Bourbon Express

During my recent visit to Kentucky, I toured a couple of distilleries, I wanted to add to my single barrel collection.  My first stop was Four Roses, on Bonds Mill Road, just north of the Bluegrass Parkway on 127 headed north toward Lawrenceburg.  

Four-Roses provides great information.  All of their products are from one of two mash-bills, or combinations of grains, one is wheat dominate, one is Rye dominate, and five yeast strains.  Between the two, there are 10 possible formulas.  Their lowest priced blends are going to be a blend of all ten, their small batches, will feature just a few, and their single barrel products are clearly labeled with the mash-bill and yeast strain.  Really a very amazing degree of transparency.  

Their top product is labeled "Distillers Select - Single Barrel." These are available in the onsite store and through very select retailers who go to the aging warehouse with the master distiller and select the barrel, that is then bottled and labeled for them.  I added one of the distiller selects to my collection.  It is the wheat heavy mash bill and a sweet floral yeast.  It should be very smooth. 

The bourbon truck above reminded me of Orange Juice adds run by a Detroit area supermarket chain in the 1970's (the same add ran in Cleveland for a difference super market chain.)  Sadly the Four Roses truck does not make home deliveries.  The aging and bottling facility is about 40 miles from the distillery, and the truck is used to move white whiskey from the distillery to the other facility to go into barrels, and from there after 5-10 years of rest, into the bottle.