Four Roses Platinum

[Pikesville]

Upfront disclaimer- this is a Japan-only release as far as I know. A friend was kind enough to snag me a bottle there. My thoughts on availability at the end. About $70.

86 proof as best as I can tell from the packaging. Nice platinum colored roses embossed on a burgundy-style bottle. English description on the front but back label was in Japanese.

Tried it neat- nose is classic 4R, fruits and spices without being too boozy. Wasn't patient enough to let it sit for long. First flavors were delicate fruits (strawberries? and citrus), but were soon overpowered by a nice kick of spice and oak. Finish was vanilla and oak, but not overwhelmingly so. Pretty good length for a relatively tame proof. Really reminded me of the 2012 LESmB with a generous cut of water. Without being a 4R expert, I would say this has a healthy dose of high-rye recipes and older barrels- more "umph" than the standard single-barrel release which is my favorite among the regularly available offerings. At cask strength this would be awesome. A really solid sipper- if you have a shot at getting some I strongly recommend.

As to availability I have no idea why they don't release this here- it's (IMHO) well placed enough above the regular single barrel release but doesn't cut into the limited editions due to not being cask strength. It could be a regularly available "high-end" offering, a la 18 yo scotch you can always find on the shelf at a price. Whomever runs into Mr. Rutledge next this would be a good question for him.

[Tucker]

Very nice review. Spot on.

According to this interview with Jim Rutledge, the Super Premium "uses several of our recipes and 80% of the Bourbon must have been aged a minimum of 8 years while 20% aged 10 years or greater." The whole series of interviews is excellent and well worth your time. The bad news for 4R fans is in the latest blog post, on the ISC barrel shortage.

[bad_scientist]

I'm not sure if they still do this, but a couple of years ago, if you called in advance before you visited, you could get a nice tour at 4R and a taste of the Platinum for free.

[squire]

Very good link Tucker, really underscores the variability of barrels.