whisky review 589 - High West Campfire & Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
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Mr. Ralfy
I know I am late on this video.
But I do lover the 4 roses.
Back per 1960 my grandmother would only let 4roses in the house and just at Christmas for eggnog and baking.
Buy the time I came along you really could not find 4 Rose's. They started back making it. So I got a bottle it really good and makes a fine eggnog.
After my father died we were cleaning out his house and ran across a trunk of my grandmother.
Well it had her last bottle of 4 Rose's. It tasted delicious but different.
The wood taste was more pronounced and it was really corn sweet. The vanilla and to a lesser degree walnuts was very strong.
It also made a good eggnog with my grandmother's recipe.
4 Rose's small batch is my go to bourbon. And I look forward to using it around Christmas to continue her tradition.
Ralfy, I am in Tennessee, and have been a fan of your opinion for years. I tried Four Roses on your suggestion, and was really underwhelmed. Upon coming back after a week it had changed completely, as you have said on numerous occasions in the past. This Bourbon will develop into something spectacular after a few days. It is well worth a try. Thank you so very much!! Travel safely on your upcoming trip to our country.
Four Roses Small Batch was the first bourbon I bought when I turned 21 (thanks to my dad's recommendation). Great bourbon, and great memories of it.
Ralfy, thanks for this double review. It has been about two years since you last reviewed an American spirit! But I have to point out that the High West Campfire isn't just a blend of bourbon and scotch, but a blend of a bourbon whisky, a rye whisky, and a scotch whisky. According to the High West website, both the bourbon and the rye are sourced from the MGP distillery in Indiana, and the bourbon was made from 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, while the rye whisky was made from 95% rye and 5% malted barley. High West also says that the scotch they imported, while peated, is a blended malt, and did not come from Islay, which would rule out Caol Ila. High West also notes that each of the whiskies is at least five years old.
The nose on Four Roses Small Batch is one of the most complex, yet balanced noses in bourbon that I've experienced. Pallete is pretty balanced and full too. It's really an excellent choice for its price, and even a bit beyond that.
Four Roses Small batch goes for about 30 dollars here in Los Angeles. This week I found two for $7.49 on clearance at a grocery store. there were 3 but I got so excited the janitor heard me and grabbed one. Its's a largely Mexican community and the only whisky marketed to us are Buchanan's and Chivas so nobody had a clue about Cuatro Rosas. I've been a fan since the start up Flip cam.
I usually drink Islay whiskies, but it's been around 100 degrees with humidity. I chilled the Four Roses small batch and through a spoon of cold water and it is lovely as you say brother.
Excellent review (as ever) - I've just re-visited bourbon whisky after some 40 odd yrs and it has really fired my interest and given me a credible' malt-ernative' spirit to balance against my usual single malt choices. My next bourbon purchase will indeed be Four Roses, so thank you Ralfy for rubber stamping the small batch as a great option.
I love tasting new whiskeys while watching your reviews. I feel like we're tasting together...such a gift!
Thank you, Ralfy, for bringing these to my attention. Got my hands on small batch from Four Roses recently and it is delicious! Excellent stuff!
Just discovered your youtube channel & love your reviews. I live in Kentucky and Four Roses small batch is my goto Bourbon. We have a new distillery named Boundary Oak distillery. Look for their aged spirits after December 2016. I had the privilege to sign their first batch oak barrel & will receive 2 bottles when it matures & bottled this December.
Great review Ralfy! Love High West and would enjoy more Bourbon reviews in general!
I'm drinking my first four roses small batch as I watch this video, and I'm lovin' it!
Cherrs Ralphy. I like that the High West did 3 different things in the sip. 1.) It tasted of typical sweet, bourbon, notes 2.) Wintergreen minty/earthy notes, then 3.) The peaty and toasty bread malt notee. I thought it was every note that makes whisky interesting.
Just a wee nitpick. Four Roses Small Batch isn't made with four casks, it's made with four of the ten Four Roses "recipes". "Small Batch" in the U.S has no legal connotation, it's simply marketing. Four Roses is also one of the most well-regarded bourbons in its price range, and a mainstay of many bourbon enthusiasts! It's far from underappreciated and overlooked.
. . . in the U.S. it is much more recognised than in the U.K. or other parts of the World. Hopefully that will change.
Great review Ralfy. Many thanks.
To my knowledge, Four Roses uses non GMO corn, which is very important for me to consider any corn based liquor.
For people who want to know more about the damaging effects of Glyphosate, which is the herbicide in Roundup, that is used heavily in growing GMO corn; simply search the web for "damaging effects of glyphosate". From cancer to kidney failure. The list is long.
I just stumbled across this review.. Because I just purchased the small batch. I'm going to try it for the first time.. Wonderful review my friend. You have earned my follow! Looking forward to more reviews!
I had a great Uncle, a hard-working tobacco farmer here in Southern Maryland, he preferred 4 Roses bourbon, he lived to be 91.
Just for the record, Bourbon was born in Maryland, specifically Southern Maryland, a small band of Folks left St. Mary's county, migrated to Kentucky, Bourbon made it's 1st. appearance in Kentucky, there you have it..
Thanks for this. There's a place here selling Four Roses small batch for dirt cheap, been on the fence about getting it as a sipper for some time, might get myself a bottle. No craft bourbons here in Israel sadly, would love to get my grubby paws on that Campfire.
Ended up picking up the Small Batch Limited Edition 2014 for $78, it's fantastic!
Ahi Ralfy, three things: 1) High West, isn't *quite* a distillery yet as they haven't released any of the spirit that they've made. As of now, they're just another Non-Distiller Producer, picking barrels from MGP/LDI and bottling the spirit under their own brand. 2) Four Roses doesn't use any wheat in their mashbills, only rye, corn, and barley. They have some pretty extensive information on their bills on their website. 3) Four Roses Small Batch uses much more than 4 barrels; the "4" you saw is that they only use 4 of their 10 in-house mashbills. Thanks as always for some wonderful discussion!
Ralfy, Four Roses also plays with an annually produced unique set of blends of corn and rye based spirits (all bourbon) with a designation of four letters (ex. OBSF). It's excellent and informs you of the inner makings of the blend your drinking. They run about $45 to $60 US and are well worth the money.
Im pretty sure the four roses is more than four single casks. It`s just that they use only casks containing 4 of their 10 mashbill/yeast variants.
The Four Roses SB is probably my fav bourbon I have tried. Its just a good bourbon at a great price.
Ralfy, I just did an experiments with some interesting results you might be interested in.
I bought me some oak sticks and some peat.
Lit the peat and let it smolder in a BBQ with the sticks inside with the lid closed for 3 hours.
Then i added the oak sticks to some cheap whisky which i did not enjoy that much and now 12 hours later the whisky improved greatly and is now medium/heavy peated.
LOVE IT.
Kind regards
. . . good stuff !
Hey Ralfy! Always love your reviews. Just a couple corrections though.
High West Campfire is a blend of three whiskies; a straight bourbon from MGP (formerly LDI and Seagrams) with a mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley, a straight rye also from MGP with a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% barley, and a blended malt that due to their non-disclosure agreements they don't say from where it hails - however; they do specify that it is not from Islay. I've heard reliable rumor that it's from Speyside - that narrows the list of possibilities quite a bit.
Four Roses Small Batch is actually a blend of four different recipes of the ten total they produce, not necessarily only four barrels - it's probably a much higher number of barrels than that. The recipes they use are varying combinations of two different mashbills and five different yeast strains.
I don't intend to come across as criticizing in my offering of corrections, I simply want to return the favor to you for all of the wonderful information I've learned from you over the years.
If you want to try something really interesting from High West, keep an eye out for A Midwinter Nights Dram. It's their annual autumnal release of a blend of six year old rye (95% rye 5% barley from MGP) and sixteen year old rye (80% rye, 10% corn, and 10% barley from the Barton Distillery) that have been married and extra matured in port and French oak barrels. It's really quite incredible.
Cheers, Ralfy! Can't wait for the next review!
Excellent and interesting review. I have a couple bottles of the Campfire -- it's super unique,...I do like it but need to be in the mood. Have a buddy that LOVES it. Four Roses is always consistent and very good!
Four Roses Small Batch is one of the best bourbons at that price point. Great flavor, lovely presentation, just a great all around bourbon.
Wow, following the nose notes from Ralfy on the high West while having a drink was quite the experience. Another great review.
New to bourbons and scotches over the last year. Four Roses is one of my favorite bourbon distilleries along with Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill. All of the Four Roses bottlings I have had is great. Quality is apparent as you eloquently describe as always Malt Mate Master...
Rally, there’s a new four roses small batch select out in the states now. Non chilled filtered and 52% ! I hope it makes it your way across the long for a review soon.
Cheers on your good taste sir, four roses is all I ever buy here in Tennessee as far as bourbon. I'm newer to scotch but I actually really like the Islay scotch, despite everyone telling me that trying those first would be too much for me. Love your reviews.
I may be wrong, but I believe the Scotch in Campfire is from Bruichladdich. There is also rye whiskey blended in. Pretty enjoyable stuff.
Very excited to see the return to some Bourbon reviews! Very much looking forward to the Evan Williams/Old Granddad review.
Love Campfire. Costs around £60 in the UK and has ridiculous 'food miles' but it's delicious. It has rye in it too (from Illinois I think), also according to the High West site the Scotch isn't from Islay but they won't say where it's from. That may have changed though.
I've home blended Balcones Baby Blue with single malt. not remembering which one exactly, but I think maybe Benromach 10. What I do remember, is how beautifully they tasted together. A great taste experience.
Another one to pick up if you've not yet had the pleasure, is Noah's Mill. It's a pokey little number, but the best Bourbon I've been able to try.
Love the Bottled in Bond bourbon. Always have the OGD BIB and EW BIB in the house. Nice review
Four Roses is in Lawrenceburg, KY. Not Frankfort Also, I am pretty sure the Four Roses Small Batch uses way more than just 4 barrels per batch. There are 4 recipes that comprise the small batch, but I am sure it is more than 4 barrels total. (Four roses has 10 recipes : 5 yeast strains and 2 mashbills. )
Four Roses is truly something special. Very good indeed. I had to share a dram with you for this review.
Cheers Ralfy!
Well done! My buddy just tried the four roses and he raved about how good it was. This reinforces me picking up a bottle.
Woodford Reserve, and Buffalo Trace are also quality bourbons.
Agreed! Picked those two up recently after my Knob Creek started running low.
Thx Ralfy .....ur reviews are always insightful, honest , fair and openminded .......very soothing and informative reviews .....thx again!
I have to agree on the Small batch and Four Roses in general nowadays, very good quality for a modest amount of money. Small batch is only $3 more than ordinary JD in Sweden and a much better buy. It has become my standard buy, replacing JD after some 30 years (still think JD were better in the 43% variety which started my drinking career)! Very different yes, but much more rewarding and complex, still sharing the same fundamentals which seems to please my taste buds.
Thanks for all the great reviews!
Great review Ralfy, as always! I'm in the US and maybe the exact transposition of you in terms of my spirits of choice. I'm a bourbon man, but appreciate a good scotch every now and then. As someone mentioned, unfortunately there is no legal definition of Small Batch in the US. However, I really like your thinking and wish the industry would limit it to 4 casks/barrels. That sounds like a fair number.
In terms of your review, you hit Four Roses right on the money. Amazing distillery, doing some outstanding things. If you haven't already, please look up the story of their former Master Distiller Jim Rutledge. He's a true legend in the bourbon world and worked extremely hard to bring keep the distillery going when its owners were close to shutting it down.
Also, as you mentioned the Four Roses Small Batch is a great value. I can get it here in the US for 25 dollars a bottle! That's my main problem with High West. Their whiskeys are decent, but their prices are outrageous and in no way are they worth what is charged. Not to mention they outsource almost (if not all) of their whiskeys from other distillers and blend them. I'm fine with that practice, and they are honest about doing it (as opposed to some brands out there that aren't - Templeton Rye for one); however if we look at the prices for many of the spirits that make up High West's whiskey blends, we can see that their markups are ridiculous. For example, they outsource and use MGP/LDI rye whiskey in most of their rye blends. I can get Bulleit Rye (also an MGP/LDI rye brand), for 22 dollars a bottle. That's a far cry and much better value than the 45 dollars a bottle that their rye sells for. Yes, there is some 16 year old rye mixed in there, but how much? My guess is not enough to make it worth double the price of Bulleit.
Thanks for another great review - good to see Bourbon back on the menu!
Just purchased an Evan Williams BiB & Four Roses SB and here you are with a review . . . lovely stuff! Find i'm 'going to' bourbon more than scotch in the summer months. Have tried the EW @43% and was impressed!
Due to your suggestions on experimentation I have recently been mixing corn whisky (Mellow Corn), Bulleit Rye & Glencadam 10 (a light malt) to try and develop my American spirits/bourbon knowledge and experiences. Tried without the malt at first but a little dash seems to work wonders and makes a spirit akin to bourbon but with less 'fresh' oaky notes; perhaps a little less sour also? Ratio of around 5:2:1
Would recommend all of the 3 above but the corn whisky in particular was a revelation - more like a scotch than a bourbon to my taste! Any chance of a Mellow Corn review?
Exciting review Ralfy! I'll be looking out for the Four Roses small batch. Since coming across your videos a few years ago I've become a single malt Scotch fan. It's nice to have a high quality bourbon now and then but once I had my first sip of Scotch I was hooked, heavily peated Scotch too. I'm also lucky that living in the U.S. most of the Scotch I buy is bottled at 43%, and like you, 40% is my cut-off point. Looking forward to the Old Grandad review!!! Be well, Ossie
Great review Ralfy. Four Roses is a great distiller and their offerings are just awesome. If you like Old Grand-Dad BIB then you must try some Old Grand-Dad 114. It knocks the socks off the BIB and does not cost much more.
Four Roses small batch is 20-35% rye according to their website. You can really taste the quality. Thanks for the bourbon reviews!
. . . the high rye content does not appear prominent to me in the taste, interesting stuff !
All these are in my backyard, but not a fan of four roses....where is the Blantons? Or the Buffalo Trace.....that leads to Pappy. Old Grandad is an amazing standard in the us. Hope you like that one.
surprised not to see makers mark in your choices not that i really need you to review it as i know its the best recipe ive come across so far and its pretty popular now still good choice of spirits ive never tried old grandad looks good to me ile wait for your review and maybe get some next payday just enjoying a shot of mellow corn by heavan hill also bottled in bond really rich and buttery if a little green (needs more age) good luck on the bike
I like the four Roses small batch.... 90 proof and it taste good and goes down smooth
Hello Ralfy : A kind reminder for the Balblair 90 review promised from Whisky Review 438. Cheers lad
I would choose High West over any bourbon any day, but Four Roses Small Batch is quite underrated.
I love four roses products. For me the primary nose and taste characteristic is cherry lime in all of the products. Completely unique to Four Roses. I've already spilled the beans about your bottled in bond reviews coming up at brown liquor reviews!! But your secret is safe with me!!
Thanks for your reviews.
A 90 for the four roses small batch & and it's only 30 pounds?
I gotta experience this for myself
Going out & buying a bottle as i write this 😊
Slainte
Glad to see more bourbon reviews! I've been a little lost lately with a lot of scotch reviews I'm not familiar with.
Very tempted to try 4 Roses Small Batch..its very popular....
Great vid again Ralfy!
Completely agree with you about J.D.
Will have to have a wee sample of those Bourbons!!
By the way Ralfy, the Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof is exceptional. I don't care for their other products, but the barrel proof is absolutely worth a try.
I’ve ordered a bottle of the small batch, looking forward to sipping this bottle of joy😄
"Excuse the pun keeping the spirit of bourbon alive...... There ya go" hahahahahaha I almost spit out my four roses, ralfy is the man
Great! I go to Utah next month. I hope to find a bottle and experience this lovely
Hey Ralfy, keep a look out for Smooth Ambler Contradiction and Orphan Barrel Barterhouse bourbons. Would love to hear your opinion on either of them.
Four Roses small batch and Highland Park 12 are my go to bourbon and Scotch to recruit friends to the magical world of whiskey. Not bad results so far.
this was the most interesting review a while now...i wish high west was more accessible where i live it sounded really interesting
Ralfy you opened my eyes to bourbon among so many other things...Cheers!
Mark
Four Roses Small Batch has been a staple for me when it comes to bourbon. Four Roses is interesting in that they have two mash bills and five yeast strains creating 10 recipes - then they combine those recipes to make each of their variations in different combinations. Small batch comes from 4 of the recipes being combined. It is my understanding that there are 250 barrels used to make Four Roses Small Batch. I whole heartedly agree with your assessment that bourbon makers need to be more clear on these things. You have to go to the distilleries to actually get the facts, rather than from the label. Here's to hopefully more transparency in the future!
Wow! 4 roses single barrel (my fav) is 89/100 and 4 roses special batch is 90.
Really interesting Review which I also really enjoyed, never tried the four roses. But it's been put on my to try list!
I like Bourbon. It seems more of a knock-it-back-in-one-evening type of spirits, but a pleasant experience none the less.
I think with Bourbon if you buy anything above the basic tier pricing ~20$ it is expected to be higher than 40%ABV. I haven't seen many over 30$ that are only 40%
Looking nice and trim for the trip, Ralfy. You've got, what, 2 months to go? Good luck, bud!! Oh, and make sure you try "Forty Creek" Rye when you go to the US (it's made in Ontario, but is popular in NAmerica). It's priced to compete with the Wisers crwod, but is a very nice little drop for the price.
Ralfy has already reviewed Forty Creek Barrel select and Copper Pot Reserve. Also, in one of his whisky collection videos I spotted a bottle of Forty Creek Confederation oak reserve on the shelf, my favourite of the bunch that is still available.
Nice, Good to see the Evan Williams, one of the best for the money!
Their Single Barrel was my 1st 'quality' bourbon that got me interested in bourbons.
Funny enough MOST people preffer the black label or the bonded (white label) over the single barrel...
I agree, the Black Label is the better one, especially for the money.
Have you enjoyed much Canadian Whisky? I've been drinking quite a few over the last few months and some have been superb.
I enjoyed this review... thanks!
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(Note, my composition includes blank lines and spaces for readability, but UA-cam may delete the spaces, creating a mess.)
I recently started experimenting with mixing Scotch and Bourbon 50/50 as a sort of Whisky enjoyment experiment. Perhaps I mentioned this already...
The setup: I've been buying US made spirits (Bourbon, Rye, etc.) based upon your recommendations. I've found that I haven't been enjoying these primarily corn based spirits. I purchased Makers Mark and I didn't enjoy it.
I decided to try mixing the Makers Mark with Scotch to see if this improved the taste.
My taste test results: every 50/50 mix with various Scotch that I tried seemed very unique and enjoyable.
I have a few less-expensive Single Malt that I don't tend to enjoy (example: Glen Moray Elgin Classic) and I found that I did enjoy the 50/50 mix with Makers Mark. I went on to try mixing famous Peated Scotch with Makers Mark and all combinations were very interesting and good. Some of the flavor combinations were great.
Here's my best point: this mix idea allows me to consume the open bottles of Single Malt that would otherwise sit untouched.
My plan of course is to consume these bottles over time via mixing with a non-rye corn based whisky to make good use of these bottles. I have found plenty of great Single Malt to purchase again, and the not-so-great bottles added to my knowledge.
What do you think?
Ralfy!! You must try a bottle of Gibson's 18 Year Old Rye some time :D I would LOVE to see what your opinion is of this fine bottle :D Also purchased a bottle of Aberlour A'Bunadh Cask 54 yesterday. I SWEAR for a scotch that is matured in sherry casks, this reminds me more of a very flavorful bourbon. The sherry is nicely muted and there seems a lot else going on there.
Cant drink it though without at LEAST 2 drops per sip. That is a cask strength whisky o_0
Ralfy: The Bothy. The Bonnet. The Bourbon. Accept no substitutes!
I really love your style and sincerity.
Just bought a bottle of the Four Roses Small Batch for £24 in Marks & Spencer. A great distillery and an extremely distinguished Master Blender in Jim Rutledge.
Me too, yesterday! Great price for what is, imo, a very solid bourbon.
I'm sorry to say Ralfy you must have gotten the last of the Scooby Doo bottles, they ended that last year I believe, the Bonded Grand Dad comes in the same style bottle as Basil Hayden's and has a cork now, also seems to taste a bit different, still a classic Grand Dad bite though!
From what I've heard, or read I should say, is that the Islay whisky is actually Bruichladdich, at least it use to be.
Four Roses Small Batch is really an excellent bourbon for £27 in the UK, can't go wrong if one likes one's bourbon!
You're gonna love that Old Grand Dad 100 and Evan white label
I found this channel yesterday and I have to say I love your reviews. I just Have a couple of questions.....and I bet it has been asked and answered before. But how come you are wearing a jacket and a hat indoors? and how come you have been wearing the same jacket and hat for years?
Ralfy, "small batch" can mean a batch of up to 200 barrels, usually in the U.S. it means 50 to 200 barrels. Please correct me if I'm wrong!
Hello ralfy, I noticed that you gave this four roses a 90 while you gave the single barrel an 89 a few years earlier. Does this mean that you prefer the small batch over the single barrel? Kind regards.
You can't go wrong with Four Roses Bourbon! You can go wrong with Rock Town. After your review, I had my liquor store get me a bottle of the Rock Town Bourbon. I have purchased many Ralfy recommend bottles, this was the first disappointment! :( (Batch #26, Bottle #354)
Ralfy: You have my 3 favorite bourbons, EW BiB, Four Roses and Rock Town from my native state of Arkansas.
Hey Ralfy. Have you ever tried the the American single malt whisky brand called Defiant? Its 82 proof.
right on ralfy.keeping the spirit alive.
I get the hint of solvent (acetone/nail polish) too from Four Roses, but yeah it does t actually detract from my appreciation of it.
As you probably are already aware, there are no laws defining what a small batch is in the U.S. There could be 100 or more! Who knows! It's gotta say Single Barrel to actually be from one cask.
Sorry a bit late and out of context Ralfy but I just bought a bottle of Glengoyne 15 @ $88 - and can't seem to find your review for the 15 year old.... need your advise on how the 15 fares in comparison to the 18 ?
PLEASE DON'T TELL EVERYONE ABOUT BONDED WHISKEY RALPHIE!!!! Just kidding. I have a half-empty bottle of Evan Williams bonded on my whiskey shelf next to the Springbank as I type this. $20 here in California, EWB is a must-have in any home bar. I'm open to Grandad though, haven't got around to that one yet.
I'll be looking for that Bourbon De Lux review!
Ah wish you had done these reviews a month ago. Was wondering what to buy & keeping with the aged trend, went on to get the bullelit 10 yrs bourbon & whistle pig rye 10 yrs. The rye is a bit tough to get thru wondering what can i try blend it with.
. . . I will not be buying Whistlepig.
It would've been nice to get your take on it. Cheers
Hey ralfy love your reviews and your views, I have a observation for you my friend... Lol dont take it the wrong way buy it seems you have some mold on your walls? I know it's your basement but it seems to getting more dark on the walls 😣
Ye been watching your reviews for a long time lol
I feel validated for keeping 4 roses stocked at all times :)
I went to buy Colorado Whisky yesterday but it was $60. Didn't bring enough cash, but there was Four Roses. I loved it. Great Whisky.
Ralfy, have you tried Woodford Reserve Double Oaked? It's very good and it's made using stills imported to the United States from Scotland. I visited the distillery in February.
Its horrible, Tastes artificially sweet, neh.
Just an FYI Ralfy - Four Roses is located in Lawrenceburg, KY.
Yes, it's Buffalo Trace that is located in Frankfort.
Old Grandad BiB is sooo nice w,/a beauty rye brash....my low budgt go2 bourbon ....luv ths stuf
Stop in to Denver next time, on the way! I'll give you something worth reviewing out of my collection.