Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington
Basil Hayden Toast
Bourbon — USA
Reviewed
August 20, 2021 (edited September 14, 2021)
So the copper band is wider, cork is wood instead of plastic but is this worth $10-15 more than the standard, overpriced-for-what-it-is offering?
To be certain my assessment is valid a sample of the original is needed. Poured into a green, glass chalice found in our rental cabin (classy, but honestly that was the best option) I get sweet corn, caramel and a dash of rye. Thin, sweet up front with rye spice and pepper on a back and a shot finish of caramel corn and young oak.
TOAST they say. Color appears a tad darker in the bottle (nice green hue in the glass), as does the nose. The oak is more at the forefront, maybe some peanut toffee and more caramel than vanilla. Entry is somehow even softer with a muted wood sweetness - toasted coconut? Sweetness is more candy cigarette than candy corn. Rye seems like it could be there but downplayed and pepper is gone.
But wait - despite BH being a watered-down, high rye bourbon this has zero rye. RICE doesn’t look as clever on a bottle. Honestly it seems to work at 63/27(rice)/10 and almost reminds me of Little Book 4, where Beam incorporates a brown rice whiskey. This lacks the gusto (largely proof) of a Book/Bookers.
Widely acceptable I see no huge faults about this. There might be an unpleasant sour note in there. And it’s watered down. And it’s kind of expensive. Ok fine - not great. It’s within Buffalo Trace territory though… so I’ll go with “above acceptable”. Quarter point off for price and availability.
40.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@whiskeyrunner78 phew! Looking forward to your thoughts on it
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington mighty kind! I actually snagged a bottle today. Glad I didn't opt for the guy in the local FB group trying to pass them off for $90.😳
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I figured as much. At $40, I’d take a flyer on a bottle of this, but would temper my expectations accordingly.
@whiskeyrunner78 if it doesn’t come around and you’re still in need let me know - [email protected]
@ctbeck11 I would take the EC toasted any day of the week. It seemed to have a good bit more depth and balance.
@jonwilkinson7309 I think the BT mashbill 2 crowd they will eat this up. Light, “crushable” and sweet, but just not for me.
@dubz480 I never thought I’d see the day when Basil Hayden was being flipped… that said it should have wide appeal but unlikely to impress anyone. To be honest I kind of missed the rye and will be sending this home with my mother-in-law.
This is on my list to try. I wasn't sure about the rice substitute for rye, but sounds like it worked for you. I'm a sucker for toasted bourbon, so will definitely give this a go if it shows up in my market at retail. Another nice review!
Great review. I’d like to try this but don’t have high hopes. Toasted barrel finishes seem to be the new fad these days. Wonder how it stacks up against Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel.
My understanding is that this will be a permanent addition to the BH line. And there are big markups?!?!? I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like a clever move - this flavor profile would seem to be agreeable to the typical BH aficionado.
"nice green hue in the glass" 😂
Nice review! Crazy that peeps are paying $100+ on secondary for this already! I am sure the mania will die down soon!