OESO

RICH FRUIT AND VANILLA

Welcome to the eighth edition of our monthly recipe features. If you’re just joining us, it’s great to have you! If you have seen our previous features, then you know by now that Four Roses is the first distillery to combine two different mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains to create 10 distinct Bourbon recipes. We then use these Bourbons – either individually or in blends – to achieve a limitless array of flavor profiles. It’s part art, part science, and all love.

Today we are exploring the third of our five “E” mashbill Bourbon recipes: OESO. This code tells us two very important things: First of all, the E specifies the mashbill, as mentioned. The second O denotes the yeast strain. The other two letters, the first O and S, are common to all 10 recipes and simply state that these Bourbons are made at Four Roses Distillery and are Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Now let’s get back to our featured Bourbon: OESO.

 

 

 

OESO is a mingling component in Four Roses Bourbon at five to six years of age and Four Roses Small Batch at six to seven years old. OESO makes up 15 percent of our Small Batch, and its contribution of rich fruit helps define the balanced flavor Four Roses Small Batch is celebrated for. Here’s our master distiller, Brent Elliott, with more detail about the flavor of OESO and the contributions it makes to our blends:

During fermentation, the O yeast strain creates deep flavors and aromas of maraschino cherries, ripe apples and ripe berries. These distinct flavors – found in both the OESO and OBSO recipes – add body and complexity when combined with other Bourbon recipes. Made with our low-rye “E” mashbill, OESO exhibits less rye spice and more corn character than the higher-rye cousin, OBSO, creating a mellow balance of fruit, spice and subtle sweetness.

Now that we’ve covered the flavor profile of OESO, do you think you can spot its influence in Four Roses Bourbon or our Small Batch? If you’re really lucky, you can also experience its rich fruit and vanilla contributions in a few past Limited Edition releases listed below:

• 2016 Limited Edition Small Batch
• 2009 Mariage Collection
• Jim Rutledge 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Single Barrel (2007)         

So that’s the skinny on OESO. Can you believe we only have two more recipes left to cover? We hope you’ve had as much fun learning about our Bourbons as we have sharing them with you. Stay tuned for next time when we take a deep dive into the delicate grains and light floral character of our ninth Bourbon: OESQ. In the meantime, learn more about our 10 distinct Bourbon recipes here. 

*Note, this is not a featured recipe to purchase in the Four Roses Visitor Center gift shops.