> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bourbonbanter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 2026 Four Roses LESB Sets the Standard for 'Bourbon Release Month' - URL: https://www.bourbonbanter.com/2026-four-roses-lesb-sets-the-standard-for-bourbon-release-month/ - Published: 2026-10-02T09:00:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T13:00:17.000Z - Description: That Four Roses LESB nearly always sets the standard for September releases is part of why I don't cringe over the $249 price. Though out of my budget, its costs justify the quality of the product. - Author: Steve Coomes - Tags: Bourbon Whiskey Reviews, Bottle, Four Roses Bourbon Bottle Details - **DISTILLER:** [Four Roses Bourbon](https://www.fourrosesbourbon.com/news/four-roses-set-to-launch-2026-limited-edition-small-batch-on-october-10?ref=bourbonbanter.com) - **TYPE:** Straight Bourbon - **MASH BILL:** Three mash bills blended: - OBSK: 60% Corn | 35% Rye | 5% Malted Barley (31%) - OESK: 75% Corn | 20% Rye | 5% Malted Barley (49%) - OESV: 75% Corn | 20% Rye | 5% Malted Barley (20%) - **AGE:** 14 years, though bourbons of 15 and 23 years are in the blend - **YEAR:** 2026 - **PROOF:** 109.2 (54.6% ABV) - **AVAILABILITY:** Select retailers nationwide, and at Four Roses' Kentucky visitor centers in Cox's Creek and Lawrenceburg beginning Oct. 10. - **MSRP:** $249 - **BUY ONLINE:** Not available online via Four Roses. TASTING NOTES **NOSE:** Caramel, cotton candy, cherry Life Savers, banana peel, spring flowers, dried tobacco and toasted oak. **PALATE:** Golden apple, a little butterscotch, Juicy Fruit gum, smoldering rosemary (think of the cocktail garnish), cinnamon stick, toasted oak, flamed lemon peel and toasted rye bread. **FINISH:** Lengthy, warm and lasting; leaves lingering notes of caramel and pekoe tea. Reviewer's Verdict **RATING:** Bottle. It's that good, so yeah, buy it if you've got the bucks. **WORTH THE PRICE:** Though high for my budget, this bourbon's standout quality, its bulletproof consistency and full-on Four-Roses-ness make it hard to argue against the $249 price. Sure, I'd like it much more at $149, but how often do you get a blend of bourbons that includes 23-year-old whiskey? Special and rare are adequate adjectives to describe this. **WHO IT'S FOR:** Any bourbon lover. Four Roses makes some of the finest bourbons in this country. Have you ever heard anyone say they don't like its products? I can't recall anyone uttering such words. If they do to you, bless them and send them away with a "please don't drink with me anymore" directive. There's zero wrong with anything produced at this distillery. This release's proof (drinks higher than 109 for me) may be a bit much for Scotch and Irish lovers, but goodness, at least encourage them with a sip and invite them down the Four Roses rabbit hole. Not only is it distinctively good whiskey, it's a gold standard Kentucky-made whiskey. **REVIEWER'S VERDICT:** Ever heard college coaches being dubbed Mr. March or Mr. December, depending on when their teams performed best? Four Roses' LESB should be called September's Bourbon, because it's consistently the class of releases in what once was referred to as "bourbon release month." Never heard that quaint phrase? It was used unofficially back when most of each year's great releases from Kentucky hit the market. That all changed, of course, in the latter years of the bygone bourbon boom, when releases started rolling out year 'round. That the Four Roses LESB nearly always sets the standard for September releases is part of why I don't cringe over the $249 price. I can't afford a Porsche, but I don't begrudge the *mΓ€nner* in Stuttgart for pricing their exquisite cars out of my reach; such costs come with the territory. And that's the case with this terrific bourbon. It's expensive and worth it. Disclaimer --- This bottle found its way to us compliments of the brand. What ends up on the page is ours alone β€” and they knew that going in. Around here, honesty isn't a policy. It's the whole damn point. About Our Rating System --- Bourbon & Banter uses a three-tier rating system created over a decade ago: **Bottle**, **Bar**, or **Bust**. - 🍾 **Bottle** β€” Buy it. This one deserves a place in your cabinet. *(Approximate equivalent: 85 and above on a 100-point scale)* - πŸ₯ƒ **Bar** β€” Worth trying, but not necessarily worth owning. Find it at a bar before committing to a bottle. *(Approximate equivalent: 70–84)* - πŸ’€ **Bust** β€” Skip it. Life is too short and your shelf space too valuable. *(Approximate equivalent: below 70)* Numeric scores imply a precision that doesn't exist β€” and most publications never score below 80, making half the scale meaningless. We'd rather answer the question that actually matters: buy it, try it at a bar before you buy, or skip it. The approximate equivalents above are for reference only.