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2017 4-Roses SmBLE


Richnimrod
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Having just been fortunate enough to grab a bottle of this year's 4-R SmBLE, I drove straight home and was barely thru the door before I had the bottle in hand was opening it up.

Upon sniffing the aroma, I tried to guess what would complement it the best, and decided upon Coca-Cola. 

I poured out about an ounce of the 4-R, and added around 4-ounces of chilled Coke, and a small ice cube.    I was disappointed with that combination and poured it out. 

I next tried Mountain Dew in the same approximate proportions.    THAT was Fabulous!

 

OK, I'm totally bullsh_tting you!     No soda was used in the pours, and no ice.    The plain truth is; this is a wonderful offering from the Roses.    It isn't really deep, though it's fairly complex.    It is a bit sweeter than some 4-R offerings, and has a wonderful honey-like finish.    There's a good deal of salty caramel, there's some fruitiness; but not that much, there is some wood; but only as way to hold it all together.   The more I sampled it, the more I was put in mind of a GBS pick of OESO (one of my personal faves) from a few years ago.    Simply a very enjoyable pour that can be savored and analyzed for a good while, if one has a mind to that sort of thing... which I may do; but not today.

In fact I may do a SBS with those two.    That would be telling, I think.     If you can grab one, I recommend you do.

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It didn't hold up to the more mature tasting Al Young for me. But if you don't like the Al Young you might find this one better. Not bad mind you, just doesn't compare well. So far only had it at tastings. If and when I get one I will do some comparisons with prior SmB LE's.

 

And if you didn't like the Al Young 4R please by all means feel free to send me your bottle(s) for proper disposal! :D

 

 

 

Edited by tanstaafl2
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Thanks for the notes! I'm very encouraged that you're digging this release. Like Bruce, I tried it at WhiskyFest alongside the Al Young and thought the AY was more interesting. But I struck out on procuring an Al Young at a reasonable price, and the SmBLE is probably the special release I have the best shot at finding during this crazy fall season. I will definitely be a buyer if I can find it anywhere near MSRP.

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5 hours ago, Richnimrod said:

Having just been fortunate enough to grab a bottle of this year's 4-R SmBLE, I drove straight home and was barely thru the door before I had the bottle in hand was opening it up.

Upon sniffing the aroma, I tried to guess what would complement it the best, and decided upon Coca-Cola. 

I poured out about an ounce of the 4-R, and added around 4-ounces of chilled Coke, and a small ice cube.    I was disappointed with that combination and poured it out. 

I next tried Mountain Dew in the same approximate proportions.    THAT was Fabulous!

 

OK, I'm totally bullsh_tting you!     No soda was used in the pours, and no ice.    The plain truth is; this is a wonderful offering from the Roses.    It isn't really deep, though it's fairly complex.    It is a bit sweeter than some 4-R offerings, and has a wonderful honey-like finish.    There's a good deal of salty caramel, there's some fruitiness; but not that much, there is some wood; but only as way to hold it all together.   The more I sampled it, the more I was put in mind of a GBS pick of OESO (one of my personal faves) from a few years ago.    Simply a very enjoyable pour that can be savored and analyzed for a good while, if one has a mind to that sort of thing... which I may do; but not today.

In fact I may do a SBS with those two.    That would be telling, I think.     If you can grab one, I recommend you do.

Sweeter than the 2016? I thought the 2016 was fairly sweet in terms of limited small batch releases. Haven't opened the Al Young yet but probably should soon.....

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8 hours ago, BottledInBond said:

Sweeter than the 2016? I thought the 2016 was fairly sweet in terms of limited small batch releases. Haven't opened the Al Young yet but probably should soon.....

I never had the opportunity to try a '16... or, if I did I was too far gone to remember, I guess. 

When I say sweeter, I mean 'to me', 'on this day', and I'm speaking in general terms that it seemed sweeter, as it compared to my recollection of all the other SmBLE's I've had, which go back (with the exception of '16) to 2010.    ...And, I include the many, many single barrel pix of all ten recipes I've tasted as well.   Not sure if all that helps you or not. 

Really, the only way to do such comparisons in a way that yields meaningful results, is in a blind SBS.

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1 hour ago, Richnimrod said:

I never had the opportunity to try a '16... or, if I did I was too far gone to remember, I guess. 

When I say sweeter, I mean 'to me', 'on this day', and I'm speaking in general terms that it seemed sweeter, as it compared to my recollection of all the other SmBLE's I've had, which go back (with the exception of '16) to 2010.    ...And, I include the many, many single barrel pix of all ten recipes I've tasted as well.   Not sure if all that helps you or not. 

Really, the only way to do such comparisons in a way that yields meaningful results, is in a blind SBS.

If I must. For research purposes and such. Thankfully I'm at the airport on my way to the commonwealth currently to accommodate this 

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On 10/19/2017 at 4:55 PM, Richnimrod said:

Having just been fortunate enough to grab a bottle of this year's 4-R SmBLE, I drove straight home and was barely thru the door before I had the bottle in hand was opening it up.

Upon sniffing the aroma, I tried to guess what would complement it the best, and decided upon Coca-Cola. 

I poured out about an ounce of the 4-R, and added around 4-ounces of chilled Coke, and a small ice cube.    I was disappointed with that combination and poured it out. 

I next tried Mountain Dew in the same approximate proportions.    THAT was Fabulous!

 

OK, I'm totally bullsh_tting you!     No soda was used in the pours, and no ice.    The plain truth is; this is a wonderful offering from the Roses.    It isn't really deep, though it's fairly complex.    It is a bit sweeter than some 4-R offerings, and has a wonderful honey-like finish.    There's a good deal of salty caramel, there's some fruitiness; but not that much, there is some wood; but only as way to hold it all together.   The more I sampled it, the more I was put in mind of a GBS pick of OESO (one of my personal faves) from a few years ago.    Simply a very enjoyable pour that can be savored and analyzed for a good while, if one has a mind to that sort of thing... which I may do; but not today.

In fact I may do a SBS with those two.    That would be telling, I think.     If you can grab one, I recommend you do.

Almost had me with the mixing, not that I have anything against mixing with soda, but I was saying to myself (Is this a bourbon you would want to mix)

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  • 5 weeks later...

Folks, what's the abv on your bottles of 2017 Small Batch? The stock (?) pictures floating around show 54.3%, and reviews mention things like "53.95% alcohol (107.3 proof)" which is BS. I'm pretty sure the bottle I sampled was 54.0%, and afaik these releases don't come in different batches...

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1 hour ago, Kane said:

Folks, what's the abv on your bottles of 2017 Small Batch? The stock (?) pictures floating around show 54.3%, and reviews mention things like "53.95% alcohol (107.3 proof)" which is BS. I'm pretty sure the bottle I sampled was 54.0%, and afaik these releases don't come in different batches...

European bottles are 53.9%, i've seen 54% too. 

 

Will.

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FYI, locally available 2017 FRSmBLE in MetroWest Boston is 54.0% ABV (108pf).  HTH.   :)

 

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45 minutes ago, GeeTen said:

FYI, locally available 2017 FRSmBLE in MetroWest Boston is 54.0% ABV (108pf).  HTH.   :)

 

Excellent, that's what I thought. Thanks. It drives me crazy when I forget to properly document what I have outside.

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I had a pour of this the first thing when I got it home. For me, it is quite different from the higher rye barrel proof offerings 4R puts out.

 

I would not call it sweet, but I would call it very fruit forward. The nose shows a nice ripe peach and ginger aroma, and both of those where present on the palate, along with a trace of almond extract. The first sip was a little thin on the finish, but repeated sips added a little heat with some butterscotch, cinnamon,  and oak.

 

I find this to be a very elegant bourbon. A nice pour if you are in the mood to sip and ponder.

 

Ray

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1 hour ago, graftonbc1 said:

I had a pour of this the first thing when I got it home. For me, it is quite different from the higher rye barrel proof offerings 4R puts out.

 

I would not call it sweet, but I would call it very fruit forward. The nose shows a nice ripe peach and ginger aroma, and both of those where present on the palate, along with a trace of almond extract. The first sip was a little thin on the finish, but repeated sips added a little heat with some butterscotch, cinnamon,  and oak.

 

I find this to be a very elegant bourbon. A nice pour if you are in the mood to sip and ponder.

 

Ray

Sounds great, I've already got one, didn't open it yet, but i can get another one, i'm wondering if it's worth it to stock up on this. Thx for heads up.

 

Will.

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19 hours ago, Masset1982 said:

Sounds great, I've already got one, didn't open it yet, but i can get another one, i'm wondering if it's worth it to stock up on this. Thx for heads up.

 

Will.

If I had the money and could find another one, I would get another. I had a second pour yesterday—just a half ounce in a glencairn,  and it shows even more complexity. I got a jolt of spearmint this time, and the finish was much more profound. 

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6 hours ago, graftonbc1 said:

If I had the money and could find another one, I would get another. I had a second pour yesterday—just a half ounce in a glencairn,  and it shows even more complexity. I got a jolt of spearmint this time, and the finish was much more profound. 

Bought it ;-) Now I can open the one i've got, thx for your thoughts on it. Cheers ! 

 

Will.

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56 minutes ago, Masset1982 said:

Bought it ;-) Now I can open the one i've got, thx for your thoughts on it. Cheers ! 

 

Will.

Let me know if you get that burst of spearmint. It actually startled me.

 

Enjoy.

 

Ray

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7 minutes ago, graftonbc1 said:

Let me know if you get that burst of spearmint. It actually startled me.

 

Enjoy.

 

Ray

I'll let you know for sure. 

 

Thx.

 

Will.

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  • 4 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Kyjd75 said:

Is it worth $189.99 for a bottle?

I'm hearing from people I trust that it's as good or better than the Al Young so I'd pay that for it. That would be my max however.

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2 hours ago, Kyjd75 said:

Is it worth $189.99 for a bottle?

I think the MSRP for it was like $130 this year? It’s good juice. Personally I would pay that price but a: I’ve tasted it and know it works well for my personal preferences and b: I’m in the camp that doesn’t cringe that much when it comes to spending that amount on a bottle. I think it comes down to how much you like Four Roses in general. If you’re a Four Roses fan, this is a classic release for them and you wouldn’t want to miss it. If you’re not a big Four Roses fan already, the money might be better spent on a couple cask strength Four Roses store picks to get you further down that road before committing as much to one bottle. I’ve bought a couple bottles of it though

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Is it as good as the 2012 or 2013 SmBLE? Not for me but then few things from FR since those bottles have been. I have been fortunate enough to have a few private selections that were pretty good for less money.

 

If I really wanted one and it was likely my best option I might go for it. Having been fortunate enough to get one and try it for myself I might buy another at MSRP but I wouldn't pay much over that for another.

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2 hours ago, tanstaafl2 said:

Is it as good as the 2012 or 2013 SmBLE? Not for me but then few things from FR since those bottles have been.

It's going to be difficult to match or top those two. Remember that those had the 16-18 yr OBSV with the mutated yeast that resulted in whiskey that "turned whatever it touched into gold" per Jim.

 

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It's a great bourbon.   With WLWGTS and  maybe VW  12, it's probably the best of the 2017 special releases that I have tried.   It is not close to the 2013 release.  But few bourbon of the last decade are.

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Does anyone know if the bottles available in Europe are a different batch or blend than what was available in America? I passed on 10 bottles of it in London today for 140£ ($175). I think the proof is the same, although I failed to get a good pic of the front of the bottle, but the back indicates there were 3000 bottles available.

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