Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2022 landed on my desk at 109 proof, carrying a $180 price tag. Here is what I found.
Nose
Lemon oil makes the nose bright before cinnamon sticks sweep in. The nose is abundant with stone fruit, but I specifically pick up on apricot both fresh and dried. Smoked vanilla is found throughout the dram as it weaves in and out. Milk chocolate truffles round out the nose with some extra sweetness, but near the end is baby powder and clove cigarettes. The mouthfeel is oily and hot from the ABV and cinnamon. Where the nose tends to linger and is abundant with multiple notes, the palate is mouth puckering dry and tannic. Although I get the dried apricot and plum from the nose, the lemon oil is very faint. The sweetness tastes like Stevia and is on the artificial side. Overall, the whiskey is bitter and tannic. Although adding water or ice takes care of the heat, the bitterness and tannins do not go away. The nose is strong and bountiful, but it gets lost in translation in the body of the whiskey. If youre a big fan of Four Roses, the 2022 Limited Edition Small Batch may be a miss if you are expecting something like previous batches.
Palate
Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by Whiskeyful or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.
The Bottom Line
Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2022 is fine — not bad, not great, just fine. At $180, I think there are better options in this range if you are willing to look around.
