Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

It’s the season of holiday parties and social gatherings and not too long ago I attended high tea with a group of co-workers for a special occasion. The tea I got was enjoyable but on the spicy side. As I drank it I smiled and in my head thought I said, this tea is spicy just like me. The problem was that I didn’t say that in my head but rather out loud and in front of my co-workers. I still shake my head every time I think about this event, there are just something’s co-workers don’t need to hear. It is also one those things that every time I think about it, I re-live the embarrassment.

If you are wondering why I am sharing this story it’s because I thought about it when I first tasted Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. You see, the word spicy was the first word that came to mind when I took that initial sip. It was spicy, in a very good non embarrassing way.

I’ll go on by saying that there are a few people in my life that swear by how great this Bourbon is. It’s also one of their favorites. I’ll be honest it’s not my absolute favorite; however this is some darn good bourbon.

My friend Brian has recently started trying Bourbon. Since he travels a lot to through Kentucky and Tennessee, he’s always looking for recommendations so I am going to tell him what I am about to tell you, Basil Hayden’s bourbon is a bourbon you should try.

To all my non whisky, whiskey or bourbon drinkers, if you still don’t know the difference between these drinks, look at my post written on July 25th of this year:

http://wp.me/p3Zt2k-h

Now before I get to the tasting I’d like to say that the Basil Hayden's bottle is a nice looking bottle. The bottle is dressed in an extremely creative way that definitely draws attention to the eye. It has a look at me feel. You can’t help but notice it and if you are walking down the bourbon aisle, it will make you want to pick it up. It sort of has a bib, with a little bit of its history written on it and what I am going to call a belt wrapped around it. It’s a very well dressed bottle to say the least.

On taste, as I had mentioned before, one of the tasting notes Basil Hayden’s has, is spice. You can pick this up right away as you smell it; there is a spicy smell on the nose. On the palate the taste notes I get are pepper and spicy. It does have a burn to it; however it is still very smooth bourbon.

Any bourbon distillery that has been distilling bourbon for over 200 year must certainly have a very good product in its hands. This 80 proof bourbon will cost you around $36 or so, depending on where you buy. So, if you are looking for a new bourbon to try and have not tried this one, then I recommend you do.

Finally, if I share a glass of Basil Hayden’s bourbon with friends I can certainly tell them it is as spicy as me without ever feeling embarrassed. And if you are ever feeling the need for a little spice, give this one a world.

Cheers!

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old Cask Strength

Note: I am slowly transitioning to WordPress so please also note my new address: http://whiskeywench.wordpress.com/

Back to the daily grind I go feeling a few pounds heavier and somewhat broke after the sales this weekend. I will fight all temptations and will try to refrain from participating in Cyber Monday. If you however can’t, I wanted to give you another whisky to consider if you are looking into the gift of whisky for someone.

Back in July I wrote about The Glenlivet 15-year-old French Oak Reserve. To summarize, I was not a fan of the 15 year French Oak and place it in my dislike column.

http://whiskeywench.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-glenlivet-15-year-old-french-oak.html

When coming upon The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old Cask Strength, I certainly had reservations about trying it, but it was a friend who provided it so why not give it a chance. According to The Glenlivet website, Nadurra is Gaelic for natural.

Before jumping into the whisky I wanted to make sure that anyone who isn’t very knowledgeable with whisky knew exactly what Cask Strength means. Most distillers after maturing whisky will dilute the whisky with water after removing it from the casks. This basically balances the alcohol and makes it more consistent. It also slightly reduces that alcohol strength. When a whisky is Cask Strength it means that the whisky is bottle exactly how it was aged in the casks without it being diluted. This does mean that the whisky will be stronger and at times more expensive.

The Nadurra 16 cask was definitely stronger than the 15 year French Oak, however I liked it a whole lot better than I did the 15 year French Oak.

On the nose the Nadurra 16 cask smelled sweet and fruity. Upon tasting it you do get a slight burn, which I always appreciate. The tasting notes were oak and vanilla. I also found it to be dry. It was certainly a different experience from when I first had my first Glenlivet product. It was well balanced and the bourbon casks do help with that sweet taste.

If you were like me and didn’t like the 15 year French Oak then I think you might like this one. The Nadurra 16 cask would range at a $65 price.

If you have a love one that loves whisky, a bottle of whisky certainly makes for a good gift. If you don’t know what to get them consider looking throughout the blog to check out the other ranges and bottles I have written about. Most of the other whiskies range in prices and tastes. I am certain there is information there for everyone’s palate. If not the blog you can always ask your local liquor store vendors to suggest something in your price range.

Good luck with your shopping!

Cheers!