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I assume most of my readers are familiar with Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrels. This program has been serving enthusiasts for over a decade now (it started in 2013). What makes it so unique and desirable is that all 10 recipes can be selected from and they’re all bottled at cask strength. Generally, the barrels that stores and groups can choose from are between 8 and 12-years-old. There have been very rare exceptions where they let a 13 or 14-year-old barrel slip through the cracks, but don’t get your hopes up.
If you want to taste their truly remarkable single barrels, then you’ll have to wait until June. That’s when Four Roses rolls out their Father’s Day Private Selection release. This isn’t a typical gift-shop release, instead, it’s marked by some of the highest aged and proofed single barrels to ever be sold to the public. For whatever reason, the only recipes that they’ve picked have been OESV and OBSV, but for 2025 they changed things up a bit and the 2025 release consisted of 34 different barrels of the OBSF recipe.
The 2025 Father’s Day release
For the uninitiated, OBSF may seem like the wrong decision. The “V” yeast strain is classic and the “O” yeast strain is GOATed. Ugh, why did I use that term? And personally, the “K” yeast strain is so well-loved that one of them have been used in every single Small Batch Limited Edition release since its inception. F and Q strains are typically cast aside like an ugly girl at Prom. But I happen to like the F yeast and I especially prefer it with the high-rye (B) mash bill. It usually brings big, bold herbal flavors, but can also turn into something with a ton of fruit. Personally, I rank OBSF in my top 3 recipes that Four Roses offers. How about you? Tell me in the comments.
Getting back to the actual release, Four Roses has noticed the increase in interest from enthusiasts who line up hours beforehand at their Cox’s Creek or Lawrenceburg locations on the morning before Father’s Day. The crowd (and Four Roses workers) have worried that they could run out before all of the dads (and men without children) could get a bottle, so Four Roses has increased the number of barrels released each year.
Last year, in 2024, there were 15 barrels released. Four Roses said that they had pulled every barrel from a specific rick (22 in total) at the very top tier in Warehouse R, but seven of them either didn’t meet their quality standards or were completely dry inside. For 2025, they’ve more than doubled the amount for their Father’s Day release with the final barrel count coming in at 34. My guess is that they pulled barrels from two ricks (meaning 44 in total) and found that 10 barrels didn’t make the final cut.
What’s odd is that previous Father’s Day releases have typically came from higher tiers (which usually translates to higher proof). But the 2025 release would come from Tiers 2 and 3. Theoretically, that should mean that there’s less evaporation in them, but the barrel I’m reviewing today was one of the short barrels from the bunch with a yield of only 84 barrels. That’s about 1/3 of the barrel remaining after 15 years. It came from the north side of Warehouse U and was located on Rick 36, Tier 2 and was the “M” position (a barrel’s position is marked A through U or V, so M would be somewhere in the middle).
So how’s it taste? I have my good friend James to thank for the opportunity to partake in this bottle. Let’s dive in. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Fruit notes stick out the most after the first couple of passes that my nose takes across the glencairn. I find tart berries, cherries, grilled citrus and raisins. There is a scent similar to cinnamon toast. Then come the waves of rye spice. I can find fennel, cinnamon, mint and generic “green” herbal notes. This almost smells like a rye whiskey. The fragrant oak scent is what really makes this bourbon stand out. I don’t normally find this kind of oak on any Four Roses bottling outside of some Small Batch Limited Editions that have 20-year-old+ barrels in them. I love it!
Palate: The spice on the tongue is one of the stronger flavors that comes across upon my initial sip. There are flavors of cinnamon, anise and fennel. But the palate isn’t strictly spice, it’s also even balanced with sweets via a nice honey note. Fruit notes revolve around black cherries, lemon custard and some berries (including blackberries, my favorite!). The tannins are courtesy of a lovely oak note (again) and really help amplify the overall sensation. I love to find oak in my Four Roses. But one of the things that’s going to be a theme throughout is just how herbal-forward this gets after a while. I swear, if this was given to me blind, I’d say it’s a low-rye Rye Whiskey.
Finish: The finish ends on a spicier note than I was anticipating. At a little over 108 proof, the spice makes you think it’s easily over 115. I’m not complaining because as long as it’s not scorching my taste buds or has a youthful taste to it, I kind of like whiskies that taste proofy-er than their ABV suggests. Aside from those slow-burning notes of cinnamon and peppercorns, I find remnants of the lovely fruit notes like cherries and citrus. The oak (and now a bit of tobacco) keeps reminding you of its age. Even the herbal and green notes stick around reminding me of – you guessed it – a rye whiskey.
Score: 8.5/10
One of the best things going for this year’s Father’s Day release is just how much barrel influence has been injected into the typically rye-forward OBSF recipe. To be clear, this is not something you typically find with a run-of-the-mill OBSF Private Selection. This makes it more interesting and more desirable to me.
Four Roses barrels have a hard time getting that signature oak note to come up in their bourbon unless its hit this age (or more). Some like that and some dislike it. I happen to be in the former camp because I’m the type that always wants what I can’t have. Four Roses has rewarded us with a complex and oaky bourbon that uses the F yeast strain and it’s better for it. Think of an oaky, mature Kentucky rye whiskey while you’re drinking it and you’ll get the picture.
Final Thoughts
One of the things that Four Roses has tried to combat recently is its special releases being sold for exorbitant money on the secondary market. Year after year, the secondary groups are littered with people posting their bottles up for sale in their parking lots. If you’re one of the people pining for a bottle like this, I encourage you to take the trip to Kentucky and get one for yourself. These aren’t always sold out instantly and can sometimes last up to closing time. After having a few examples, I feel like they’re worth that kind of effort.
Four Roses doesn’t do too many things that are above and beyond for limited editions, but when they do, they do it right. Their annual Father’s Day release is one of the more fair and organized limited time offerings that anyone can get access to. So if you have yet to get a bottle for yourself, here’s your clue to mark your calendar now for Saturday, June 20th (2026). I hope to be right there with you!