paper Plane (Four Roses Twist)
- ¾ oz Four Roses Small Batch Select
- ¾ oz Aperol
- ¾ oz Amaro Nonino
- ¾ oz fresh lemon juice
Shake all four ingredients hard with ice and strain into a coupe glass. The Paper Plane is equal parts everything and it works because Four Roses' fruit-forward character bridges the sweetness of Aperol and the herbal depth of Amaro Nonino while the lemon keeps everything bright. Small Batch Select at 104 proof holds its own against the other ingredients better than a lower-proof expression would.
Make it with Small Batch Select →Four Roses Bourbon Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Four Roses 10-recipe system?
Four Roses uses two distinct mash bills one low-rye (E) and one high-rye (B) combined with five proprietary yeast strains (V, K, O, Q, F), each producing different flavor compounds during fermentation. This creates 10 unique bourbon recipes, labeled with letter codes (e.g., OBSV, OESV). No other Kentucky distillery uses this approach, making Four Roses uniquely capable of producing a wide range of flavor profiles from a single facility.
What is the best Four Roses bourbon?
It depends on your goal. For everyday drinking: Single Barrel at 100 proof. For maximum complexity: Small Batch Select at 104 proof, non-chill filtered. For collectors: Small Batch Barrel Strength 2024. For exploration: The Ten Recipe Experience.
Is Four Roses good for beginners?
Yes Four Roses Yellow Label is one of the most consistently recommended beginner bourbons for its smooth, approachable, and well-balanced character. It's light enough not to overwhelm new drinkers, complex enough to be genuinely interesting, and priced accessibly. From there, the progression to Small Batch and then Single Barrel is natural and rewarding.
How do you drink Four Roses bourbon?
Neat or with a single large ice cube for the core expressions (Single Barrel, Small Batch Select). The Yellow Label and Small Batch work beautifully in cocktails Old Fashioneds, Mint Juleps, and Manhattans. The barrel-strength expressions are best neat with a small water addition to open them up. Four Roses Single Barrel is exceptional across all formats.
What's the difference between Four Roses Single Barrel and Small Batch?
Single Barrel is bottled at 100 proof from one individual barrel meaning each bottle is slightly different, with bolder character and more intensity. Small Batch blends four of the ten recipes for a more consistent, rounder result at 90 proof. Single Barrel is better for sipping; Small Batch is more approachable and versatile.
Where is Four Roses made?
Four Roses is distilled at its historic Spanish Mission-style distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Aging takes place at the brand's Cox's Creek, Kentucky warehouse, a single-story open-rick facility designed for consistent temperature throughout maturation.
Is Four Roses a good gift?
Yes especially the Ten Recipe Tasting Experience (unique, educational, impressive) and the Small Batch Barrel Strength limited edition (collectible, hard to find). For everyday gifting, Single Barrel at 100 proof is a perennial crowd-pleaser that most bourbon drinkers haven't opened yet.
Love Four Roses' Fruit & Complexity? Here's Your First Scotch.
Four Roses drinkers particularly fans of the fruity, floral, multi-recipe expressions tend to be exactly the kind of whiskey enthusiasts who love discovering Scotch. The appreciation for production craft, flavor nuance, and distillery character translates naturally. If Four Roses converted you to caring about how whiskey is made, Scotch will take that further.
10 Recipes. Every Expression. In Stock Now.
From the approachable Yellow Label to the annual Barrel Strength limited release the complete Four Roses lineup ships direct from LoveScotch.
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I enjoy four roses bourbon over ice / it’s all I drink now