Four Roses Small Batch
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
A blend of four of Four Roses' ten recipes, entered into the barrel at 120 proof rather than the industry-common 125.
- Barrel entry proof
- 120
- Aging
- New charred oak, no age statement
- Congeners
- High
- Histamines
- Moderate
- Polyphenols
- Moderate
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Moderate
- Sugar
- Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 110
- Sugar
- 0g
15.8g ethanol at 45% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓Lower barrel entry proof than most Kentucky bourbon
- ✓No additives permitted under US law
What to watch
- !Component mashbills are not individually disclosed for this bottling
- !90 proof
Factor by factor
Congeners High ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Moderate ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Moderate ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Moderate ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Four Roses runs ten distinct recipes, built from two mashbills and five proprietary yeast strains, and the Small Batch is a marriage of four of them. That makes a single published mashbill figure impossible for this bottling, which is why the field is left empty here rather than filled with an average that would not describe any actual whiskey in the bottle.
What is worth recording is the barrel entry proof. Four Roses enters at 120, below the 125 that is common across Kentucky and well below the legal ceiling. Entry proof governs how aggressively the spirit strips the wood, so it is a better predictor of extract load than bottling proof is.
Four Roses Small Batch questions
How many calories are in a shot of Four Roses Small Batch? ▾
About 110 calories in a 1.5oz shot at 45% ABV. All of them come from the alcohol, since there is no sugar.
Does Four Roses Small Batch have sugar? ▾
No. Four Roses Small Batch has 0g of sugar per 1.5oz serving.
Is Four Roses Small Batch gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Four Roses Small Batch is distilled from a gluten-containing grain, so US rules bar it from claiming gluten-free. Distillation does remove the gluten protein, and the Celiac Disease Foundation considers distilled spirits safe for most coeliacs. If you would rather avoid the question, pick a spirit distilled from corn, potato, grape or agave.
What proof is Four Roses Small Batch? ▾
Four Roses Small Batch is 90 proof, which is 45% alcohol by volume.
Does Four Roses Small Batch give you a bad hangover? ▾
Four Roses Small Batch scores 6/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 7/10 for bourbon overall. The main drivers are its congeners.
Is Four Roses Small Batch vegan? ▾
Yes. Four Roses Small Batch is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.