Four Roses Single Barrel Liquor Barn Private Selection Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon - OBSO

VITALS:

- $90

- 106.2 Proof

- 10 Yrs., 7 Mos.

- Barrel No. 4-1R

- Kentucky

Whenever I go to Kentucky, I almost always make it a point to stop by multiple liquor stores, including Liquor Barn, just to see what they might have in stock that I can't get here in Illinois.  I'm not deluded into believing I'm going to find something rare, but each time I've been able to find something different, whether that's simply a store pick of something decent or something that just doesn't make its way to Illinois shelves.

On my last trip I went to the Liquor Barn I'm familiar with hoping to find at the very least a decent store pick, perhaps a Russell's Reserve or a Four Roses pick. But, after perusing the aisles, each and every end cap and even the "rare and limited" cabinet, I was uninspired and resigned myself to the fact that I was leaving empty-handed.  I grabbed some whiskey glasses as a gift, and when I was checking out, I happened to look up and there, sitting on the top shelf behind the register, were the last two bottles of one of their Four Roses picks. My trip was salvaged, and I cracked it open that night!

The nose was absolutely delicious, full of chocolate and peanut butter. In fact the peanut butter note was fairly strong, and it reminded me of nutty buddies (which just happens to be one of my favorite sweet snacks).  I also got a tart cherry note, kind of like a fresh cherry off the tree. 

On my first sip, I immediately noticed that nutty buddy note. I got peanut butter along with a sweet milk chocolate that immediately told me I was going to really enjoy this bottle. In addition to those notes, though, I also got some orange peel and brown sugar. It was kind of like and old fashion with a peanut butter cup shoved in the glass.

I definitely got a bit of cherry but it lacked that tartness that I was getting off the nose. Rather, it was a welcome addition to the peanut butter cup old fashioned flavor I was getting. There was also a bit of an oak note on this, which added some bitterness that kind of replaced the tartness from the cherry. The oak and the chocolate notes seemed to persist the most on what was a long finish, and at the very back end some black pepper spice came through as well, providing just a bit of kick.

The conclusion I reached here is that I need to get more Liquor Barn picks. Whoever picked this barrel has (subjectively) great taste, as this was a delicious Four Roses pick.

Grade: A-