GSN Spirited News: April 6th 2021 Edition

Four Roses is expanding distribution of its Small Batch Select Bourbon into 13 new markets, including Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The 52% abv offering, a blend of six Bourbons all aged a minimum of six years, retails at $60 a 750-ml. and debuted in 2019.

Casa Don Ramón Tequila has introduced three new expressions to the U.S. They include a Platinium Plata, as well as Reposado and Añejo Cristalinos. The brand’s Reposado Cristalino matured for four months in a combination of American and French oak before filtering, while Don Ramón Añejo Cristalino was aged in the same combination for one year. All three spirits are bottled at 40% abv and distilled from 100% blue agave. The range retails from $42-$46 and is part of Dialce’s family of Tequilas, which also includes Tequila Don Alvaro, Tequila Buen Amigo, and Tequila Valerosa.

Denver-based Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, part of the Proximo Spirits portfolio, has announced Bushmills Cask, the latest barrel. The 47% abv whiskey is matured first in American oak before finishing in casks that previously held Bushmills Irish whiskey. The whiskey is the first release in the brand’s Distiller’s Exclusive Series and retails for $70 a 750-ml.

Santo Spirits, the agave spirits-focused brand from musician Sammy Hagar and chef Guy Fieri, has released a new Reposado Tequila expression. Santo Reposado is made by distiller Juan Eduardo Nuñez and is matured for five months in charred American oak barrels before bottling at 40% abv. Santo’s Reposado Tequila is now available across the U.S. for a suggested price of $40 a 750-ml. It joins the brand’s Blanco Tequila and Mezquila, an agave spirit distilled from a blend of Blue and Espadín agaves.

Beam Suntory is targeting the low-calorie spirits market with Pinnacle Light & Ripe, a new collection of flavored vodkas with 75 calories per 1.5-ounce serving. The brand extension has debuted with two flavors—Apricot Honeysuckle and Guava Lime—each at 30% abv. Both flavors of Pinnacle Light & Ripe are now available across the U.S. for around $11 a 750-ml.

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has added Horse Soldier Bourbon to its portfolio across the distributor’s national footprint. The veteran founded brand will be part of SGWS’ new Fine Wine and Artisanal Spirits program. This will expand the whiskey brand’s existing partnership with Foley Family Wines, which recently aligned with SGWS nationally. The Horse Soldier portfolio consists of the brand’s flagship Bourbon (43.5% abv), a small batch release (47.5% abv), and a barrel strength variant.

Beam Suntory-owned Laphroaig has announced a new limited edition 10-year-old single malt Scotch whisky finished in Oloroso Sherry casks. The whisky is bottled at cask strength—48% abv—after spending 12-18 months finishing in Sherry casks. Laphroaig 10-Year-Old Sherry Oak Finish is rolling out now across the U.S. where it will retail for a suggested price of $90 a 750-ml. For this release, only 4,450 cases will be available globally.

Courtesy of Shanken News Daily

GSN Review: Four Roses Bourbon

The legend of the four roses hearkens back to 1888. No doubt, Jerry Thomas of 19th century bartending fame was well acquainted with their product.  Founded by Rufus and Origen Rose, they also included the two male heirs of the family into the brands name.  Thus, the four Roses were born as a bourbon crafted in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

Although the company has had its share of ups and downs over the years mainly due to changing tastes from straight to blended bourbons, they have never entirely disappeared off the liquorious map.  It took a Japanese company (Kirin) to bring back the former glory of the distilleries straight bourbons under the tutelage of Jim Rutledge since 1995.

The company ages ten different bourbons which are bottled in differing manners depending on whether they are blended or single barrel versions.  They also release special and limited editions on occasion.  GSN was sent a selection of Four Roses bourbons currently available in the US.  For those of our lucky readers in Japan, you may wish to seek out a few other styles only available to you.

Four Roses Yellow Label (80 proof)
Visual: Light gold.
Nose: Tangy and sweet with a lot of woody high notes.  Very genteel.
Taste: Light and elegant with a very approachable sweetness.
Finish: Fairly short with a hint of honey at the very end.
Overall: Quite mixable and easy to drink.  A great bourbon for the beginner.
GSN Rating: B+

Four Roses Small Batch (90 proof)
Visual: Mellow gold.
Nose: Dry and crisp with a subtle apple scent.  Very autumnal.
Taste: Amazingly round and creamy with a very smooth mouthfeel.  The flavor goes beyond this though, with a lot of peppery spice and baked nutbread character.  Dessert-like and quite the sipper.
Finish: The ginger bite and honeyed sweetness fades fairly quickly, leaving an overall sensation of vanilla cream and cinnamon.  Very interesting and memorable.
Overall: A bourbon that not only is surprisingly mellow, but at the same time has a unique fruity character that I’ve not come across in many bourbons.
GSN Rating: A–

Four Roses Single Barrel (100 proof)
Visual: Yellow-gold.
Nose: Hefty and with a brilliance of sweet summer corn.
Taste: Rich, warm, buttery toffee with a sudden burst of oaky intensity.
Finish: Long and sweet.  Like a southern belle, you’ll want to keep holding it close to you and remember the body.
Overall: I am highly impressed with this bourbon that just keeps going on and on.  One of my favorites.
GSN Rating: A

Four Roses 125th Anniversary (103 proof)
Visual: Darkening golden brown.
Nose: A huge amount of high notes with an almost well-aged cognac character.
Taste: The taste as well is surprisingly cognac-like.  Rich, elegant, enveloping and the kind of bourbon that you only pull out on special occasions.  Wow!
Finish: Medium long, but with a lot of percolating sweet and spicy notes that open up with a bit of water.
Overall: This is a world-class bourbon that exemplifies the art of distilling and blending.  Well worth seeking out to “cellar”.  Kudos to Master Distiller Jim Rutledge for this engaging beauty!
GSN Rating: A+

For more information go to: Four Roses

GSN: Backbar Review – August 5-9, 2013

Rémy Martin’s ultra-luxury Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 Cognac is making its U.S. debut this month at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Sourced from one unique barrel selected from among hundreds of century-old tierçons, the 42.6%-abv Cognac is packaged in individually numbered Baccarat black crystal decanters, of which 738 were made. Louis XIII Rare Cask is selling at the Four Seasons’ Window Lounge in different pours starting at $1,000 for a half-ounce. Full bottles of the luxury offering will retail at $22,000 apiece. Other U.S. venues slated to soon begin selling Rare Cask 42.6 include Ago in Los Angeles, the New York Palace, Café Nuovo in Providence, the St. Regis Atlanta, Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa and Villa Azur in Miami.

Hennessy Cognac is bringing its super-premium Paradis Imperial marque stateside. The expression is available across the U.S. market for $2,700 a bottle. Paradis Imperial is a blend of eaux-de-vie singled out after fermentation, ranging from 30 to 130 years old, and matured in old casks. After fermentation, only one of 1,000 eaux-de-vie of a given vintage becomes part of the Paradis Imperial blend. The ultra-luxury offering is packaged in a glass decanter—designed by award-winning French Baccarat designer Stéphanie Balini—that features the iconic Hennessy shape and a crystal cabochon on top of an 18-carat gold and silver collar. Each bottle is individually numbered and comes in a luxury gift box.

Four Roses Distillery has unveiled its 2013 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon. A barrel-strength whiskey, the new offering will be released in September, priced at $85-$90 a bottle. Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge picked whiskies from three of Four Roses’ 10 Bourbon recipes to create the barrel-strength Bourbon—including 18-year-old selections of Four Roses’ recipe coded OBSV, a 13-year-old OBSK and a 13-year-old OESK. About 8,000 bottles of the uncut, non-chill-filtered expression will roll out in retail stores. Last year’s Four Roses 2012 Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon was named American Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate.

New York-based Spirits of Bhutan is bringing K5, billed as the first-ever whisky from Bhutan, to the U.S. market. It’s available online at SpiritsofBhutan.com for $49.99 a 750-ml. bottle, and is also launching at various New York on- and off-premise venues like The Brandy Library, Ambassador Wines & Spirits and other bars, hotels and restaurants. Blauvelt, New York-based Duggan’s Distillers is handling distribution of the brand. K5 whisky is a blend of 8-year-old and 12-year-old vatted malts made with grain whiskies and natural spring water from the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Heaven Hill Distilleries has introduced the limited edition Elijah Craig 21-Year-Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon. The release will be available in limited quantities in select markets across the country for one time only. It’s slated to hit shelves in September and will be priced at $140 a 750-ml. The 21-year-old Bourbon is packaged in the flask-shaped Elijah Craig Single Barrel bottle with a cork closure and marbled capsule, as well as a blue label with the age statement prominently displayed and the barrel number and “barrel date” on the back. The release follows the rollout of the Elijah Craig 20-Year-Old Single Barrel, which earned American Whiskey of the Year honors from Whisky Advocate.

Brown-Forman is set to roll out the limited edition 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon this month. Priced at $54.99 a 750-ml. bottle, the Bourbon will be available beginning mid-August in limited quantities at retail stores across the country. The vintage-dated Bourbon is packaged in a decanter-style glass bottle, designed to look like that of the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced. Each bottle also features the date on which the Bourbon was barreled and bottled. Old Forester releases a special expression every year to commemorate the birthday of the brand’s founder, George Garvin Brown (September 2). This year’s edition is the 12th to be created. The brand also offers the Classic 86 Proof and Signature 100-Proof Bourbon variants.