The 2025 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Is Here
The annual release is a showcase of the distillery’s best blending components
August 20, 2025 –––––– Julia Higgins
When Four Roses first debuted its Limited Edition Small Batch bourbon back in 2008, the whiskey went under a different name. Then-master blender Jim Rutledge called it “Mariage” (with just one “r,” yes). It was a daring proposition at the time, namely for its barrel strength ABV—high proof whiskeys didn’t have anywhere near the fan base they command today—and the fact that Four Roses had been on a steady upward climb back from rock bottom, one that hadn’t yet included a high-profile, higher-end release. By 2010, the whiskey’s name shifted to “Limited Edition Small Batch.” Still, it was born of the same blueprint: a blend of at least two of the 10 Four Roses recipes, which are made from combinations of two different mashbills (B: 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% barley; and E: 75% corn, 20% rye, and 5% barley) and five different yeast strains (V, K, O, Q, F). Now, Limited Edition Small Batch is in its 18th year.
The 2025 Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch is a blend of four distinct whiskeys: 13 year old OBSV (mashbill B, yeast strain V); 13 year old OBSK (mashbill B, yeast strain K); 13 year old OESV (mashbill E, yeast strain V); and 19 year old OESV. According to master distiller Brent Elliot, the four recipes combine for delicate fruit notes, sweeter oak spice, and a layer of depth that comes courtesy of the ultra-aged component.
Approximately 16,854 bottles are up for grabs, priced at $249. While these will be available nationwide, the distillery also has a bottle drawing, with entries accepted from August 19th through Sunday, August 24th (enter here). Winners will be announced on Friday, August 29th; if you’re among them, you’ll have to purchase and pick up your bottle at Four Roses’ Lawrenceburg, Kentucky visitor center in September. Those visiting the distillery can also get their hands on a pour at the visitor center’s Bar 1888, while supplies last.
We’ve scarcely met a Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch that we didn’t like—over the years, all but two of the distillery’s coveted annual releases we’ve tasted have scored 91 points or above with our panel.
