Four Roses raises the stakes: a 21-year-old bourbon priced at $500 launches its Anthology line
Summer arrives with a bottle set to shake up the shelves of the most demanding collectors. Priced at $500, Four Roses will release on July 10 its oldest expression to date: a 21-year-old whiskey that marks the beginning of Anthology, the new ultra-premium series from the century-old distillery.
At 124.9 proof and following the OBSF recipe —a high-rye mashbill with a specific yeast strain that brings herbal and menthol notes— this first chapter, named "Origin", promises notes of ripe cherry, cocoa and honey, with a lingering finish of aged oak and candied fruit.
The launch comes at a time when the premium bourbon market is seeing a surge in limited editions. However, Four Roses’ team —now under the E&J Gallo umbrella following its acquisition earlier this year— says this bottle is aimed exclusively at enthusiasts and collectors, rejecting the idea that it is merely a commercial gimmick to attract newcomers.
The whiskey’s name pays tribute to the legend behind the distillery’s origins in 1888, when founder Paul Jones Jr. supposedly received, according to tradition, an affirmative answer to his marriage proposal through a corsage of four roses. Although historians question the truth of the story —Jones never married— the distillery keeps alive that symbolism of connection and passion, which master distiller Brent Elliott now carries into this new chapter for the brand.