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Basil Hayden – For some, to Noe this bourbon is to love it.
Basil Hayden is one of the four brands that makes up the Jim Beam Small Batch collection. It keeps some pretty nice company in this collection along with Knob Creek, Booker’s Bourbon, and Baker’s Bourbon. Within this part of the Jim Beam family, Basil Hayden is known for being the most approachable and attainable. Baker’s and Booker’s are seen as the premier offerings of the group with high proofs, long age statements, and the price tags to match. Knob Creek, on the other hand, is more affordable, while still maintaining long age statements and a proof of 100 for both the bourbon and rye. However, with the lowest proof of the whole group (80), Basil Hayden is still considered by many to be the most accessible.
And that seems to be exactly how it was designed to be. The Basil Hayden line was developed by Booker Noe, a sixth generation distiller and a Master Distiller at Jim Beam, in 1992. You might be more familiar with Booker Noe through his actual namesake – Booker’s Bourbon. Instead of naming two lines after himself though, Booker Noe named the line for the great distiller Basil Hayden Sr. Living and distilling throughout the late 1700s, Basil Hayden Sr. is known as the “King of High Rye” due to his preference for high rye bourbons. That high rye mix lives on today in the Old Grand-Dad collection, which was founded by Hayden’s grandson around 1885. Today the collection is owned by Jim Beam and consists of Old Grand-Dad bourbon, Old Grand-Dad Bonded, and Old Grand-Dad 114. Yet, those high rye bourbons are exactly why Booker Noe named Basil Hayden after the King himself. In fact, Basil Hayden still shares the same high rye mashbill as the Old Grand-Dads.
In addition to being a high rye bourbon, Booker Noe allegedly wanted Basil Hayden to be a light and easy to drink bourbon. We’d say he pretty much nailed it. The beginning aroma is all about dry oak, citrus, and an undercurrent of spice. The flavor itself is certainly subtle with a bit of dried fruit like peaches and apricots, along with vanilla, oak, and a bit of pepper. As far as the finish – Well, don’t blink or you might miss it. It’s a quiet and quick combination of rye spices and vanilla, but even those flavors practically jump off of your tongue. Overall, it’s definitely a very light and soft bourbon, which in part can be chalked up to that 80 proof.
So yes, Basil Hayden Bourbon may be an easy drink, but is it really the best bang for your buck? This is where we get a bit stuck. At the time of this post, Basil Hayden is retailing for around $45 a pop, which is a slight increase from the $35-$40 it’s been in the past. Even though that’s fairly affordable, it doesn’t make a lot of sense considering the product and the market. For us in that same price point, you could have a bottle of Wild Turkey’s Russell’s Reserve Bourbon, a bourbon from a smaller distillery like Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon, Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, or Isaac Bowman Port Barrel Finished Bourbon. Ironically, for less money you could keep it in the family with a bottle of Knob Creek Bourbon. The price and premium of Basil Hayden may have made sense in the years past, but it doesn’t quite match up with the market these days.
However, the price does make sense considering Basil Hayden’s current vibes. Even though the original marketing and branding focused on luxury, in the last few years the brand has ramped up with offerings like a Dark Rye, Red Wine Cask Finish, Malted Rye, and the Toast and Subtle Smoke whiskies. Keeping the price of Basil Hayden at a premium seems to fit the upscale direction the brand is marching toward.
Basil Hayden is never going to be our “go-to” bourbon, but it remains a crowd favorite for a reason. Despite the price point, it is a very light and easy to drink bourbon that’s incredibly appealing to bourbon and whiskey newcomers or enthusiasts who just prefer a softer flavor. As Booker Noe put it, “If you don’t like bourbon, try Basil Hayden.”
STATS: Basil Hayden Bourbon
- Price for us: $45 for 750 mL
- Proof: 80
- Aged: NAS
- Distillery: Jim Beam, owned by Beam Suntory
- Recommendation: Mixer or Neat
