Basil Hayden Bourbon

Nose: Light, fragrant wood is the first impression. Not oak cask, but freshly sawn planks. Vanilla, honey, mint, cloves and faint anise. Palate: The arrival is sweet at first but rapidly becomes drying and spicy before heading into bitterness. Brown sugar, oak tannin, dark unsweetened chocolate. The texture is a bit thin. Finish: Medium. Spicy wood notes with tobacco in the aftertaste. I enjoyed the nose on this a lot more than the palate, which is too astringent for my taste when taken neat. Water didn’t improve it either, reducing the heat a little but bringing out a lot of sour notes. Fortunately it works very well as a mixer as its hard personality allows it to stay prominent in a drink, and it is a great partner with Coke where the respective dry astringency and cloying sweetness balance each other out. I picked this bottle up for AUD$58 (it’s normally $70 here) but I wouldn’t buy it again, even on special. “Adequate” : 74/100 (2.25 stars)

Good, solid, middle of the road bourbon. Warm, with just enough spice.

Aroma, light sweet, taste, sweetness, oak, pepper, smooth, would buy again

Smooth for a rye