DISTILLERY · LAWRENCEBURG, KENTUCKY, USA
Four Roses Distillery
Ten recipes, one Spanish Mission distillery — bourbon's great system.
Four Roses (brand founded 1888) distills in a landmark 1910 Spanish Mission–style distillery near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and is unique in bourbon for crossing two mash bills (high-rye B: 60/35/5 and lower-rye E: 75/20/5) with five proprietary yeast strains to yield ten distinct recipes. Whiskey ages in single-story rack warehouses at Cox's Creek for gentler maturation; the master distiller is Brent Elliott. In April 2026 E. & J. Gallo completed its $775M acquisition of the brand from Japan's Kirin (owner since 2002) — returning it to American family ownership for the first time in 83 years, with Elliott and his team staying on.
THE FOUR ROSES RANGE
One system, six expressions.
Same ten recipes — different minglings
Yellow Label
entry level · NAS
The all-ten-recipe everyday mixer.
1 bottle →
Small Batch
core range · 90 proof
Four recipes, softer and juicier — the easy pour.
1 bottle →
Small Batch Select
flagship review · 104 proof
Six recipes, non-chill-filtered — the sweet spot of the range.
Barrel Strength Picks
store selections
Single-barrel, full-proof store picks — recipe roulette for the devoted.
collector path →
Limited Edition Small Batch
annual · allocated
The 11–16 year unicorn, released each fall.
1 bottle →
FOUR ROSES BOTTLES · REVIEWED & RANKED
The bottles.
scored / 100 · prices checked july 2026
| Rank | Bottle | Note | Score | Price | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Limited Edition Small Batchbourbon · barrel strength · 11–16 yr | The allocated annual unicorn — extraordinary and priced like it. | 95SCORE | $150+ | COMING SOON |
| 02 | Small Batch Selectusa / four-roses / bourbon / small-batch-select | Velvety six-recipe bourbon at 104 proof — the core-range sweet spot. | 91SCORE | $60 | READ REVIEW → |
| 03 | Single Barrelusa / four-roses / bourbon / four-roses-single-barrel | High-rye single recipe — cherry, spice and polish. | 89SCORE | $50 | READ REVIEW → |
| 04 | Small Batchbourbon · 90 proof | Softer, juicier, cinnamon-and-fruit — the everyday pour. | 87SCORE | $38 | COMING SOON |
| 05 | Yellow Labelbourbon · 80 proof | The friendly entry mixer. | 84SCORE | $25 | COMING SOON |
FOUR ROSES — THE STORY
Ten recipes, one address.
The 1910 Spanish Mission distillery sits on the Salt River near Lawrenceburg — a National Register landmark, and one of the most distinctive buildings in bourbon. Here Four Roses runs a system found nowhere else: two mash bills (high-rye B, lower-rye E) crossed with five proprietary yeast strains, yielding ten distinct recipes with four-letter codes like OBSV and OESK.
Each bottling mingles those recipes differently — Yellow Label uses all ten, Small Batch four, Single Barrel just one. The ownership arc runs from the Seagram years to Kirin (from 2002, which returned Four Roses bourbon to US shelves after decades as an export brand) to E. & J. Gallo, whose $775M acquisition completed April 2, 2026, bringing the brand back to American family ownership — with master distiller Brent Elliott staying on.
Answered by Everett Boone · The American Seat
What are the ten recipes?
Two mash bills (high-rye B, lower-rye E) crossed with five yeast strains: V (delicate fruit), K (spice), F (herbal), plus O and Q (florals). The four-letter codes decode simply — O = Four Roses, the second letter (B or E) = mash bill, S = straight whiskey, and the last letter = yeast. So OBSV is the high-rye bill with the fruity V yeast.
Who owns Four Roses now?
E. & J. Gallo — the California wine giant completed its acquisition from Japan's Kirin on April 2, 2026, in a deal worth roughly $775M. The team and master distiller Brent Elliott stay on, so day-to-day production and the ten-recipe system are unchanged.
Can you visit?
Yes — there's a visitor center at the Lawrenceburg distillery, plus the separate Warehouse & Bottling facility at Cox's Creek where the whiskey ages and is bottled. Check current tour schedules before you go.
Which bottle should I buy first?
Small Batch Select (91/100 at ~$60) is the range's sweet spot — six recipes, 104 proof, non-chill-filtered; read the review. If you want the profile cheaper and softer, Small Batch at ~$38 is the everyday pour.
Can we send you our whiskey?
Yes — and it's the only way to earn a Superior Rating. Distilleries are welcome to send bottles for the full panel: two per expression, one decanted into blind samples for the three of us, one sealed on file. All three seats taste it blind and the scores are averaged. Sending buys three honest opinions and nothing else — nobody sees a score before publication.