2021 Holiday Shopping List, the Bourbons: Four Roses Single Barrel & Barrel Strength Single Barrel

Disclaimers first: as I live in North Carolina and am posting a picture of FRSB Barrel Strength, @whiskeyyeet is entitled to 10% royalties of all income this post generates. It’s a bit of a Cosa Nostra/Intellectual Property thing we all have to acknowledge. Also, to my disappointment but not my surprise, I seem to have drank all my 100 proof FRSB, so this last bottle of the Barrel Strength is standing in for both today.

This is again a 2-for-1 post, because much like a circa-2010 Georgia Tech offense or a Wall Street broker, we’re all about the options. Regardless of proof, Four Roses Single Barrel has rightfully enjoyed its reputation as one of the best ongoing production lines in American whiskey. I’d go so far to say that the Barrel Strength version is one of the few peers to my beloved Russell’s Single Barrel, and the only thing holding me back from Pokémon-style collecting these bottles is their rarity in my part of the USA.

So, option 1 today is the classic 100 proof FRSB. Roughly $45 SRP, and spotlighting the OBSV recipe, this is a perfect gift if you’re under a budget or shopping for someone just beginning to branch out into the deeper waters of whiskey exploration. My best friend calls FRSB his gateway drug, with his first bottle being a Christmas gift from me several years ago. The unique, never-replicated fun of the single barrel roulette is also part of the charm, and makes the gift feel that bit more personal. And while I can’t promise you on any one flavor being present, I can promise it’ll be delicious.

Now, if we’re shopping for something or someone special, then it’s hard to do better then FRSB Barrel Strength. For roughly $80 USD, you can select from any of Four Roses’ 10 recipes, with average ages ranging from 9.5-11 years old. Obviously, there can be vast differences between bottles and mashbills, but the OBSO I’ve had is a tsunami of spice, dark fruit, and midnight black chocolate. Bourbon fans love these the way Leo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill love quaaludes in Wolf of Wall Street, and for the same reason — it doesn’t take much to feel great.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

Low Class & High Proof

I learned how to make cocktails watching Danger 5