Four Roses Salutes Rutledge with "Barrel Strength"

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Four Roses Salutes Rutledge with "Barrel Strength"

Unread postby cowdery » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:18 pm

In September, during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Four Roses will release a new, limited-edition, single barrel bourbon in honor of Master Distiller Jim Rutledge's 40th anniversary in the industry.

Only 1,700 bottles will be filled. Each will be hand-numbered. The bourbon will be 13 1/2 years old, bottled uncut and unfiltered. The proof will be 104.2. Right now, at least, they're calling it simply Four Roses Barrel Strength.

As a single barrel, this represents just one of Four Rose's ten "flavors." They haven't said yet which one. This also will be the oldest Four Roses product on the market, at least here in the US. I haven't seen final packaging yet, so I don't know if there's going to be an age statement on the label, but they're saying 13.5. No Four Roses product, at least none sold in the US, carries an age statement.

I have tasted it. It's very good, as you might expect, and is well-balanced as you expect of anything from Four Roses. Surprisingly, considering its age, there is very little taste of char, none of soot, and none of the astringency that is expected from something this old. It is on the dry side, showing a lot of spice. I'll go out on a limb and guess it's the high rye mash bill and "spicy" yeast. (I'm told it's the low rye mash bill with the "O" yeast.)

Since Four Roses is only sold in Kentucky and metro New York, those are the only markets that will get the limited-edition Barrel Strength product. If you have access to either of those markets, start sucking up to your favorite whiskey-monger now.

Rutledge, by the way, isn't retiring or anything. They're just marking the 40-year milestone, sort of like Wild Turkey did for Jimmy Russell with Tribute. Presumably, as with Tribute, they made Rutledge select his own "tribute" bourbon.

Here's an interesting fact from the press release. Four Roses sales in its two US markets has doubled each year since the brand's reintroduction in 2002.
Last edited by cowdery on Sat Jul 28, 2007 11:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Unread postby bunghole » Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:34 pm

OH! BABY!

ima gotta have suma that!

:arrow: ima :smilebox:
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Re: Four Roses Salutes Rutledge with "Barrel Strength&q

Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Sun Jul 29, 2007 12:20 pm

cowdery wrote:Only 1,700 bottles will be filled.


Four Roses announcement to the Mellow Moment members states that only 1500 bottles will be filled.
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Unread postby cowdery » Sun Jul 29, 2007 5:31 pm

I'm aware of the Mellow Moments email. What I received was a letter (and 200 ml sample) from their PR agency.

Actually, this happened with Woodford Sonoma-Cutrer too. They make an estimate based on the number of barrels they're going to dump but, not knowing how much each barrel actually holds until it's dumped, it's just an estimate. From a business standpoint, they really should agree on one number, even if it's wrong, but things don't always work that way.
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Unread postby Jon » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:17 am

Hit my local Lexington store yesterday 9-13 so I'll be picking it up this afternoon. Can't wait!!!!!!! Jon
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Unread postby brendaj » Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:24 pm

Hi Guys,
As a single barrel, this represents just one of Four Rose's ten "flavors." They haven't said yet which one.


I am a huge fan of their Platinum bottling (a tad older and only released in Japan). I was lucky enough to taste it at one of their functions and it really rocks. While their website refers to it as a small batch, I'm pretty sure it is mostly one of their expressions.

I think that because (at a later date) the Bourbon Society had the very good fortune to be guests of Al Young for a tasting of all ten of their expressions...one at a time. (It was so very, very cool.)

I picked out two of the 10 as my personal favorites. Geez, guess what? One of those was the expression they use pretty much exclusively for the Platinum. So...I'm really interested in knowing which of the ten recipes they are using for this single barrel release.
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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:42 am

We got to the Mellow Moments luncheon on Sept. 13 for the release of this bourbon. The luncheon was great and so is this bourbon. Only 1440 bottles released. I was able to buy one at the gift shop. Jim Rutledge personalized it with some very kind words. I doubt that I will ever open it, but you never know.
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Unread postby jdknaebel » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:13 pm

Bourbon Joe wrote: I doubt that I will ever open it, but you never know.


I bet if you run out of that whiskey "from back in the day", you will open it. 8-)

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Unread postby Bourbon Joe » Wed Sep 19, 2007 1:59 pm

I just might J.D. By the way, that Old Fitz never made it out of Kentucky. Thanks for being so kind to a couple of yankees.
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