BH SUBTLE SMOKE NOSE: The nose starts Good and with time becomes Great. Vanilla, Butterscotch, Circus Peanuts Candy, Rye Spice, Creme Brûlée, Apple, Pink Bubblegum, and Hickory Smoke that grows in intensity the longer it sits. TWTWIRBM makes a delicious Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie that ends up all crust, canned apple and burnt brown sugar. That is what this becomes. NEAT: Mouthfeel is Light and Thin, but the flavors are there. Vanilla, Maple, Brown Sugar, Light Peanut Funk, and Cola. The Hickory Smoke is present throughout, but doesn't really assert itself until the backend and slightly drying finish. There is absolutely zero KYHug. This Old Granddad is smooth to a fault. Sweet Hickory Smoke and Mint coat and build on the palate the deeper into the pour you get. SPLASH: The Hickory Smoke is reduced, but the Palate gains a note of Caramel Covered Granny Smith Apple. VERDICT: The more time I spent with this one, the more I liked it. I love the Hickory Smoke influence, but I think that Peg Leg Porker may pull it off just a little better, but it is close. This one gets dinged a quarter point by the thin mouthfeel, but it's overall a solid, enjoyable bourbon.
About this bottle
Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke was initially released in April 2022 as a one-time limited edition release. It begins with fully matured Basil Hayden Bourbon. That high-rye bourbon is placed into a special secondary barrel for six months to finish its maturation. First, the secondary barrel is toasted and lightly charred. Then, hickory-smoked oak chips are ignited to produce smoke which is then pumped into that barrel.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 33 parsed reviews.
Id come to arrange a holiday when I met Mr. Smokesalot. Despite the name, there was nothing subtle about the bbq grill taste of this whiskey. Im not a fan of smoke in my drink so take my review with s grain of salt and take this whiskey with something strong to chase away the chimney feeling afterward.
Light hints of vanilla with subtle, not overpowering smoke from start to finish. With such a great flavor and only at an 80 proof this is a very drinkable bourban. I find most bourbans at this low of proof lacking flavor, this is what i would imagine exactly what they wanted!
The nose is subtle with notes of syrup and brine. The palette starts off surprisingly spicy and warm with a hint of caramel. The finish is slightly bitter and retains some heat from the palette with subtle oily notes. Very interesting bourbon!
Nose of almond, toasted wood, and butterscotch with a little smoke as the name would suggest. Not a lot to the taste. It has some smoke to it and very muted Basil flavors but nothing really stands out and it fades quickly. A bit lackluster.
Disgusting. Could barely swallow the first sip. Waited a few, took another sip and spit it out. My first drain pour ever after literally hundreds of other whiskey tastings. This bottle will be fine for mixing drinks, but that's about it.
27 more reviews were collected for this bottle. The longest ones are shown first.
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