By Richard Thomas
Rating: A
(Credit: Four Roses/Gallo)>/i>
When folks think of Four Roses and an extra-aged, limited edition release at this time of year, it’s usually because this is when we are told about what the annualized Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition is going to be and when to expect it. Indeed, news of that expression broke earlier today. But for late summer 2026, Four Roses decided to give us another one by announcing the inaugural release of Four Roses Anthology.
The new collection is designed around a story telling, novelized theme, so this first release is Chapter One, and a new chapter is set to follow every year. The story told with the first chapter is labeled “Origin,” and although the whiskey is not 120 years old, the story is. This particular yarn is of brand founder Paul Jones Jr. and his suit to marry a Southern belle in 1888, which she accepted by appearing at a ball adorned with a corsage of four red roses. Hence, the Four Roses symbol.
This bourbon is one-sixth as old as that story, but a sixth still means it is 21 years old, and that is truly ultra-aged in bourbon terms. The stock used comes from the Four Roses OBSF recipe, which is to say it used the high, 35% rye mash bill and was fermented using the herbal yeast. The bourbon was bottled at cask strength, 102.6 proof.
The Bourbon
The bourbon took a bright-but-dark bronze look in my copita glass. The nose is fresh, but restrained, and immediately speaks to its roots and its age with a current of thyme and sage, and an earthy, almost clay-like note that says those herbs are still in the garden. Behind this is the staple bourbon vanilla and oak. The texture on the palate was silky, with the flavor opening with more of that herbaceous character from the nose, this time coupled to tea tannins. This aspect was like a skewer, running through and through the more conventional bourbon part of the flavor profile, which in this case came across as over-done cinnamon toast. Spinning off that base, the finish opens tannic and concludes charred.
The Price
Keeping in mind that its the oldest Four Roses ever and only 1,200 bottles will be released, the MSRP on this bottle is actually reasonable at $500. If you can get one at that price, you should. Even Knob Creek 21 Year Old, released every year and in larger quantity, is usually available at retail for $275-300.
