Four Roses Distillery with Master Distiller Jim Rutledge (April 2006)
Read MoreFour Roses has one of the most beautiful distilleries in the industry and also gives one of my favorite tours.
This time I was in for a special treat since we had a group tour with Master Distiller Jim Rutledge.
Jim is standing in the grain receiving barn holding a 'grain thief', used for taking samples from each truck as it arrives.Jim started the tour with a brief history and overview of the distillery.
Four Roses was founded in 1888 and was the top selling bourbon in the US during the 30's, 40's and 50's. The company then shifted sales to export only and became the top selling bourbon in Japan and Europe.
Four Roses has recently become available again domestically, although only in Kentucky, with their standard yellow and single barrel labels.
The single barrel product uses a mash bill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% barley malt with a light fruity yeast to balance the high rye. It is aged for 7 to 9 years. Four Roses boasts the highest rye content in the bourbon industry.