Honeycomb | Nutmeg | Baking spices | Mint leaf | Spiced apple

Vanilla | Rye spice | Dry oak | Leather | Dried apple | Cinnamon stick | Dry

Baked apple | Cinnamon | Light rye spice | Leather | Faint oak | White peppercorn | Pleasant light heat

Four Roses’ standard 100 proof single barrel has always been OBSV, however, at the end of 2024, the company announced that they would be releasing a new Single Barrel Collection to coincide with their 20th anniversary. Their intention is to expand on their current single barrel product. The company states that “The Single Barrel Collection will feature the first three new 100 proof Single Barrel bourbons  – OBSF, OESK, and OESO – alongside the flagship Single Barrel, OBSV.” The company goes on to state that “Following this first Single Barrel Collection, which will be available throughout 2025, Four Roses will continue to introduce a new set of Single Barrels each year, rotating between the nine unique recipes that complement the flagship Single Barrel recipe.”

Four Roses uses two different mashbills and five different yeast strains to create 10 unique bourbon recipes. The OBSF mashbill consists of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. The strain of yeast used is version “F” and when combined to create the specific recipe, it’s described as containing flavors of delicate rye and mint. Like the other bottles in the single barrel collection, the bourbon in the review was aged between 7-9 years. Of note, Four Roses releases single barrel, barrel proof versions of all 10 of their recipes, however, these are only available via private selection.

Despite using a different mashbill and yeast strain than the standard OBSV recipe, OESK surprisingly delivers a similar flavor profile with nuanced differences. This single barrel representation of OESK pulls in spiced apple and rye spice that focuses on a lighter, pleasing delivery. Mint leaf appears upfront, which is a nice touch, but overall, the sip leans into a more traditional repertoire of flavors. For fans of the standard OBSV recipe, OESK is made from a completely different recipe but ultimately offers only a slight variation of flavor that will likely appeal to fans of the standard version. For everyone else, they’ll most likely find OBSF to be an inoffensive and straightforward drinking bourbon.