Four Roses is under new ownership, having been sold by its former parent company Kirin to California wine company E. & J. Gallo a few months ago. But the distillery seems to be moving forward instead of pausing like so many others are doing at the moment, and the latest release is an expensive new bourbon that happens to be its oldest to date.

The whiskey is called Chapter One: Origin, and its the first in the new Anthology series, which the distillery says will be an annual release that will differ each year. Origin kicks things off in a big way, however: at 21 years old, this is the most mature single barrel bourbon to date that Four Roses has released (older bourbon has been included in Limited Edition Small Batch releases, but those did not have this high an age statement). Sure, 21 years might not sound that old to scotch whisky drinkers, but in bourbon that’s practically ancient, although certainly not unprecedented. Pappy goes even further with its 23-year bourbon, and Knob Creek launched a very good 21-year-old expression last year.

Origin is made from just one of the distillery’s 10 recipes, OBSF. That’s because Four Roses produces two mashbills and uses five yeast strains, although in the future that will expand to 20 recipes after two new mashbills were introduced in 2024 (those won’t be ready for a few more years, though). OBSF means that the whiskey was made at the Four Roses distillery (O) using the B mashbill (60 percent corn, 35 percent rye, and 5 percent barley); it’s a straight bourbon (S); and the F yeast strain was used to impart fruit and herbal notes. After 21 years of aging, the bourbon was bottled at a strong 124.9 proof.

We visited the distillery last spring and were able to try the new Anthology series release for ourselves.
This is a really rich bourbon that is still quite delicate despite that high barrel proof, with notes of bubblegum, cherry, grape, ripe fruit, and an almost candy-like character on the palate, evolving into flavors like maple, honey, a bit of spice, and a hint of fresh mint on the finish. Chapter One: Origin will be a difficult bottle to get your hands on, as you might expect. About 1,200 bottles go on sale at the distillery starting July 10 and at an event on Whiskey Row in Louisville on July 11, each with a price tag of $500.