Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon Whiskey Review

Four Roses was started by Rufus and Origen Rose, a pair of brothers who opened their bourbon distillery with their sons in 1888. The Four Roses distillery was eventually moved to its current home in a Spanish Mission-style building in 1910, and that building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. In modern times, Four Roses was acquired by Kirin Brewery, a Japanese company, with an eye on exporting to the bourbon-mad Japanese market. The result is that Four Roses is probably better known in Europe and Asia than it is in the United States. If you are abroad and looking for bourbon, Four Roses will probably be on the shelf right next to Jim Bean and Wild Turkey. That's a good thing too, because Four Roses is a damn sight better than either of those alternatives.

The Bourbon
Four Roses Yellow Label is the standard, mass market bourbon whiskey of the label. The nose is gentle, but clear, with a scent reminiscent of the filling of an apple pie with plenty of cinnamon. On the palate, the flavor is light with a good combination of honey and vanilla. The finish has overtones of citrus, so much so that one might miss the wood and charcoal. Overall, Four Roses Yellow Label is a light, flavorful bourbon whiskey.

Price Tag
Four Roses is reasonably priced at roughly $20 a bottle in the United States. Those overseas should expect to pay more due to import and currency conversion costs, but its still a reasonably priced bottle of bourbon whiskey. In Europe, its price sits nicely between the cheap scotches and whiskeys like J&B or William Lawson and the bottom end of the premium market.

Bottom Line
Some purists will insist that Four Roses Yellow Label is too light and too sweet, and from a strictly traditionalist stand point they are right. The problem is that only die-hard Southern bourbon lovers really want the fire and smoke of an old fashioned bourbon. For everyone else, Four Roses is a pleasant beverage and well worth the price tag. It is at least as good as Makers Mark, and maybe a little better. If you are abroad and thirsting for bourbon, it is a vastly superior choice to Jim Bean or Wild Turkey.

Sources: personal experience, www.fourroses.us