Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Continuing with the recent practice of using the Basil Hayden brand to produce many, many iterations of Beam-made whiskeys, the latest such twist has yielded Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke. Originally released in 2022, Beam has put out a new batch for 2024. The journey that led the brand, which started out as a light, dry and 8 year old, 80 proof version of Old Granddad back in the early 1990s with the Small Batch Collection has certainly led us to an interesting place.

Like many Basil Hayden expressions, this one relies on secondary maturation, aka barrel finishing, and those finishing barrels were quite exotic. This is the process they used this time, as described by Jim Beam:

The steps to create this unique bourbon begin with toasting and lightly charring a secondary barrel. Afterwards, hickory-smoked chips are delicately ignited at a constant feed to produce smoke, which is then pumped into the barrel, resulting in soft, charred notes. This six-month secondary aging process provides a smoother, more subtle take on smoky spirits, and creates the perfectly sophisticated, yet approachable introduction to both bourbon and Basil Hayden.

The whiskey remains no age statement (NAS) and 80 proof.

The Bourbon
The coloring of the pour is a clear middle amber. So, it looks like normal Old Granddad/Basil Hayden bourbon, and the rest of the experience stays in that lane as well. Naming this one “Subtle Smoke” is not an exercise in understatement. The nose is candy corn, caramel and a dab of spice and oak, with only the barest hint of creosote behind it. I haven’t had my chimney swept yet, and the smell pushed down it on a hot, humid day makes more of a presence than the hickory smoking does on this nose. The flavor follows in that vein: Basil Hayden, with its light character, candy corn and caramel sweetness, current of dry spiciness, and all that followed by the barest whiff of smoke. The barrel char note, when it is present, is usually more present than the smoke note in this whiskey, at least until the finish comes. There the smoke finally takes a step forward, sharing some real stage time with the dry, spicy current.

Fans of Basil Hayden and Old Granddad should find this an interesting twist on their favorite flavor profile, because that profile is very much there and unmolested. Smokeheads, on the other hand, will be left scratching their heads as to why anyone bothered with such an unorthodox and seemingly unproductive smoking technique as this.

The Price
The recommended retail price for this item is $50.