Distillery: Jim Beam
Proof: 80
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 77% corn, 13% rye, and 10% malted barley
BACKGROUND: Basil Hayden's is one of the 4 brands that make the Jim Beam small batch bourbon collection. It was first introduced to the market in 1992. Basil Hayden's has the same high rye mash bill found in the Old Grand-Dad bottles. Basil Hayden's is a lower proof bourbon so we're expecting this to be quite light across the board.
NOSE: Basil Hayden has a very sweet nose with an odd dominant scent of peach. The. nose is very citrusy and floral as we were also able to pull some notes of orange, oak, and clove. The nose is, as expected, very light and hard to pull too much from.(17/25)
PALATE: Basil Hayden's is very light and easy to sip which can be attributed to the proof. There are however some notes of vanilla, sweet corn, peach, and a hint of oak spice. (30/40)
FINISH: The finish on this whiskey is gone like a flash. The only real notes we could pull from it were oak and some rye spice. It doesn't burn at all on the way down but also doesn't leave you caring for any more. (18/25)
VALUE: Basil Hayden has a fantastic SRP of $28 which is what it should be. (7/10)
Overall: 72/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Basil Hayden's is a solid introductory bourbon whiskey. It is easy to drink and does not burn at all. The flavors are nothing special either but it is something different that most people can enjoy. Basil Hayden's also makes a pretty good manhattan if you like them on the sweeter side.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Four Roses Small Batch
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Old Grand Dad Straight Bourbon
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Wild Turkey Long Branch
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
