This new Basil Hayden’s line seems to be a replacement for those experimental whiskies that were blended with wine and rum. Those were pretty awful, so I welcome a more traditional approach to experimentation. Even that has its limits in the world of whiskey, so let’s see if they’re getting it right with the toast-charred oak. Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, toffee, and caramel. Sugar cookie. Apple and apricot. Big apricot. The smoke is present, but it’s more in the background. Cocoa. Foam hand soap. Ginger, rye spice, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice. Palate: Cocoa, sawdust, black tea, and pipe smoke. More apple and apricot, though it’s more like apple pie and dried apricot on the tongue. Apple cider and cereal grain. Vanilla (frosting,) toffee, caramel, and brown sugar. Mocha. Orange citrus. Toasted almond and walnut. Black pepper, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and oak spice. Finish: Apple and dried apricot. Cocoa, black tea, and pipe smoke. Caramel, toffee, vanilla, and brown sugar. Cinnamon Apple Jacks. Toasted almond and pistachio. Black pepper, ginger, clove, nutmeg, rye spice, and oak. Short-moderate. Upon reading up on this one, I’ve learned that rye was subbed out for brown rice in the mash bill. Interestingly, I still get trace rye spice at times, but the heavy-handed rye notes I generally get from Basil Hayden’s are absent. As for how this scores, I’ll use some points of reference to put it in perspective. I think the Basil Hayden 10 edges this. And this is definitely better than the standard BH. And all of three that I just mentioned are substantially better than those funky experiments that Jim Beam was trying under the BH banner. That in mind, I’m optimistic about the direction Jim Beam is taking Basil Hayden. This is a 3.25, though I’m going to dock it slightly for VFM at $50. Wouldn’t go above $40 for a 40% ABV NAS bourbon that, let’s face it, isn’t boasting any truly unique attribute. Toasted barrels? They’re a dime a dozen. The mash bill is interesting, and I’ll give them credit for that. 40% ABV is unacceptable if you’re trying to get into the good graces of a bourbon-head. Depth is important, and this is could be fantastic if it had more than the bare minimum. 3/5 as it is.