Breathe, Don’t be afraid to care.
I’ve been waiting for this one all year. To say that I am excited doesn’t properly convey the feeling. Four Roses is what started it all for me. One of the first private barrels I picked and fell in love with was a Four Roses cask. The first Master Distiller I ever met was Jim Rutledge, whom I believe to be one of the few distillers making whiskey with a true style, or soul. Rutledge distillate, even the new-make, is more discernible than really any other American distillery I have tried. My fanaticism is not an obsession, more like a spiritual connection bordering on clairvoyance.
This is a contemplative whiskey. Complex, but not in a way that makes you overthink it – like soulful blues music with a few tastefully placed jazzier 9th and 13th chords thrown in to keep your ears curious. You can both win over a non-bourbon drinker, and impress a seasoned veteran with this one. If I were Brent Elliott, I would have never agreed to let me have the barrel that was supposed to be released as Single Barrel Limited Edition next year. Disclaimer: That previous sentence is absolutely not true.
Loads of cinnamon, brown butter, salted caramels, and brown sugar on the nose. The sweetness is nicely balanced by savory components that make their way to the foreground after a little air in the glass. There are hints of leather, dark berry shisha, and some slight aromas of exotic woods. The palate is big, rich, and voluptuous while remaining stealthy smooth for the rather high abv. The finish comes in strong with a reprise of the sweeter flavors dancing in between flavors of bitter cacao and mint dark chocolate chip cookies.
I’ve really “struggled” writing these tasting notes because I seem to have to continue “double checking” myself to make sure I’m picking up on everything. Usually that's a great sign and code word for F-ing delicious, which makes sense. My first bottle is already gone.
On two separate occasions when picking at Four Roses, I happened to be in the right state of mind or being. Whatever you want to call it, it was a surreal experience. I sat there staring at all the glasses we had just filled from the barrel, listening with my eyes and my ears. Before I even smelled or tasted any of the samples, one called out to me. Totally serious, not bull shitting you, the barrel actually chose me. I’m not one for really picking a favorite yeast strain, but if I had to narrow it down I would have to say OBSO and OESO. It might have something to do with the fact that one of those clairvoyant selections was the OBSV Bali Shag barrel, and the other was this OESO titled, Respírítu.
This is also a special release because it is the first time I have acquired a painting for use on the side sticker. Just like the barrel selection experience, it happened cosmically. The artist, Ashley Spero reached out directly to me after discovering the Selkie Queen artwork by Hannah Yata on Instagram. There was a clear spirituality to her work that she beautifully captures in an array of brilliant colors and mandala geometric patterns. We discussed the inspiration behind my brand and the inspiration behind her work. I asked her to send me a list of current works available. One in particular especially caught my attention, then I noticed the title, Respírítu.
Respíritu was alarmingly close to the name of the private group I founded called, Spīritūs. Spīritūs is Latin for breath, often used figuratively in reference to the spirit. I chose the name because it represents the soul, lifeblood, and collective consciousness behind the brand. Spīritūs, the group made up of all the people who have supported me the most through the years, it would not exist.
I asked Ashely where she came up with the name. She explained that the word was made up but derived from the Spanish word for Spirit, Espiritu which means, to breathe. I hadn’t intended on using an original painting for use on a side stickers until that moment. It didn’t really seem as If I had a choice, it chose me. Ashley shared with me the following mantra that came to her while painting the piece that I found particularly powerful and relevant to our time.
The forest spirits grow louder,
as we stay home and move slow.
A revolution is coming, it’s here, it’s growing.
We are the seeds Mother Nature is sewing.
If there is one thing I want this brand to be, it is original. I have always been full of energy and passion, and lucky enough to be blessed with an ability to creatively articulate that passion (sometimes). Music is my most sacred medium, and on the rare occasion I’m in the right mindset or with the right accompanied musicians, it has provided me the most spiritual and multi-sensory experiences I have ever had. While I haven’t figured out a way to label a bottle with acoustical tones yet, the paintings used for the labels provide the ability to have sensory experience that is beyond singular taste or visual perception.
Many of you have heard me use the musical reference of Covers vs. Originals, and it really does apply perfectly for what you’ll be seeing me put out in the future. In this case, the Originals I released (Spicy Bastard, Idle Moments, Selkie Queen) I produced and bottled myself. All accompanied by an Original commissioned piece of artwork adorning the front label. Covers, which are the Private Barrel selections, are chosen, but not bottled by me.
And just in case you haven’t had enough of my musical metaphors or references by this point, it is a perfect time to announce that I’ll be pairing each barrel I release with a carefully chosen accompaniment track to listen to while drinking the spirit. You’d be hard pressed to find a better song for this Four Roses Respírítu barrel than Pink Floyd’s, “Breathe”. For those of you who don’t have a convenient way of finding the track, you can check out this YouTube link which also contains the lyrics in the description. And for those of you still reading this, I commend you. Don’t sit down, it's time to dig another one.
Spirit: Four Roses, 9yr 9m OESO | Warehouse MW | Barrel #25-5O | 62.6% abv
Title: Respírítu
Artwork by: Ashley Spero
Musical Accompaniment: Pink Floyd. “Breath.” Dark Side of the Moon, Harvest Records, 1973.