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By the late 1980s, Four Roses straight bourbon was largely a foreign product. American drinkers knew the name, but what they got in the U.S. was a blended whiskey – that is – a bourbon heavy on grain neutral spirit and light on flavor. Overseas – especially in Europe and Japan – it was a different story. There, Four Roses was still sold as a straight bourbon brand and had a decent market share.
The split as to why Americans were getting the inferior version of this once-great brand stemmed from a decision at the top of Seagram’s (which owned Four Roses at the time). They prioritized blending for the U.S. market because bourbon wasn’t selling. International markets had consumers that prized high age statements after decades of consuming Scotch, so bourbon found more buyers overseas. By the mid-1980s, Four Roses had become the top-selling American whiskey in Japan – and it wasn’t because of the domestic blend. Export versions like this carried no age statement but delivered authentic Kentucky straight bourbon at approachable proof.
Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon
The bottle I’m reviewing today is one that had been exported overseas before being “re-imported” back into the US for this review. It wears a laser code on the bottom of the rear label that starts with “LH93” which leads me to believe it was bottled in 1993. It comes in a 700ml bottle and a rather low alcohol content – 40% ABV. At the time, this 40% version would have been one of the entry points into the Four Roses flavor profile. And while it’s non-age stated, it’s widely believed this bourbon is only 4-years-old. If you wanted something older, you could buy its 6-year-old 43% ABV counterpart that it was typically sold next to (and also bottled for export).
The lower proof and lack of age statement made it more accessible both in price and palate and was positioned to introduce drinkers to the category. It’s the same way today for Four Roses Yellow Label. Oh, and by the way, the term “Yellow Label” comes from the color of label these versions wore. Enthusiasts have just passed down that nomenclature through the years even as modern bottles wear a tan/khaki label.
There’s little public documentation on what recipe(s) were used to make the bourbon you see before you today, but I’m a believer that it contained all 10 recipes (two mash bills, five yeast strains). The ratios probably were tinkered with if only to ensure flavor consistency.
Just to veer off on a tangent real quick – I believe that Four Roses currently does not chill-filter any of their bourbon offerings. The one label I’m unsure about is, ironically, the modern-day “Yellow Label” which Google’s AI says is chill filtered, but will then go on to say “No” to the question “Does Four Roses Chill Filter any of their bourbon?” I’m inclined to believe they don’t. But this export bottle was apparently chill filtered which would seem accurate due to the international market expecting that more often. Couple that with how modern Yellow Label has verbally been acknowledged as only 5-years-old, and we can see there are some differences between the bourbon from the 90’s and the bourbon from today.
So what has changed between now and then? Let’s find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: A soft nose that contains a good enough variety of high rye scents like citrus (lemon rind), orange flesh and orchard fruit/pear. Vanilla and soft herbal notes (including mint) play nicely together and there is a bit of caramel for sweetness to boot. Don’t expect much oak or tannins here. This smells light and somewhat young – even though there are no modern-day youthful off-notes.
Palate: Caramel and a hint of honey pop up on the tongue for sweetness while a bit of orchard fruit and ginger provides some depth. Rye spice (cinnamon/anise), light tea leaf, a wisp of mint and ground pepper let you know this is a high-rye mash bill. This is so light and easy drinking, it tastes like there is no alcohol in it.
Finish: Brief but clean. Citrus flesh, mint leaf and vanilla linger. Caramel and cinnamon finish it up. Not much else to write about. It’s nice, but not extraordinary.
Score: 5.8/10
Just because this bottle is over 30 years old, hard to track down and is worth ten times what it sold for on the shelf doesn’t mean it gets an automatic pass towards a higher rating. You have to keep in mind that across all points of whiskey history, there have always been “gateway bottles” that are designed to introduce non-drinkers to the brand. This is exactly what that bottle is. So while I enjoyed many aspects of it, I’m not fooled into thinking it was something great.
Compared to other Four Roses exports from the same era (which carid age statements and were 6 proof points higher), this is just okay. It gave the export audience a taste of what higher-rye bourbon could be like – which was something not a lot of Kentucky bourbon distilleries did back then.
Final Thoughts
As a collector pour, this doesn’t deliver much intensity, but it does capture a transitional moment in Four Roses history when the straight bourbon disappeared from American shelves and found a second life abroad. And if you’re the kind of enthusiast that values experiencing the entire spectrum of American whiskies just to soak it all in, then by all means get this bottle to complete your collection. For everyone else, skip the chase of finding this one and just buy something better.