Four Roses Small Batch 70cl

Caramel-and-spice bourbon you can pour for anyone and still feel smug about your choices. Four Roses Small Batch is a Kentucky bourbon that leans into balance, not brute force, so it works neat, on ice, or as the backbone of a proper Old Fashioned.

If you’ve ever bought a bourbon that disappeared the second you mixed it, this is the fix. The “small batch” approach means they’re blending a select set of barrels for a more consistent, layered flavour, which is exactly what you want when you’re making cocktails for friends and don’t want surprises (unless they’re good ones).

• Nose: Warm vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak, with a fruity lift that reads like apple and ripe pear.
• Taste: Toffee and honey up front, then baking spices (think cinnamon and clove) with a rounded, mouth-coating texture.
• Finish: Medium-long, gently oaky, with lingering spice and a last hint of sweet fruit.

How to drink it: pour it neat when you want the fruit-and-spice to show off, or build an Old Fashioned with orange peel and good ice. It also makes a killer Whiskey Sour, the caramel notes play very nicely with lemon.

This bottle is a great “next step” bourbon. If you like crowd-pleasers like Buffalo Trace or Maker’s Mark but you’re ready for more dimension (without wandering into peat, smoke, or anything weird), Four Roses Small Batch is a safe bet that still feels like a find.

In cocktails, it holds its shape. The sweetness doesn’t get lost, the spice doesn’t shout, and the oak keeps everything grounded. That means your Manhattan won’t taste like sugary cherry juice, and your Old Fashioned won’t need a tonne of sugar to feel complete.

It’s also an easy win for home bartenders because it’s consistent. You can learn your specs once, then repeat them without having to re-tune every time you open a new bottle.

Fun Fact: Four Roses is known for using two different mash bills and multiple yeast strains, which is basically a flavour playground they can blend from to dial in that signature balance.