Four Roses Distillery is adding a rare wood finish to its limited-edition playbook with Experimental Series No. 003: Chestnut — a 104-proof bourbon finished in 250-liter barrels made from Japanese-grown chestnut wood, set to hit visitor center shelves on November 20 at $55 per 375ml bottle.
The release marks the third installment in Four Roses's Experimental Series, following previous explorations with Mizunara and honey-seasoned casks. For on-premise buyers and specialty retailers, the timing is deliberate: a compact, premium-priced format designed for holiday gifting and post-dinner sipping occasions — both strong impulse categories heading into Q4.
The Wood & the Recipe
Selecting the right base spirit was as critical as the wood choice itself. Master Distiller Brent Elliott and his team ran trials across multiple wood species before chestnut emerged as the standout. "We explored a number of different wood types in our initial trials, and chestnut stood out for the unique character it brought to the spirit," Elliott said. The distillery ultimately paired chestnut with its six-year-old OBSK recipe — known for its pronounced spice and structural complexity — judging it the ideal canvas for the sweet, rounded flavors the wood imparts.
Finishing barrels featured a range of toast and char levels, and each was sampled frequently and emptied individually once it hit its target flavor profile. Finishing times varied from five to eleven weeks, a barrel-by-barrel discipline that reflects a production philosophy more common in craft spirits than large-scale distilling. The result, bottled at 52% ABV, opens with apricot and vanilla aromas, moves through vanilla bean, pear, and ripe cherry on the palate, and closes with brown sugar and delicate fruit on a long finish.
What It Means for Operators
For restaurant and bar programs, the Experimental Series presents a credible, story-driven pour that supports experiential upselling — particularly as consumer interest in alternative wood finishes and craft bourbon continues to grow. At $55 SRP for a 375ml, the bottle positions naturally as a digestif or a high-margin by-the-glass feature for spirits-forward programs looking to differentiate their after-dinner offerings.
Availability is limited to Four Roses' visitor centers in Lawrenceburg and Cox's Creek, Kentucky while supplies last, meaning wholesale accounts will need to watch secondary market channels or plan visits for bar program procurement. The constrained distribution model is consistent with how Four Roses has handled previous Experimental Series drops — scarcity reinforces the collectible premium and makes the bottles strong candidates for curated whiskey and spirits program features at destination dining concepts.
Founded in 1888, Four Roses builds its portfolio on a foundation of ten distinct bourbon recipes produced by combining two mashbills with five proprietary yeast strains — a system that gives its limited releases exceptional flexibility for flavor experimentation without departing from core brand DNA. The distillery was named World's Best Single Barrel at the World Whiskies Awards, a credential that supports menu placement and staff storytelling alike. For broader context on how alternative cask finishes are reshaping the premium spirits category, the team at Food & Beverage Magazine has been tracking the trend closely across on- and off-premise channels.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
