Basil Hayden 10 Year Old Bourbon – This is a new limited edition 10 Year old Bourbonfrom Basil Hayden. Beam brings back an age stated version of Basil Hayden’s to the market with Basil Hayden’s 10 Year.
The deep rye grain is balanced perfectly with the mellow vanillas and sweet oak aromas. Basil’s trademark spice is always there keeping things honest. At 80 proof it’s easy enough for anyone to appreciate. When you want to turn it up a bit, but not scare anyone off, the Basil 10 year is a great choice.
Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: Beam Suntory
Distillery: Jim Beam
Released: December 2018
Proof: 80
Age: 10 Years
Mashbill: 63% Corn, 27% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Color: Light Gold
NOSE
The nose brings doses of summer fruits and oak. Additionally, there’s a light hint of honeyed vanilla added to the mix. The aroma is less floral than I find standard Basil Hayden’s to be, with oak coming through more predominantly. Sadly, the low proof results in a lack of overall depth.
PALATE
The palate continues to be light due to the 80 proof that Beam bottles this at. The good news is that this lower proof really allows you to roll the sip around in your mouth for a long time to try to pick out flavors. The bad news is that oak and sweet vanilla form the entirety of the palate, which isn’t what you’d expect from a 10 year old bourbon.
FINISH
Like its younger sibling, Basil Hayden’s 10 Year’s finish is short and almost nonexistent, ending almost as soon as it starts. Light oak dominates with an ever-so-slight touch of sweetness. For a 10 year old bourbon the lack of depth is surprising and unfortunate.