OESV

DELICATE FRUIT AND CARAMEL

Being able to choose from 10 distinct Bourbon recipes – and either blend them together or bottle them individually – gives Four Roses the unique ability to achieve a limitless range of flavor profiles. As you probably know, we make these 10 recipes by combining five proprietary yeast strains with two different mashbills, which we have designated our “B” mashbill and “E” mashbill.

During the past several months, we’ve taken a close look at our “B recipes,” describing how they taste on their own, what they contribute to blends, and where you can find them in our permanent lineup or Limited Edition Bourbons. Now we begin the second half of our journey by examining recipes from our E mashbill, starting with the delicate fruit and caramel charms of OESV.

Before we get started, let’s have a quick refresher on our two mashbills:

MASHBILL B – Rye Forward
60% Corn
35% Rye
5% Malted Barley

MASHBILL E – Bright Grains
75% Corn
20% Rye
5% Malted Barley

Here, our Master Distiller, Brent Elliott, describes our two mashbills and talks about the way the E mashbill and V yeast combo affects the flavor of OESV:

It is clear from tasting our Bourbons and seeing our grain recipes that rye is a big contributor to the flavor profile of all our products. We always refer to our E mashbill as “low rye,” but that is only in relation to our B mashbill.

With a rye content of 20%, our E mashbill is rye-heavy compared to most other Bourbons. While our high-rye B mashbill creates a rye impression that is unmistakable, the rye’s contribution to the E mashbill is – while still apparent – much more subtle.

OESV is the most subtle of our 10 recipes; it combines the E mashbill and V yeast strain, creating a Bourbon that’s not overly fruity, spicy, herbal or floral. Its light fruit flavors of pear and apricot balance nicely with corn and rye notes to achieve an elegant, nuanced Bourbon. 

If you want to get a taste of OESV, it is the highest-percentage recipe in Four Roses Bourbon, and you can also experience it in Small Batch Select. Because of the fact its flavors age so well inside oak, you will also find this recipe in most Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbons at higher ages. Here’s an impressive list of Limited Edition releases that include OESV, if you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one:

2011 Limited Edition Small Batch
2014 Limited Edition Small Batch
2017 Al Young 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch
2017 Limited Edition Small Batch
2018 130th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch
2019 Limited Edition Small Batch
2020 Limited Edition Small Batch

So, there you have it – our first foray into our five E-mashbill Bourbon recipes. We hope you enjoyed getting familiar with the delicate fruit and caramel flavors of OESV. Tune in next time when we’ll spice things up with OESK. 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.