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This is The Cut.

Pick up a Four Roses store pick and turn it over. There's a four-character code on the back label. That code tells you the exact mash bill and yeast strain in the bottle before you open it. A fresh batch of store picks just arrived at retail in Ohio, Illinois, and Texas — and once you know how to read that code, every Four Roses on the shelf stops being a guess.

I'm John from Chasing the Unicorn Podcast. Here's what we're going after today. June 7, 2026.

Here's where we want to end up. You leave today knowing how to decode a Four Roses label — so the next time you're at the shelf, you're picking a flavor direction, not a bottle.

Here's what makes it tricky. The code looks like inventory data. Most buyers skip right past it. And without it, two store picks from the same distillery can taste completely different — one floral and easy, one citrus-forward and spicy — and there's no way to tell from the front label which is which.

Here's the move. Call your local Total Wine in Illinois or your Ohio independent retailer today. Ask specifically for OESQ or OBSV recipe codes — those are the two batches arriving this week. If you're in Texas, distributor timing varies by account. Check Seelbach's online if your local store hasn't confirmed yet.

Four Roses runs a ten-recipe production matrix. Two mash bills — one lower-rye, one higher-rye — crossed with five proprietary yeast strains. Every combination gets a four-character code printed directly on the bottle. The first two characters identify the distillery and mash bill. The last two identify the yeast strain.

OESQ is the low-rye mash bill with the Q yeast strain. Honeysuckle and floral up front, softer corn-sweet entry. If you've been drinking wheated bourbon and want to understand what rye actually adds without jumping in headfirst, this is the on-ramp.

OBSV runs the other direction — high-rye mash bill with the V yeast's delicate-fruit character. Citrus and stone fruit up front, more spine on the finish. This recipe tracks closest to what Four Roses reaches for in their annual limited releases.

Both arrive barrel-proof and unfiltered, landing between 108 and 116 proof. At $65–$75 they're a small step up from the standard Four Roses Single Barrel. What that premium buys you is a provenance trail you can verify yourself at fourrosesbourbon.com before the cork comes out.

The bottle to watch closely this week is the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2026. The pre-allocation preview window is open right now through June 14 — one week from today. 108.2 proof is confirmed via TTB. Recipe is not confirmed yet. Master Distiller Brent Elliott's recipe reveal is expected before the standard July allocation window opens, which means buyers who wait for the full picture can still act in time. That's a WATCH right now — not a pass, not a yes. Don't commit to the preview window before you know what recipe you're buying. The reveal is the only outstanding variable.

Also on today's Chase: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel Spring 2026 at $54.99. Walk-up at the Danville visitor center with no reservation required — both founders are on the production floor today. Worth the drive if you're within 90 minutes of Lexington. Full read on both is in today's Cut Daily on our website. Free.

A word of caution on the preview window timing. The LESB pre-allocation closes June 14 — but the recipe reveal arrives before the July window too. You don't have to act before you know what's in the bottle. Committing blind to 108 proof at limited-edition pricing is a real cost if the recipe isn't one you'd have chosen. The rule: if the information you need is arriving before the deadline anyway, don't rush the clock.

Today's full American Whiskey Industry Brief on Patreon has the Flight — Buffalo Trace against Eagle Rare 10 Year from the same Frankfort campus, same mash bill, four years apart. Is the $10 premium worth it for a Father's Day gift? The side-by-side comparison and verdict are there. And the Label Room covers William Larue Weller 2026 clearing TTB on June 7 — completing the 2026 BTAC five-of-five — and what that means for state lottery calendars expected to open within the next two weeks.

That's The Cut. The full American Whiskey Industry Brief is at patreon.com/ChasingTheUnicornPodcast. I'm John Schuster. Thanks for joining me. Your unicorn is out there.