Every September, bourbon fans circle the date on the calendar, waiting for Four Roses Distillery to announce its annual Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon. The 2025 edition, set for release on September 3, may be the most compelling expression yet from the award-winning Kentucky distiller. It’s the 18th release in the series, and it reads like a quiet masterclass in patience and blending.
This year’s bottling arrives at 109 proof, non-chill filtered, and drawn from just four batches of bourbon aged 13 and 19 years. Master Distiller Brent Elliott, who has spent years plumbing the depths of the distillery’s ten unique recipes, leaned heavily on three of them: a 13-year-old OBSV, a 13-year-old OBSK, a 13-year-old OESV, and a 19-year-old OESV.
“Year after year, we look to create a unique expression that highlights the best of what our ten recipes can offer,” Elliott said. “This year, the 13-year-old V batches brought delicate fruit and sweet barrel tones, while the OBSK added complexity. The 19-year-old OESV gave us depth and age that really rounded out the blend.”
Four Roses Small Batch 2025: A Bourbon with Layers
The result, if tasting notes are to be believed, is a whiskey with aromas of sweet apricot, vanilla, caramel, black tea leaves, rye spice, and mellow oak. On the palate, expect apricot, citrus, crème brûlée, and antique spiced oak, carrying through to a long, soft finish that lingers like something remembered. It’s a bottle that seems designed not just for collectors but for those who still prefer the old-fashioned act of pouring and tasting.
Limited and Coveted
This year’s release will see 16,854 bottles offered at a suggested retail price of $249. They’ll arrive at select retailers nationwide and through the distillery’s annual bottle drawing, which accepts entries from August 19 to 24. Winners will be notified on August 29 with a chance to purchase and pick up their bottle at the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery in September.
For those who can’t secure a bottle, the distillery’s Bar 1888 will be pouring the new release in limited supply, offering a fleeting chance to taste what has become one of bourbon’s most anticipated annual events.
For more details on the drawing and the release, visit the brand’s official website.
Check out the 2024 edition.
