Four Roses Binny's Private Selection Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon - OBSQ

VITALS:

- $90

- 122.6 Proof

- 10 Years, 8 Months

- Barrel No. 244V

- Kentucky

The last time I reviewed a Four Roses private pick, it was the last of the recipes that I needed to try. Now that I've been able to get my hands on and try all ten recipes, I'm no longer on the lookout for any in particular. While I did have my favorites, given that for most recipes I've only had one bottle of each, it's hardly the kind of sampling that can establish a "favorite" recipe.

So, I can now just grab store picks as I find them, starting with this OBSQ that was aged for almost 11 years. I feel like that kind of age hasn't been found in these single barrels lately, so when I had the chance to grab it, I jumped at it. The fun part about having this blog is I can look back at what I thought about prior bottles. The last time I had an OBSQ was back in 2016, and I thought it was pretty good. Rich, sweet and spicy was apparently the takeaway then. I'm not sure this one was all that different in that respect. 

The nose gave way to that rye spice immediately, as I noticed a healthy amount of cinnamon spice right away. There was also a sort of breadiness to it that reminded me of cinnamon toast. It also had other rich and sweet notes as well, including chocolate and even a light, sweet tobacco leaf note. 

The cinnamon carried through on the flavor as well, though it was more like a rich, candy-like cinnamon flavor that was mixed with an amaretto note. The combination was really good and while very rich (I feel like I'm using that word a lot here), it never got to be too sweet.

I also got a slight anise note that at times seemed to come across as more of a candied cherry note. There was an accompanying chocolate note as well, and paired with that amaretto note, it somewhat reminded me of a cherry cordial. 

The finish was, you guessed it, rich. That amaretto note seemed to stick around the longest, which I'm quite alright with as I love amaretto.  The spicy cinnamon also lingered for quite some time at the back of my throat. The finish on this bourbon really seemed to last forever, and I found myself savoring each sip long after I had swallowed.

This was, once again, a very good Four Roses single barrel pick. I have yet to have one that has disappointed, regardless of recipe or who picked it. 

Grade: A-