Kentucky Bourbon
Basil Hayden
USA
40%
Mash bill: 63% corn, 27% rye, & 10% malted barley
Barrels used: New charred American oak
Bourbon has a special spot in both my heart and bar. There’s something cozy and homey about it that always has me wanting more. This is a great baseline bourbon that gives more. Legend has it that Basil himself set out to make a batch simply using the ingredients he had on hand, unaware of what the traditionalists might think of his mash. What resulted was a bourbon with a uniquely high-rye mash bill, combining the sweetness of corn with spicy undertones of rye. That tradition is continued to this day.
Rules for bourbon can feel tedious but the ones that we are looking at today are a minimum of 51% corn, must be aged in new charred American oak barrels, and lastly only produced in the States. It used to be that only Kentucky was allowed to call it bourbon, but that changed to cover the entire United States in 1964. The rest of the world however is still out of luck, so we see bourbon-esque mash bills but with creative names like BRBN from Okanagan Spirits or B-Word from Stillhead Distillery.
Ok back to this dram, it’s a great sipper, either to warm oneself in Winter or on ice in the Summer. It’s entirely versatile in cocktails, shining in anything from a sour to a boulevardier, and so much more.
Tasting notes: A touch of citrus and floral notes on the nose, the high-rye content with the corn adds complexity on the palate, the spice giving way to honey. The citrus and floral from the nose return on the finish, leaving remnants of a lavender lemon shortbread.
What do you think?