Whiskey Advocate's American Whiskey of the Year - Four Roses Small Batch 125th Anniversary

[PappyVanWise]

This is one of the few times, that I've been ahead of the curve.  I bought a bottle of this on a whim, at double what I like to pay for my bourbon ($80ish I think), and brought it to our last bourbon tasting event.  It was the clear winner of the night, but we all knew we probably would never see another bottle of it.  It's been sitting on my shelf ever since, and I've only had one or two more pours from it.

The article's description is pretty spot on, especially with the fruit notes.  It doesn't have a whole lot of burn, and when poured over a block of ice I'd say it rivaled my one experience with Mr. Van Winkle's 15 year bottling.  My only regret, now, is leaving that second bottle on the shelf.

http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2013/12/12/whisky-advocate-award-american-whiskey-of-the-year-2/

[ad.mich]

This.  1000 times this.  Four Roses doesn't have the buzz outside of the hardcore brown liquor community that some other brands do, but their limited releases every year just keep getting better and better.  I find myself reaching for their stuff more and more when I'm out.  

[SeanMike]

I love Four Roses *so much* and special ordered a bottle of this. It's awesome.

ad.mich is right - I think that's because of their decades of basically shit products, which they admit and they're trying to fix. They're inexpensive and consistently *good*. (If you remember that bourbon family tree chart, Bulleit bourbon is 4 Roses - and it's also one of my faves.)

I loved the sheer honesty of their operation as well. Wish I could've visited their rickhouse and tried it straight from the barrel. Next Louisville trip!

[PappyVanWise]

I capped the Chiefs playoff loss with a pour from this bottle. My wife, who isn't much of a bourbon fan, tried some and was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. This is the first pour I've had since the initial one, and its just as delicious and complex as I remembered it. A nice consolation prize for the wild card exit.