Cigar Weekly

pcotton3 · 04-12-2003, 11:20 AM

This stuff is expensive, so before I buy a bottle I was looking for opinions.

Anyone got any experience with the stuff?

grtrx · 04-12-2003, 11:40 AM

yes I do.

Linn · 04-12-2003, 04:40 PM

Basil Hayden is Old Grand Dad. Basil Hayden was a farmer distiller that moved to Kentucky County, Viriginia right after the American Revolution on what was called a 'corn writ' and singed by Virginia's first non-royal govener Patrick Henry.

If you walked to Kentucky; and you fonud a nice plot of land - all you had to do was clear four acres and plant corn and build a 16 foot by 16 foot cabin, and presto the surrounding 400 acres were now yours for free! The native Americans living in the Ohio valley called Kentucky their sacred hunting grounds and were more than just a triffle miffed at Patrick.

Later after Basil's death, his grand sons built and ran a distillery in his honor and called their bourbon Old Grand Dad. This label is now owned by Jim Beam Brands, which in turn is owned by American Brands.

Basil Hayden - The Bourbon - is very light and only 80 proof. It has been poo-pooed as nothing more than brown vodka. I have had it and don't reccommmend it. I'd much rather have the original Old Grand Dad 100 proof Bottled In Bond than the very expensive very light Basil Haydens.

Linn

pcotton3 · 04-12-2003, 06:12 PM

Thanks for the input, Linn. I think I'll pass.

Jeff · 04-16-2003, 05:22 PM

Quote:

I'd much rather have the original Old Grand Dad 100 proof Bottled In Bond than the very expensive very light Basil Haydens.

I agree completely. I am just finishing my first bottle of OGD BIB and am quite impressed. Much better than BH and at $13 here in Lexington, it's a steal

LabRatGDI · 04-18-2003, 07:07 PM

Number one, I would NEVER pass over a bottle of something based on anybody else's opinion.

Number two, I like it. Haven't found many bourbons I don't like, though. Linn and I disagree on the proof issue, as we've discussed before. But it's all personal taste, IMO.

Linn · 04-19-2003, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LabRatGDI

Number one, I would NEVER pass over a bottle of something based on anybody else's opinion.

Number two, I like it. Haven't found many bourbons I don't like, though. Linn and I disagree on the proof issue, as we've discussed before. But it's all personal taste, IMO.

Dave we actually do agree...Kind of ...

Some folks do like lighter tasting lighter bodied spirits at a lower easy drinking proof. I for one am pleased that you're drinking bourbon and not some blended imported stuff.

Basil Haydens actually baffles me, because it has the highest percentage of rye in it's mashbill (21% - it's made from the original Old Grand Dad recipe))than any other bourbon. Yet the flavor profile is so mild you might think it was very low in rye like Four Roses.

If you like Basil Haydens do try Four Roses 'yellow label' 80 proof. Only avaiable for sale in Kentucky and Indiania, but you may be able to import some from various internet sources.

Linn

Pill Man · 04-19-2003, 03:55 PM

I've never figured out why... but Basil Haydens is the only Bourbon that gives me a headache. I can drink a few snifters of Bookers and get expectedly buzzed. But two glasses of Basil makes my head feel like it's in a vice. Needless to say.. I'm off the Basil.

LabRatGDI · 04-19-2003, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linn

Some folks do like lighter tasting lighter bodied spirits at a lower easy drinking proof. I for one am pleased that you're drinking bourbon and not some blended imported stuff.

Linn

Hey, don't get me wrong. I love my imported single malts, too.

jazznut · 04-25-2003, 11:11 AM

Basil Hayden strikes me as the low rung on the Jim Beam Small Batch Bourbon ladder. If you're looking for total taste in your glass, better to try the excellent Knob Creek or Bookers bottlings (50% and about 62-63% ABV respectively) from this range. Hec, even Jim Beam's regular Black Label 7 or 8 year old beats the pants off Basil. Knob Creek's slightly burnt characteristics marry well with more strongly flavoured cigars such as Montecristo's No.2 Piramide, while Bookers' (suitably reduced with neutral bottled water) fruitiness demands something along the lines of a Ramon Allones 8-9-8 Dalia. Happy sipping!

04-12-2003, 11:20 AM	#1
pcotton3 Banned Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: P.O. Box 8871, Rocky Mount, NC 27804 USA Posts: 3,221	Basil Hayden question This stuff is expensive, so before I buy a bottle I was looking for opinions. Anyone got any experience with the stuff?

04-12-2003, 11:40 AM	#2
grtrx Contributing Editor Herf God Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Naperville IL Posts: 44,579	yes I do. __________________ "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Sir Winston Churchill "A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption." - Guy de Maupassant

04-12-2003, 04:40 PM	#3
Linn Club Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In My JEEP! Posts: 1,387	Basil Hayden is Old Grand Dad. Basil Hayden was a farmer distiller that moved to Kentucky County, Viriginia right after the American Revolution on what was called a 'corn writ' and singed by Virginia's first non-royal govener Patrick Henry. If you walked to Kentucky; and you fonud a nice plot of land - all you had to do was clear four acres and plant corn and build a 16 foot by 16 foot cabin, and presto the surrounding 400 acres were now yours for free! The native Americans living in the Ohio valley called Kentucky their sacred hunting grounds and were more than just a triffle miffed at Patrick. Later after Basil's death, his grand sons built and ran a distillery in his honor and called their bourbon Old Grand Dad. This label is now owned by Jim Beam Brands, which in turn is owned by American Brands. Basil Hayden - The Bourbon - is very light and only 80 proof. It has been poo-pooed as nothing more than brown vodka. I have had it and don't reccommmend it. I'd much rather have the original Old Grand Dad 100 proof Bottled In Bond than the very expensive very light Basil Haydens. Linn __________________ Tobacco is my favorite vegetable

04-18-2003, 07:07 PM	#6
LabRatGDI Herf God Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Willowick, OH Posts: 36,008	Number one, I would NEVER pass over a bottle of something based on anybody else's opinion. Number two, I like it. Haven't found many bourbons I don't like, though. Linn and I disagree on the proof issue, as we've discussed before. But it's all personal taste, IMO. __________________ I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. -- Benjamin Franklin

04-19-2003, 03:55 PM	#8
Pill Man Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: 22 Arlington Pk., Canandaigua, NY USA Posts: 877	I've never figured out why... but Basil Haydens is the only Bourbon that gives me a headache. I can drink a few snifters of Bookers and get expectedly buzzed. But two glasses of Basil makes my head feel like it's in a vice. Needless to say.. I'm off the Basil. __________________ Doug http://home.rochester.rr.com/dougscorner/ "Oh. I had religion Lord, to this very day, but the women and whiskey, well, they would not let me pray." - Son House

04-12-2003, 06:12 PM	#4
pcotton3 Banned Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: P.O. Box 8871, Rocky Mount, NC 27804 USA Posts: 3,221	Thanks for the input, Linn. I think I'll pass.

04-25-2003, 11:11 AM	#10
jazznut Managing Editor Emeritus Herf God Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Montreal, Canada Posts: 26,082	To Basil or not to Basil? Basil Hayden strikes me as the low rung on the Jim Beam Small Batch Bourbon ladder. If you're looking for total taste in your glass, better to try the excellent Knob Creek or Bookers bottlings (50% and about 62-63% ABV respectively) from this range. Hec, even Jim Beam's regular Black Label 7 or 8 year old beats the pants off Basil. Knob Creek's slightly burnt characteristics marry well with more strongly flavoured cigars such as Montecristo's No.2 Piramide, while Bookers' (suitably reduced with neutral bottled water) fruitiness demands something along the lines of a Ramon Allones 8-9-8 Dalia. Happy sipping! __________________ My whisky adventure began at the age of nine. Good things DO take time!