Toast | Rye grain | Light Nutella spread | White peppercorn | Touch of oak | Light & mild

Green apple | Rye spice | Baking spices | Cinnamon stick | Tannic oak

Light baking spices | Rye spice | Nutmeg | Oak | Light leather | 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 OESK mashbill consists of 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley. The strain of yeast used is version “K” and when combined to create the specific recipe, it’s described as containing baking spice. 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.

Similar to the standard OBSV Single Barrel Bourbon, the OESK release from this year’s Single Barrel Collection brings a mild nose and straightforward finish. Where the two differ is how OESK goes about this. The sip opens with intriguing scents, however, they’re light and mild overall, making you wish they had a bit more oomph. The midpoint brings about a focus on spicy notes before carrying these flavors over to the finish, which while pleasing, is on the lighter side. Overall, it is a nice example of variation from the standard Four Roses OBSV recipe, however, it doesn’t reach the same heights as other recipes in this year’s Single Barrel Collection.