Basil Hayden's 10 Year Rye (Discontinued)

This was continued, but not before I managed to snag one. I generally find Basil Hayden to be underwhelming, but the 10 year bourbon was decent. I’m a big fan of Jim Beam in general, so I’m willing to give them a chance to improve my position on the BH label, though at this point, they’re running out of tries. Clean slate for this one though. Let’s check it out. Nose: Very bready. Sourdough. Rye spice. Lemon citrus. Orange rind. Black pepper. Toasted almond and vanilla. A touch of pistachio. Palate: Some pistachio and milk chocolate. Rye spice. Toasted almond. Gala apple, raisin, and dried apricot. Vanilla, caramel, and ginger snap. Some butterscotch. White pepper. Clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and oak. Finish: Vanilla. Clove, nutmeg, and oak spice. Rye spice and black pepper. Dill. Black licorice. Short, fleeting finish. I really had to dig deep to find the notes here. It’s underwhelming. Flat, though the notes I was able to detect were pleasant. It’s just muted. 40% ABV is practically a death sentence for any whiskey in any category. There’s nothing memorable here. It takes a fat chunk out of your wallet for such a thin whiskey. At $100, this is undoubtedly not worth the price of entry. $50 tops, and that’s only for the impressive age statement relative to other ryes. The oldest I’ve owned in fact. But a pitiful ABV is enough to sour that. Not a bad whiskey by any means. But it’s awful value. 2.75/5.

Got this as part of a package deal on discount, or else I would not have bought myself. Nose: very faint and gentle, with just a tad of vanilla and mint sneaking through. No oak, despite the age statement. Palate: tastes like a bourbon, with the smallest hint of very generic rye spice. Mouth feel is super watery and generally vague. Mashbill is not disclosed, but I’m guessing barely legal rye. I would mistake this for a bourbon blind probably. Finish: what finish? No oak, despite the age statement, and really nothing lingers at all. This is a huge flop. I understand that some people enjoy low proof whiskey. That is fine. This product however, is not fine. Especially for the price tag. One can get a 140 proof monster, single barrel, 10 year old rye from Barrell for just 10-15 bucks more. Do that, then water down and you have way more volume and likely way more taste. In all seriousness, I don’t understand who thought this would be a good product. Sagamore is 83 proof, less than half the price, and way more flavorful, if you’re looking for a good low proof rye. Very disappointed in this product, and the Hayden’s line in general.

A buddy of mine managed to grab one of these from ABC before they sold out. He brought it over for us to see what the fuss is about and first thing I notice is the extremely low proof. In my experience most whiskey that barely meets the threshold to be called whiskey are watered down too far, but maybe I’m just an alcoholic that drinks too much cask strength and am judging this too fast. Ok so we crack the bottle and pour two glasses to finally judge it for what the liquid has to offer. The nose is nice with light rye spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel and vanilla, but they are all very light. The taste is so watery, it’s really just a rye water with a bit of whiskey flavor and the finish is just non existent. Overall this is a disappointment and not worth chasing. Honestly this would be a great Houdini bottle. You know those stories all whiskey enthusiasts have where a nice bottle was left out around the wrong person and that person made it disappear in front of your eyes. I’d be happy to invite that person over to show me the trick on this one to make space for something else.

Basil makes some great "sort of Whiskeys" with the Dark Rye and Caribbean offerings. Purists will give 2 thumbs down to these, but who cares what the snobs think? This is my first straight BH so let's see how it holds up. Nose comes off interestingly with a very faint rye playing over a more traditional bourbon makeup. First sip is very subtle with light brown sugar, caramel hints, and a just a touch of rye pepper. Interestingly I sense a bit of golden almond that I normally only taste in Scotch. The finish is soft at the lower proof with no heavy burn. I can see why some dislike this at 10 years. They want an in your face bold rye while this comes along as a more mature and subdued offering. Overall I really enjoyed this one. I may not seek it out, but I would happily accept a dram any time!

I picked this up at the BCLS summer release. Was interested to try it. Nose: Vanilla, maple, oak, caramel, the usual suspects. Nothing remarkable here. Palate: Very thin mouthfeel. Water. Some mint and pepper watered down. A little brown sugar here as well. Not too much happening. Finish: Short and thin. Overall this is very disappointing and very hard to believe this is a 10 year old rye. I compared to Michter's Single Barrel rye and there is no comparison - Michter's is far superior in flavour. This is not worth $79.99. Although I'm happy I tried it I would be happier if I had my money back. This will definitely be going in cocktails.

Disappointed, but not surprised, truly regret the purchase. I had serious reservations about this 10yr, especially given it's only 80 proof and the $70 price. Let's face it, don't good Rye Whiskeys seem to start at 90 proof, at minimum? The 10 year age statement is worthless as I don't know what Jim Beam was thinking on this to water down to 80 proof, as the flavor profile is so... well... heavy medicinal impact. Oh, I know what they were thinking. Pure marketing, period. The juice has no value! I'm just hoping this stuff does well in a mixer, as drinking it neat is abusive.