Four Roses Debuts Its First-Ever Experimental Series Bourbon Finished in Mizunara Oak

Four Roses tells BourbonBlog.com they are taking one of their boldest steps yet beyond the traditional 10-recipe bourbon framework with the launch of the new Four Roses Experimental Series.

The inaugural release, Four Roses Experimental Series No. 001 Mizunara Cask Finish, arrives July 30, 2026, exclusively at the Four Roses Visitor Centers in Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek, Kentucky (both pictured below).

Priced at $55 for a 375ml bottle, the limited release is bottled at 104 proof and begins with a six-year-old OBSK bourbon recipe before being finished in rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks. For a distillery known for precision, consistency and its classic recipe system, this is a major new direction.

Four Roses says Experimental Series No. 001 will launch at its Distillery Visitor Center, rather than as a nationwide shelf release.

The company has not said whether future Experimental Series releases will be available beyond its distillery locations.

That makes this one a destination bottle for Four Roses fans, bourbon travelers and collectors interested in seeing where Brent Elliott and the Four Roses team are taking the brand next.

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What Makes This Mizunara-Finished Bourbon Different?

The first Experimental Series release uses six-year-old OBSK bourbon finished in Japanese Mizunara oak, one of the most sought-after woods in the world of whisky. Mizunara is known for bringing an expressive profile that can lean toward warm spice, incense-like character, rich vanilla and softer, more layered sweetness than traditional American oak.

Four Roses says the team tested recipes, yeast strains, barrel specifications and toast-and-char combinations before selecting OBSK for the project. The K yeast strain was chosen for its spice character, giving the bourbon enough structure to work with Mizunara’s sweeter and more nuanced notes.

Master Distiller Brent Elliott and the Four Roses team reportedly sampled the barrels almost weekly throughout the finishing process, looking for the point where the Mizunara influence added something new without losing the recognizable Four Roses character underneath.

The Experimental Series Could Change What Four Roses Looks Like Going Forward

Experimental Series No. 001 is more than a one-off Mizunara finish. Four Roses says the first three releases in the series will explore unique cask finishes, with later editions expected to move beyond finishing into other forms of bourbon experimentation.

That is a notable development for a brand built around two mashbills, five proprietary yeast strains and 10 signature bourbon recipes. Four Roses has always had complexity within its system, but the Experimental Series opens the door to seeing those recipes through a very different lens.

The new bottle also carries a package designed to connect the release with the distillery’s heritage. The front label draws from the Spanish Mission-style architecture of Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, while the reverse label features one of the brand’s historic single-story rickhouses.

For bourbon drinkers, the first question will be whether Mizunara can add something genuinely new to Four Roses without overpowering the floral fruit, spice and elegance that have defined the brand for generations. Starting July 30, the answer will be waiting in Kentucky.