Four Roses Single Barrel vs Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select: Head to Head!

Discover the differences between Four Roses Single Barrel vs Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select in this head to head comparison and decide which whiskey is better for You!

Four Roses Single Barrel

Nose	Baking spice, cherry, vanilla, honey
Palate	Cinnamon, rye spice, vanilla, honey
Finish	Medium; caramel, baking spice, cinnamon
Alcohol content	100 proof (50% ABV)
How to drink	Add water
Similar to	Small Batch, Blanton’s Single Barrel

Nose is delicate, rich in baking spice, cherry and honeyed vanilla.

On the palate, the Single Barrel has tingling rye spice up-front with a hint of cinnamon giving way to sweet fruity notes, honey, vanilla and a tad of oak, with a creamy feel to it.

The finish has a medium-length, rich in sweet and cinnamon notes and is pleasantly warm.

The Four Roses Single Barrel carries high rye presence in the mash and it feels as the first sips are spicy.

But as you grow accustomed it becomes sweeter, showing rich fruity notes, along vanilla and honey making it entirely satisfying.

It bites a bit but is not harsh, which is understandable for something bottled at 100 proof, but the interesting and layered flavor profile makes up for it providing a fine sipper.

This bourbon is not only good, but the best Four Roses Whiskey and one of the best Single Barrel Bourbons and a great alternative to Eagle Rare that has become increasingly hard to find.

It’s price makes it a keeper as you are unlikely to find something better at this price range.

There are a few facts worth knowing about the Four Roses Single Barrel:

• Made from a mash of 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley.

• Single Barrel is bottled from casks aged between 8 and 9 years.

• Uses a proprietary yeast culture used to ferment the mash producing rich fruity notes.

• Won the Gold Medal at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

• The Four Roses distillery is located in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, was built in 1910 with Spanish Mission-style architecture, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select

Nose	Banana, caramel, oak
Palate	Vanilla, caramel, cherry, oak
Finish	Medium length, cherry, caramel, oak spice
Alcohol content	94 proof (47% ABV)
How to drink	Rocks
Similar to	Jim Beam SB, Gentleman Jack

The nose brings more of that banana note which is the common theme among Jack Daniel’s whiskeys. The banana note is followed by caramel and a tad oak.

On the palate, the Single Barrel shows a good body without becoming creamy. First sip delivers vanilla and caramel up-front, followed by a cherry cough syrup note and a bit of oak.

The finish has a medium length, with a bit of oak spice char, along more of that cough syrup note and caramel.

There is some warmth as it pleasantly burns a bit on the way down yet it drinks nicely neat. Adding water releases more caramel and oak making it easier to drink.

Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel is the same whiskey as the traditional Old No. 7 crafted from a single barrel as opposed to blending from various barrels.

The barrels are hand-picked from the upper-level of the warehouse and the whiskey is bottled at a higher proof, meaning it suffered less water-dilution.

The result is an improvement over the traditional No. 7 as it has more texture. Better rounded and free of some the weird tasting notes of the best selling American whiskey across the globe.

There are a few facts worth knowing about the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel:

• Aged between 4 and 7 years.

• Single Barrel uses an 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% malted barley mash bill.

• JD Single Barrel is filtered for up to 12 days through 10 feet (3 meters) of homemade sugar maple charcoal. This process removes some of the harshness from the spirit.

• Jack Daniel’s is owned by Brown-Forman, along Old Forester and Woodford Reserve; each whiskey is crafted independently.

Four Roses Single Barrel vs Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select: Price comparison

Prices are approximate and stated in USD:

Whiskey	Price
Four Roses Single Barrel	$50
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select	$55

Four Roses Single Barrel vs Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select: Which is better?

Four Roses is a more rewarding whiskey than the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel

Whiskey	Four Roses Single Barrel	Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select
Nose	✅
Body	✅
Palate	✅
Finish	✅
Value	✅

• The Single Barrel is not only good, it’s the best Four Roses Bourbon.

• It’s a bit warm, yet incredibly satisfying, with tasting notes that make up entirely for the heat.

• Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel is an improvement over the Jack Daniel’s No. 7 and the Gentleman Jack, but still short of a heavyweight like the Four Roses.