Basil Hayden Toast

Sweet caramel. Pretty smooth. Approachable.

Nose - spiced apple, clove, mint, caramel, decomposing grass, apricot, black pepper, lemon zest, pineapple peel, mentholated cherry, anise, peanut shell, musty grape, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, allspice, clove, menthol, anise, lemon pith, peanut, white pepper, cherry, baked apple, mild alcohol bite, finishing medium short with cherry menthol, caramel, and rye spice flavors. This is the first in a nine-part blind tasting series of reviews. @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington was kind enough to provide these samples and a key to decode them once I’m finished with each review. So here we go. The nose on this one is sweet and minty. There are apple, anise, peanut shells, and caramel with some cherry menthol cough syrup qualities. The palate is similarly mentholated with more cherry, peanuts, baking spices, and bitter citrus flavors. However, the finish is disappointingly thin and sour. I can’t quite tell whether this is a high-rye bourbon or a low-rye rye. Either way, it’s underproofed and the flavors seem muddled and dissonant. The peanuty, cherry cough syrupy combination just isn’t working for me. So what are we drinking here? Basil Hayden Toast. I’ve been wanting to try this, but can’t say I’m surprised that don’t like it all that much. Many thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the sample!

Unique. The “toast” comes through at the end.

Oak spice, caramel and toast on first nose. The initial sip is spicier than anticipated, with cinnamon, more caramel, and red fruit. The finish is lacking a little something, but it’s a different and enjoyable dram.

Golden straw in color. Someone sticky with few but fast running legs. Rice spices are immediately noted on the nose, but there's more there. Sawdust, caramel, a hint of banana and some vanilla. There's a distinct fruity or floral note, almost grassy. Soft on the mouth, with a short, sweet note transitioning immediately into a dry woodiness that then gives way to more vanilla and sweetness. Mid palate to finish has plenty of baking spices It has that distinctive peanut shell or peanutty character that all the Jim beam products have. It's not something I'd buy again for $50, but I am satisfied with having got one and will revisit. It's more interesting than me the regular BH

So tried this at the bar and enjoyed, but now have a bottle to do a proper review. The is not very strong, you have to try hard to pull the notes out, but those that are there are pleasant. I get creme brulee, vanilla, caramel, and a tiny bit of brown sugar. All are pretty faint though. The palate is on a different playing field however. You get an immediate splash of oak spice at the front, which then turns into caramel and baking spices mid-palate and then has a somewhat lingering finish with some heat. The mouthfeel is somewhat thin. Overall you can definitely tell this is a lower Proof pour, but I think you get more flavors from this bottle over the regular bottle of Basil Hayden.