Lots of event invitations appear in our inbox these days…
While some are more enticing than others, we genuinely looked forward to trying Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch at The Hawksmoor.
Ushered into a nook of the wonderfully beefy-smelling restaurant, with a Meantime Pale to keep us company, we waited for the rest of the guests to arrive and the tasting to kick off.
Four Roses UK Ambassador, Dan Priseman, took us through the range, starting with Yellow Label and leading up to the main event, the newly-released Limited Edition Small Batch.
Chilli-cheese burgers and chips arrived on our plates just as the Small Batch was being poured, but such was the anticipation of trying one of only 120 bottles released to the UK, they remained untouched until the tasting was done.
The Ltd Edition Small Batch is a blend of 10, 11 and 15YO bourbons married together at barrel strength – 55.1 ABV – and is not chill filtered.
The tasting notes from Inspirit Brands say:
“On the nose it is surprisingly reserved hinting at a gentle and smooth bourbon, soft oak, vanilla fudge and honeysuckle aromas come through offering a balance of sweet and dry notes.
Subtle flavours of apricot and pear are balanced with hints of light spice, tobacco and honey as well as red berry notes hiding in the background.
The creamy smooth finish is exceptionally long and satisfying with both a creamy mouth feel and a hint of dryness lingering and accentuating the oak and vanilla notes. This is a bourbon to savour.”
Poker Perfect
We would certainly agree, and found it very smooth for a barrel strength bourbon – more like being thumped with a heavy cushion than kicked in the teeth, if you know what we mean.
It rapidly became our drink of choice for sipping with cigars during a poker night… it’s that kind of bourbon, and at around £70 a bottle from The Whisky Exchange, it is also pretty accessible for such a limited run spirit.
Thanks to Inspirit for putting on such an enjoyable night, and also to Missy Flynn and the staff at The Hawsksmoor for showing us a good time.