Four Roses Marks 10th Salt River Cleanup With Limited Bourbon

(Photos: Four Roses)

Four Roses Distillery is marking the 10th anniversary of its annual Salt River Cleanup with a limited Private Barrel Selection, with half of the $120 purchase price benefiting the Kentucky Waterway Alliance.

Four Roses employees held the latest cleanup Thursday along the Salt River behind the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, removing 240 pounds of litter and debris from the river and its banks.

The commemorative Private Barrel Selection is available at the Four Roses Lawrenceburg Visitor Center for $120. Master Distiller Brent Elliott selected a 10-year-old OESQ bourbon for the release. The bourbon was laid down in 2017, the same year Four Roses launched the Salt River Cleanup.

Half of the proceeds from each bottle will benefit the Kentucky Waterway Alliance, a statewide nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring Kentucky waterways. Buyers also receive a commemorative Salt River Cleanup water bottle with their purchase.

The Salt River is tied directly to Four Roses’ bourbon production. According to the distillery, its water is used during fermentation, steam production and cooling, while its limestone-rich water is an important part of the distillery’s production process.

“There are so many elements that are imperative to making great bourbon, and having clean, mineral-rich water is one of them,” Elliott said. “As we reflect on 10 years of this initiative, we continue to embrace our responsibility to preserve and protect this resource for generations to come, both within the distillery and throughout the communities we call home.”

The 2026 cleanup brings the total amount of debris collected by Four Roses employees since 2017 to more than 5,000 pounds.

The annual event is conducted in partnership with the Kentucky Waterway Alliance, whose staff also participated in this year’s cleanup.