Maker: Four Roses, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, USA
Age: 11 y/o (mean age 12.25 y/o)
Recipes: OBSK, OESK, OESV, OESQ
Proof: 110.2 (55.1% ABV)
Appearance: Coppery auburn
Nose: Oak, alcohol, caramel, butterscotch, raw almonds, antique roses.
On the palate: Full-bodied and hot. With water, cassia, caramel, vanilla toffees, oak, amaretto.
Finish: Hot, rosewater, roasted almonds, oak and christmas spice at the end. Tingles all over for an obscenely long time.
Parting words: As always, Four Roses delivered a remarkable bourbon for its Ltd Ed Small Batch in 2011. The 2010 was an agressive, brash, punk rock sort of whiskey. 2011 is much more Classical, as in Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven. It’s a leather armchair, sipping bourbon.
2011 is beautiful and has its complexity, but it’s not the breathtaking masterpiece that Mariage (the predecessor to Ltd Ed Small Batch) 2009 was. It’s Hayn’s 100th Symphony, not Beethoven’s ninth. But that doesn’t mean it’s not great in its own right. It is. It is one of the best bourbons I’ve had. It is probably the second best bourbon in this Ltd Ed Small Batch/Mariage series. Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2011 is highly recommended.
Sipology 
I love your blog, Josh, but you 2009 Mariage fetishists will never stop. It was a damn fine Bourbon, but the finish was a bit too dry. Hell, even Rutledge felt that the blend wasn’t quite right. I’d take the SmBLE2011 over it any day. But hey, that’s just my 2 cents, and even a skid row bum’s got 2 cents.
HA! Well, guilty as charged. But I’m with you, the 2011 SmB is really REALLY good!
Well, I decided to pick up a bottle the other day and got extremely annoyed that Jim Rutledge wrote his name on my bottle. Kidding, I was actually annoyed because Jim visited the store (Beltramo’s in Redwood City, California) the day before and my first thought was why didn’t I come in the day before.
Jim is a great. I’ve only spoken to him once. He is soft spoken but a very candid what you see is what you get kind of guy. If you get the opportunity to meet him again, do it!