Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Straight Bourbon from an ancient rule-breaking recipe.

The Haydens were God-fearing pilgrims that moved to the Land of the Free in the 1660s. One of their descendants was Basil Hayden, an innovative Master Distiller who one day in 1796 decided the traditional corn-based mash bill for the Bourb' should contain some rye. His bold move paid off as the tippling folks were absolutely crazy about the novelty, changing the course of Bourbon history forever. Doc Brown to 1992, when Jim Beam introduced their small batch collection of four Bourbons, naming one of them Basil Hayden's. The modern iteration uses a mash bill similar to the one Basil came up with back in the day.

This rye-forward Bourbon is bottled at 40% ABV and it brings an explosion of spice, balanced by herbal notes of peppermint and a hint of fruit. The bottle used to say it's an 8-year-old Bourbon, but now it just says "Artfully Aged", which means uncle Basil doesn't want us asking his age. It's impolite, we suppose. In any case, every drop of Basil Hayden's Kentucky Straight Bourbon is distilled in Clermont, KY, and a wonderful testament to rule-breakers who either don't know the laws of the Old Guard or simply don't give a darn. Its lightness makes it a lovely daily sipper, while every Old Fashioned is better with it.