TheBrownHound Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Just bought a bottle of the new basil Hayden rye. I really like the standard BH and this didn't disappoint either. The ABC store said they just got it in not too long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry in WashDC Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 5 hours ago, TheBrownHound said: Just bought a bottle of the new basil Hayden rye. I really like the standard BH and this didn't disappoint either. The ABC store said they just got it in not too long ago. Hhhm. I've not seen it although I haven't been searching for it - heard the price was north of $100. It appears, however, that the VA ABC stores are selling it for $49. I have an unopened Col EHT Rye I picked up in MD for $60, and since I'm not really a neat rye guy, I'm hesitant. Have you tried it side by side (SBS) with another rye like Rittenhouse or even the JB 90 proof rye? What did you like about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeTerp Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 For what it's worth it looks like it started arriving in VA ABC stores two weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 ^^^^^I paid $49 for mine as well Harry. It's a balanced, easy sipping rye that builds steam as you get into the pour. In that way, I find it similar to the CEHT, but a bit less complex than the ladder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardsandBourbon Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I've seen one bottle around here. Didn't see a price listed so I asked. She scanned it and said, $199.99. I like the regular BH but I won't be tasting this at that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownHound Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 2 hours ago, CardsandBourbon said: I've seen one bottle around here. Didn't see a price listed so I asked. She scanned it and said, $199.99. I like the regular BH but I won't be tasting this at that price. Woah. It was under $50 at the VA ABC stores. Wouldn't pay more than that for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexanBrad Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Yeah, MSRP is about $50. It's definitely not worth more than that. I find it an ok pour, under proofed and kinda disappointing considering it's the same juice they used for Bookers Rye (which was mind blowing). I'm sure other will find more to like in it, especially those that are less drawn to higher proofed stuff, but under no circumstances should you shell out substantially over MSRP to get it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 4 hours ago, TexanBrad said: Yeah, MSRP is about $50. It's definitely not worth more than that. I find it an ok pour, under proofed and kinda disappointing considering it's the same juice they used for Bookers Rye... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The Booker's Rye was a special 70% rye mashbill, whereas the BH rye appears to be their standard 51% rye mashbill. Regardless, I can appreciate your lukewarm opinion of BH rye when compared to the $300, barrel proof, 13 year old, one-off, Booker's. However, my appreciation of BH rye comes from it's huge step up in taste when compared to the pedestrian, $15, 4yr, 80 proof, standard Beam rye. It's by no means my favorite rye, nor a "game changer" or anything to do cartwheels over. But, it does bring a very nice upgrade to the Beam rye profile, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 How does it compare to KCRye?...and by that I mean what does it offer at $50 that KCRYE doesn't offer at $36? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 34 minutes ago, b1gcountry said: How does it compare to KCRye? ...and by that I mean what does it offer at $50 that KCRYE doesn't offer at $36? I haven't compared them. I do remember liking the punchiness of the KC, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 14 hours ago, smokinjoe said: The Booker's Rye was a special 70% rye mashbill, whereas the BH rye appears to be their standard 51% rye mashbill. Regardless, I can appreciate your lukewarm opinion of BH rye when compared to the $300, barrel proof, 13 year old, one-off, Booker's. However, my appreciation of BH rye comes from it's huge step up in taste when compared to the pedestrian, $15, 4yr, 80 proof, standard Beam rye. It's by no means my favorite rye, nor a "game changer" or anything to do cartwheels over. But, it does bring a very nice upgrade to the Beam rye profile, IMO. The old 80 proof Beam rye is one of the blandest pours I have ever had, that being said it doesn't exist any more since the last rebrand they bumped the proof to 90 which I have heard was largely an effort to create a difference between it and Old Overholt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 2 hours ago, kevinbrink said: The old 80 proof Beam rye is one of the blandest pours I have ever had, that being said it doesn't exist any more since the last rebrand they bumped the proof to 90 which I have heard was largely an effort to create a difference between it and Old Overholt. Thanks for reminder on proof change of JBR, and I agree on its blandness. I was going to include OO but decided against it since it is even blander than bland... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 18 minutes ago, smokinjoe said: Thanks for reminder on proof change of JBR, and I agree on its blandness. I was going to include OO but decided against it since it is even blander than bland... Yeah I haven't had it since the change but probably should give it a shot, I do like KCR, I would have probably picked up a bottle of JBR if they didn't raise the price along with the proof but based on past experience it's hard to pick up a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexanBrad Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 The Booker's Rye was a special 70% rye mashbill, whereas the BH rye appears to be their standard 51% rye mashbill. Regardless, I can appreciate your lukewarm opinion of BH rye when compared to the $300, barrel proof, 13 year old, one-off, Booker's. However, my appreciation of BH rye comes from it's huge step up in taste when compared to the pedestrian, $15, 4yr, 80 proof, standard Beam rye. It's by no means my favorite rye, nor a "game changer" or anything to do cartwheels over. But, it does bring a very nice upgrade to the Beam rye profile, IMO. I went back and looked at the distributor rep notes I jotted down when I tried this the first time, and FWIW, he did tell us that the re barreled portion of the BH Rye blend was same mashbill from the Bookers rye. I don't know how much of the blend is the 11ish year rebarrel stuff v the (presumably) 4ish year straight rye, but our rep is usually fairly good at giving us accurate info. I guess I just presumed the same mashbill for both parts of the blend, which was silly. ????♂️And yes, totally agree it's a couple steps up from the Beam Rye. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 9 minutes ago, TexanBrad said: I went back and looked at the distributor rep notes I jotted down when I tried this the first time, and FWIW, he did tell us that the re barreled portion of the BH Rye blend was same mashbill from the Bookers rye. I don't know how much of the blend is the 11ish year rebarrel stuff v the (presumably) 4ish year straight rye, but our rep is usually fairly good at giving us accurate info. I guess I just presumed the same mashbill for both parts of the blend, which was silly. ????♂️ And yes, totally agree it's a couple steps up from the Beam Rye. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk It would certainly be interesting to know if BeamSuntory was/is laying down more of the Booker's Rye mashbill for aging! I don't know one way or the other but it would surprise me if they were using that mashbill for anything other than another release of Booker's Rye or some other special label considering how much they got for each bottle (although they can't attach the "Booker Lore" to it if it was continued after he passed away I suppose). That or some of it was so bad it couldn't be blended out and really needed to be rebarreled! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethangsmith Posted May 8, 2017 Share Posted May 8, 2017 I got a bottle SLO through the PLCB for a little over $45. I really enjoy it. It's definitely different from the KC Rye or green label rye. I can't describe quite what's different other than it has a slightly more pronounced rye character. It's easy to sip, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthQuake Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 (edited) I got a bottle of this for $47. It doesn't really taste like a rye to me, and not like a bourbon either, the flavor profile is rather unique. Unfortunately that's where the intrigue ends, as It doesn't taste good either. It has managed to occupy a strange space where it is simultaneously too low in proof, with too much burn. Too subtle in flavor, but yet the flavor that is there I do not want more of. It has a weird, funky, nuttiness to it that is rather off-putting. Is this the Beam Funk people talk about? I haven't had many Beam products so I'm not sure. Suffice to say I am disappointed. This is not something I will drink on its own aside from perhaps another try some other day to make sure my palette isn't messed up. It could possibly be okay in a cocktail if I didn't have a bar full of better ryes. I'll probably have to vat it or use it for cooking to make use of it. Even at $25 I would be disappointed by this, as Rittenhouse 100 and Dickle Rye are head and shoulders better. At about $50 there are some damn good ryes that blow this out of the water, like Pikesville, HW Rendevous, Whistlepig 10, and Russell's Reserve Single Barrel. Of course, all my personal opinion, if you like it, great! But I would recommend trying a pour at a bar if you can before picking up a bottle. Edited May 13, 2017 by EarthQuake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 EarthQuake, It's an easy pass for me. I never really enjoyed any of the Beam made ryes I've tried. I like some of their bourbons, and rye made by the other distillers. I'm suspicious of the whole re-barreling thing too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EarthQuake Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I had a second poor to give this another chance, just to see if I was just having an off day when I tasted this last. I get the same overwhelming funky/nuttiness, and then an unpleasant ethanol burn that I normally associate with vodka (and bad Canadian blended whiskey). Very little complexity, no rye spice. This is among the worst bottles whiskey, rye or bourbon, that I've purchased. I didn't bother to finish the glass, it went down the drain and out came the last of a bottle of Blanton's. Everything is right with the world now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted June 4, 2017 Share Posted June 4, 2017 Sipping it again this afternoon, and my opinion of the finish on this rye gets better every time I drink it. It really pops with a sizzle of tongue tingling cinnamon. Several gears to this whiskey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 9 hours ago, smokinjoe said: Sipping it again this afternoon, and my opinion of the finish on this rye gets better every time I drink it. It really pops with a sizzle of tongue tingling cinnamon. Several gears to this whiskey. Darn you. I've passed on this numerous times at the point but as usual your notes have me rethinking it. What are you paying for it? It's about $50 before tax here which makes it hard to spring for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 I have been enjoying the bottle I bought, the first one I grabbed for $42.99, though I have seen it at many prices including north of $100. I like it enough that when I stopped at the supermarket and saw a bottle for $39.99 I figured what the heck and tossed it into my cart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffrey r Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Interesting disparity in thoughts on the BH rye. Funnily enough, I had bought a bottle spur of the moment. Then I started reading some negative reviews of the BH rye. Then my wife asked me if we had a bottle of whiskey that we could bring to a friend's house for a party, and I figured the BH rye would be a good candidate. So I brought it to the party, opened it up on arrival, and was not particularly impressed to be honest. It just did not really match up with my preferred ryes such as Michter's barrel strength, and Smooth Ambler and Willett MGP, So in the end, I was happy to have brought the bottle to the friend's house, and left it there. I won't be buying another bottle anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 9 minutes ago, jeffrey r said: Interesting disparity in thoughts on the BH rye. Funnily enough, I had bought a bottle spur of the moment. Then I started reading some negative reviews of the BH rye. Then my wife asked me if we had a bottle of whiskey that we could bring to a friend's house for a party, and I figured the BH rye would be a good candidate. So I brought it to the party, opened it up on arrival, and was not particularly impressed to be honest. It just did not really match up with my preferred ryes such as Michter's barrel strength, and Smooth Ambler and Willett MGP, So in the end, I was happy to have brought the bottle to the friend's house, and left it there. I won't be buying another bottle anytime soon. It is definitely a different animal than MGP Ryes, I can't speak to Michter's since I haven't (won't) had it. I generally like most straight ryes, including the Canadian Sourced stuff, made by the big guys with the glaring exception of the old 80 proof Beam which wasn't even worth the low price tag it had. That being said I was pretty prepared to hate BH Rye but I don't I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 17 hours ago, flahute said: Darn you. I've passed on this numerous times at the point but as usual your notes have me rethinking it. What are you paying for it? It's about $50 before tax here which makes it hard to spring for. Ha! I'm a bad influence. My bottles were about $50 as well, before 6% sales tax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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