01/12/2025
The question I get asked the most: “What’s your favorite bourbon?” 🥃
Well that’s really hard to answer. That can change on something I’ve had recently, what I’m eating, or the weather. But one product will always stay the same. “What’s the product that started the obsession?” That’s easy! Basil Hayden Red Wine cask!
Basil Hayden products are a small batch craft product distilled by Jim Beam! It has a high rye mash bill, so be prepared for a little bite right at the front of the palette (that’s the rye talking to ya 😉) BUT it’s low proof! Actually the lowest proof a bourbon product can legally be, 80 proof, and still be called bourbon. After it gets done aging about 7-9 years, they let it sit an additional 6-9 months in a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel! Letting it sit in the red wine barrel gives it a little sweetness, a little tannin bite from the wine, and a beautiful red color!
I love wine! So when I started working at a distillery, this was the first product that I tasted that not only tasted great to me, but I was interested in how it was made and what about its make up, made it taste so good!
If you are looking for a bourbon to start liking bourbons, I highly recommend that you read labels and try finished products at a low proof point in order to really begin to understand the flavor, profiles and tasting notes of bourbons. Bourbons are not meant to be taken as shots, it is meant to be sipped over long periods of time with good company. So finding something you can enjoy, really brings the whole picture together.
What bourbon 🥃 started your obsession? Not a bourbon drinker? That’s okay! Tell me something you love about wine or cocktails! ⬇️
