Four Roses

Four Roses is a brand of Kentucky, the famous home of American bourbon whiskey. It is produced at the Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg. Both brand and distillery are Japanese-owned.

Four Roses bourbon products are sweet, creamy and oaky with a distinct rye character. According to some reviews, they also deliver some light hints of fresh fruit.

Four Roses is produced using high-quality GMO corn, rye and malted barley. Malt is used to kickstart the conversion of starch into sugar. It also adds complexity to the flavour profile.

The distillery uses two mashbills. Mashbill B consists of 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley. Mashbill E is 75% corn, 20% rye and 5% malted barley.

The distillery can produce ten distinct bourbons by combining each mashbill with five different yeast strains.

One variety is used to produce the Single Barrel bottling. Four are mingled to create the Small Batch and six combine to create the Small Batch Select.

The spirit is distilled twice. The first run takes place in a column still. The second takes place in a pot still-like “doubler” that removes any leftover impurities.

The bourbon is matured in new charred American oak barrels for at least 5 years. Barrels are stored in a warehouse in Cox’s Creek, KY.

The origin of the bourbon is shrouded in mystery. Early labels said it was named after the four daughters of Rufus Mathewson Rose. However, any connection to the Rose family is unclear. The brand was registered in 1888 by Paul Jones Jr, who gave a more romantic account of its beginnings.

Jones claimed that he had fallen in love with a southern belle and asked for her hand in marriage. She told him he would know her answer by the corsage she wore at the grand ball. When the lady arrived wearing a corsage of four red roses, he knew that she had accepted. Since Jones never married, this would appear to be a clever marketing story from a canny salesman.

In 1922, the Paul Jones Company purchased Frankfort Distilling Company. The deal included Old Prentice Distillery in Lawrenceburg. 

During prohibition, the distillery was given a permit to sell bourbon for medicinal purposes. Since many people quickly developed ailments, business boomed. By the time prohibition ended, Four Roses had a head start on the competition. Soon, it had become the best-selling bourbon in the USA. 

The brand was bought by Canadian distiller, Seagram in 1943. Seeking to create space for their Canadian whiskies, Seagram pulled Four Roses from the market. The straight bourbon was then sold in Europe and Asia while the name was given to an inferior blended whiskey in the US.

Jim Rutledge joined Seagram in 1966. After several years with the business, he was named master distiller for Four Roses. Rutledge campaigned tirelessly to have the bourbon restored to the US but it took a change in ownership to make it happen.

In 2002, the business was bought by Japanese beer and spirits producer Kirin Brewing Company. Under new ownership, Four Roses Bourbon was reintroduced to the US market.