The second annual release of Four Roses' Single Barrel Collection is here, and it brings three more expressions that most bourbon drinkers won't find in the distillery's standard lineup. Set to hit shelves nationwide in May, the trio is bottled at 100 proof and priced at $49.99 each — the kind of value that tends to move bottles fast.
This release comes with some added context. Four Roses recently changed hands, moving from Japanese beverage giant Kirin to California-based family winery E&J Gallo. The deal was announced earlier this year, though neither side disclosed the final number. Early reports put the figure somewhere around $775 million. Gallo's chief commercial officer Britt West had already telegraphed something like this was coming when he told VinePair that the brand's first significant release under new ownership would be a 100-proof whiskey. That promise has now been fulfilled.
Understanding the Code
The three new expressions are labeled OESQ, OESF, and OBSK. For anyone unfamiliar with the Four Roses naming system, these aren't random letters — each character in the code tells you something specific about what's in the bottle.
The "O" that leads every Four Roses designation simply means the whiskey was produced at the Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The second letter — "E" or "B" — identifies the mashbill. Mashbill E is a lower-rye grain formula made up of 75 percent corn, 20 percent rye, and 5 percent malted barley. Mashbill B leans harder on the rye, coming in at 60 percent corn, 35 percent rye, and 5 percent barley. The "S" that follows confirms the whiskey is a straight bourbon. The final letter is where things get interesting — it indicates which of Five yeast strains was used during fermentation, and each yeast brings its own distinct personality to the finished whiskey.
That last letter is what separates one Four Roses expression from another more than almost anything else. The distillery uses five proprietary yeast strains: V for delicate fruit, Q for floral character, O for rich fruit, F for herbal notes, and K for slight spice. When you combine two mashbills with five yeasts, you get ten distinct recipes — and that's been the Four Roses playbook for decades.
What's in the Glass
Each of the three new expressions covers different ground.
OESQ pairs the lower-rye E mashbill with the Q yeast strain, which is known for its floral and fruit-forward character. Tasting notes from the distillery describe floral and vanilla flavors, giving this one an approachable, aromatic quality that tends to appeal to drinkers who lean toward lighter, fragrant whiskeys.
OESF also uses the E mashbill but swaps in the F yeast, which adds herbal character to the mix. The result is described as light mint and soft grain, with candied fruit and baking spice layered underneath. It's a more complex pour than the name might suggest, sitting somewhere between delicate and substantive.
OBSK is the boldest of the three. It uses the high-rye B mashbill combined with the K yeast, which brings spice to the equation. The tasting notes point to rye spice and caramel — exactly what you'd expect from this combination, and exactly what a lot of bourbon drinkers are looking for when they reach for something with a little more backbone.
All three are aged between seven and nine years, putting them in a sweet spot that delivers maturity without the over-oaked heaviness that can sometimes come with longer warehouse time.
A Program Built on Rotation
The Single Barrel Collection launched in 2025 with four expressions: OBSV, OBSF, OESK, and OESO. Those four covered a flavor range that ran from herbal to spicy, and from light fruit to rich fruit. That inaugural group also included OBSV — the recipe that has been at the heart of Four Roses' single barrel identity since the expression was first introduced in 2004 under master distiller Jim Rutledge, shortly after Kirin acquired the brand and helped bring it back to prominence in the American market. Until last year, OBSV was the only recipe used in the single barrel program.
The intention from the start has been to rotate. Each year, new combinations come forward as others step back, giving collectors and enthusiasts a reason to return annually. It also gives the distillery a platform to showcase the full range of what its recipe library can produce, rather than locking the single barrel tier into a single expression.
That library is also growing. In 2024, Four Roses introduced two additional mashbills: one at 52 percent corn, 43 percent rye, and 5 percent barley — a notably high-rye formula — and another at 85 percent corn, 10 percent rye, and 5 percent barley, which runs in the opposite direction with a very low rye content. When paired with the existing five yeast strains, those two new mashbills will eventually bring the total recipe count from 10 to 20. That means the single barrel program has room to expand significantly in the years ahead, though those whiskeys need time to mature before they're ready to release. Several more years, at minimum.
Timing and Transition
The release lands at an interesting moment for the brand. Four Roses spent years under Kirin's ownership building a reputation as one of the most transparent and recipe-driven distilleries in Kentucky. The naming system that most producers would keep proprietary was turned into a selling point, with Four Roses essentially inviting drinkers to become fluent in the language of the distillery.
The move to Gallo brings new questions, but early signals suggest the new owners are letting the distillery operate on its own terms. This release, with its rotation of lesser-seen recipes and its continuation of a program that was only launched last year, suggests the people making decisions about Four Roses whiskey haven't changed even if the parent company has.
At $49.99 a bottle, the Single Barrel Collection positions itself as a serious whiskey at a price point that doesn't require an apology. These aren't allocated rarities that require connections to acquire — they're meant to be found, bought, opened, and compared. The rotation model actually rewards that kind of engagement, giving drinkers something to talk about from year to year.
Worth Knowing Before May
For anyone planning to track these down, a few things are worth keeping in mind. These are single barrel releases, which means individual bottles will have some variation depending on which specific barrel was selected. The flavor notes provided by the distillery are a guide, not a guarantee. That's part of the appeal for bourbon enthusiasts who enjoy comparing barrels of the same recipe.
The 100-proof bottling strength is also worth noting. It's high enough to carry flavor without dilution but not so high that it becomes a challenge to drink. For anyone who has spent time with the Four Roses standard single barrel at 100 proof, the experience here should feel familiar in the best way.
What's new is the recipe. And with three different ones on the table this year, there's a reasonable case to be made for trying all three — if only to understand what makes each one different from the others, and what that says about how much variation two mashbills and five yeast strains can actually produce.
The answer, if Four Roses' track record is any indication, is quite a lot.
