Basil Hayden good or bad

[GBrough]

For a while I have heard mixed things about basil Hayden one side says it is very light and refreshing but like OGD I want to know about this in comparison with any of the other beam products.

[Bourbon Joe]

For a while I have heard mixed things about basil Hayden one side says it is very light and refreshing but like OGD I want to know about this in comparison with any of the other beam products.

If you take your bottle of OGD and dilute it to 80 Proof you will end up with Basil Hayden. It will also be a lot cheaper than buying the BH.
Joe

[EllenJ]

I might be wrong here (Lord knows, that does happen occasionally), but while I agree with Joe's point that it would be lots cheaper, diluted OGD would be only half the age of Basil Hayden. Whether that would matter much in an 80-proof bourbon is another story. But the be fair, GBrough should be diluting Knob Creek instead of OGD. Da Knob, at 9 years, is closer age-wise, and I'm pretty sure that it's Beam's high-rye (i.e., OGD) mashbill. Of course, the only savings then would be the dilution factor, and OGD is still a better bargain.

Basil Hayden is marketed for people who want a very delicate, non-obtrusive flavor in their bourbon. Maker's Mark targets the same audience. If they marketed it right, so would Early Times (yeah, I know, technically that isn't "bourbon" but what the hey, it isn't Seagram's 7 or Kessler either). OGD on the other hand, is pretty flavorful stuff.

GBrough, have you actually tried either of those bourbons? What did you think? If OGD -- diluted or not -- has more "whiskey flavor" than you like, you might want to try Basil Hayden. It's a bit costly; see if you can find a bar that serves it and try just a glass. Maker's Mark is more flavorful and sophisticated than Basil Hayden; you might want to try that as well.

[GBrough]

I have a bottle of OGD it was okay but not something i enjoy like elijiah craig 12 or the elmer t lee that i let aerate for a good 7 hours. I could never handle Makers Mark the flavours had nothing that shined to be so i have never got a bottle of it again. I will be looking into knob creek in a few weeks going to be giving bulliet rye a spin tonight seeing that bulliet was my first bourbon and i still rank it up there pretty high in my shelf.

We are going to a bar this friday i will see if they have it.

[EllenJ]

I have a bottle of OGD it was okay but not something i enjoy like elijiah craig 12 or the elmer t lee that i let aerate for a good 7 hours. I could never handle Makers Mark the flavours had nothing that shined to be so i have never got a bottle of it again. I will be looking into knob creek in a few weeks going to be giving bulliet rye a spin tonight seeing that bulliet was my first bourbon and i still rank it up there pretty high in my shelf.
We are going to a bar this friday i will see if they have it.

Given all that, I'd say don't bother with Basil Hayden; you have a better feel for bourbon flavor than you'll get from that.
When you're at that bar, see if they have any Four Roses, and try a taste of every one they have. I bet you'll love 'em all.

[GBrough]

I enjoyed four roses small batch the spice over rode to much of the sweet flavours but i will see about single barrel.

[EllenJ]

I enjoyed four roses small batch the spice over rode to much of the sweet flavours but i will see about single barrel.

Then don't bother with Wild Turkey, either (a true classic, but even spicier than Four Roses). Try Buffalo Trace or Elmer Lee. Both are sweeter than spicy. Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig and Evan Williams might also appeal to you. Oooh, I just thought of another, somewhat obscure brand: See if you can get hold of Bernheim Straight Wheat.

[GBrough]

I liked kentucky spirit the spice was in line, i dont like it when the spice overpowers everything so all i get is spice. I will be trying wild turkey russel reserve when i can, like four roses with ginger beer was good the spice was balanced and the ginger beer gave it some more zip in its step per say. I will try to get bernheim tonight, and put rye on hold until i am ready for bulliet while i love the stuff i need to be in the mood for it.

[GBrough]

What i need to know is bernheim as easy to sip/drink as bulliet rye i have tried neither and what i got at home is robust with nothing light to round out my selection except for a bottle of scotch that is silky but a treat only worth having if i save the world.

[EllenJ]

You can't save the world. Obama and Boener have already conspired to screw it up, so let's just enjoy while we can

Meanwhile, as a fan of "dark and stormy"s (yeah, I'm a rummy, too) I'm anxious to try your idea of Four Roses with ginger beer.

I'm guessing that Bulleit rye is gonna be way too spicy and bold for your taste. At 95% rye, Bulleit is really for those (of us) who truly appreciate that "punch" and that lingering spiciness which only a whiskey with a lot of rye content can provide. It's an addiction; you don't have to go there

As a Scotch person, you already know the story: The finest example of Speyside malt will taste like dishwater to an Islay advocate, and a Macallan aficionado would choke on glass of Ardbeg. Think of rye (or high-rye mashbill bourbon) as Ardbeg.

[GBrough]

My macallan is like silk, so smooth that it feels hard for me to enjoy at times since i am used to the bourbon spice. I use reeds extra ginger brew it is very good to begin with sadly tonight will be bulliet rye i enjoy bulliet to begin with, so a walk to the store it is instead of going to bevmo.

[Birdo]

I thought Basil Hayden was a bill of goods when I tried. I like the other Beam stuff much better, especially Beam Black, and Knob Creek. Booker's and Baker's are really good also but get a bit pricey.

80 proof and big bucks for Basil just doesn't compute in this small brain. Its good, but so is a lot of stuff for way less money. Elijah Craig 12y/o is reall nice like you have said before, it just doesn't get much better.

Based on what you have said, I would venture more into longer aged wheat based bourbons. Condsier higher end Old Weller offerings, old Fitzgerald or that Maker's 46, though I don't have much experience in wheaters, but what I've had, I liked. I love my bottle of Larceny which is a nice wheat bourbon in the mid price range, I think you would like it too, and you can get a $20 rebate on a 1.75 bottle, whats not to luv?

[GBrough]

You have an amazing point, i just had bulleit rye it went down like silk but numbed my tongue which i thought was the bee knees in my limited experience, bernheim and larceny wheat should be nice to try when able to a friend is coming from colorado to visit and we are going to take him out for a drink before he leaves.

[GBrough]

Old Weller 107 is the only weller offering in my area, makers 46 might be nice i did not enjoy makers mark to much way to bland as of yet have not had old fitzgerald, my next whiskey to try will be bernheim or larceny depending on the mood.

[EllenJ]

Old Weller 107 is the only weller offering in my area, makers 46 might be nice i did not enjoy makers mark to much way to bland as of yet have not had old fitzgerald, my next whiskey to try will be bernheim or larceny depending on the mood.

If you think of Makers as too bland (I do, too, BTW) you might do well to forget about Bernheim. And if you have access to OW107, that just might be the best bourbon you've ever tasted.

Oh, and have your Colorado friend bring you some Stranahan's. It's malt, not bourbon, but I'll bet you'll enjoy it.