Four Roses Bourbon Whiskey

Four Roses Bourbon Whiskey — the distillery's original bottling, long known by its yellow label — is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey marrying all ten of the distillery's recipes: two mash bills, each run with five proprietary yeast strains, aged a minimum of 5 years. The 750mL bottling is 40% ABV (80 proof); this listing also offers a 1L variant. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 40% (80 proof) — 750mL bottling
• Size: 750mL (also available in 1L on this listing)
• Age: Aged a minimum of 5 years (brand statement; no bottle age statement)
• Mash bills: B — 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley; E — 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley
• Recipes: Ten — the two mash bills, each with five proprietary yeast strains (V, K, O, Q, F)
• Origin: Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky; warehoused and bottled at Cox's Creek, Kentucky
• Awards: Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023; Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022 (brand-listed)

The Ten-Recipe Bourbon

Four Roses, established in 1888, is built on a system no other Kentucky distillery uses: two distinct mash bills — a high-rye B bill and a fruitier E bill — each fermented with five proprietary yeast strains, producing ten separate bourbon recipes. Where the distillery's Single Barrel bottling isolates one recipe, this flagship marries the recipes together for balance: spice from the rye-heavy bill, fruit from the yeasts, all matured in single-story warehouses that keep maturation gentle and consistent, with grain milled and fermented using limestone-rich water from the spring-fed Salt River at Lawrenceburg. It is the bourbon the modern Four Roses range was rebuilt around. Browse the house on the Four Roses vendor page.

Tasting Notes

Per the distillery's own notes: a floral nose with gentle spice and honey; a crisp palate of fresh fruit, notably pear and apple; and a smooth, long, pleasant finish. It is a deliberately mellow 80-proof profile — fruit and honey first, spice in support.

How to Enjoy

This is the cocktail bourbon of the range: its fruit-and-spice balance was made for an Old Fashioned, a Whiskey Sour or a Boulevardier, and it stays smooth enough to pour over a single large cube. Compare it with the single-recipe intensity of the distillery's barrel-proof bottlings in our bourbon whiskey collection, or explore the wider whiskey collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

What proof is Four Roses Bourbon (Yellow Label)?
The classic bottling sold here in 750mL is 80 proof (40% ABV). Four Roses also released a separate 100-proof version in 2026 — check the variant and label when choosing the 1L, and ask us if you need the higher-proof bottling.

How old is Four Roses Bourbon?
The distillery states it is aged a minimum of 5 years. The bottle carries no formal age statement such as "5 Year Old."

What is in the Four Roses ten-recipe system?
Two mash bills — B (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley) and E (75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley) — each fermented with five proprietary yeast strains lettered V, K, O, Q and F. This flagship is a marriage of the recipes rather than a single recipe.

The yellow-label original, married from ten recipes — order Four Roses Bourbon online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.