Basil Hayden’s Straight Kentucky Bourbon

Review: Basil Hayden’s Straight Kentucky Bourbon  90/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (AKA Arctic Wolf)
Posted on October 16, 2023

Basil Hayden’s was originally promoted as part of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection. This collection is composed of Knob Creek, Booker’s, Baker’s  and Basil Hayden’s bourbon whiskies. Although Jim Beam Distillers no longer promotes the Small Batch Collection, I would like to suggest that this selection of premium bourbon played no small part in the explosion of popularity of the spirit for whiskey enthusiasts. (It certainly has a positive impact on me.)

Basil Hayden’s is unique in that it is produced from a distilling mash which has an especially high rye content, twice as much rye in fact as would normally be used in a Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey. The whiskey is aged in American white oak for 8 years, and then bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

In the Bottle  4.5/5

To the left is the current bottle image for the Basil Hayden’s bourbon as it is sold in my locale. I really like the unique design which immediately catches my eye on my whisky shelf. Perhaps the topper could be covered with something more elegant than that clear plastic wrap, and perhaps the base of the bottle could be a little heavier to give the glass more stability on my whisky shelf, but those are minor quibbles.

In the Glass  9/10

Basil Hayden’s Bourbon Whisky has the colour of golden straw, and the initial nose represents a lighter style of bourbon than is typical in the category. The normally strong aroma of freshly fallen timbers which we usually find in bourbon is muted as if a light rain has fallen to dampen the effect.What is not muted is a firm presence of spicy rye grain which rises with oak spice and vanilla making this a bourbon aroma which has an immediate appeal for a Canadian like me who loves a rye forward whisky.

A note of honeycomb rises from the glass as well giving the whiskey a light candied flair, and deeper down a gentle and mildly spicy caramel toffee springs up and greets me as well. As the glass breathes the more typical notes of bourbon come forward as fresh oak chips dripping with sap and notes of charred caramel come forward.  I really like what I am sensing in the breezes above my glass.

In the Mouth  54/60

This is a gentle bourbon that caresses the mouth with honeycomb cereal, vanilla and mild toffee on the entry.  Spicier tannins from the oak build and gather strength, but they never reach a point where they overwhelm the other flavours. I taste the rye in the mash and sweet corn which seem to be working in unison. I like the balance of flavours within the dram, and I like that there is enough complexity to keep me wanting to return for another sip. This is sublime stuff.

I add a little ice and notice flavours of chocolate and Oolong tea coming forward along wqith rich grassy tobacco.  It’s a bit of a coin flip, the bourbon is quite fine without ice, but could it be even better with ice?

In the Throat  13.5/15

At the exit, the oak timbers re-gather themselves into a nice rush of oak and baking spices that lingers in the throat. Indistinct trails of sweet honey, vanilla, corn and rye seem to fade into that glowing spice.

The Afterburn 9/10

I have a feeling that persons who like an assertive, robust oak and timber flavour profile in their bourbon are going to be disappointed with this one. Basil Hayden’s has a milder, more gentle bourbon profile. Your mouth and throat do not get all clogged up with sap, and if that is what you drink bourbon for, then you will find Basil Hayden’s to be thin and uninviting. But, if you are more like myself, and want to taste the other nuances of sweet corn, rye, vanilla, and honeycomb, and to relish them as they play in and out of those oak timbers, then this bourbon will delight you. It delighted me!

You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74   Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79   You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84   We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89   Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94   Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+        I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)