Basil Hayden’s is truly a small batch bourbon with broad appeal. Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is made from a mash very similar to the original recipe developed in 1796, when master distiller Basil Hayden used a traditional corn base but mixed in small grains with the mash.

A bartending favorite, it has a golden amber color and a spicy aroma of breakfast tea and peppermint bark. On the palate, the rye grains are evident, as are notes of cracked pepper and honey with just a touch of mint. The finish is clean and dry, leaving a pleasant aftertaste of cinnamon and baking spices.

Although it is ideally served neat, or simply with ice on a hot afternoon, Basil Hayden will enhance any Manhattan or Smash cocktail.

A bottle of basil Hayden won’t break the bank either, but it will fix your reputation as a bourbon connoisseur, so raise a glass with a quality dram like Basil Hayden’s.

Locally, you can get yours, as well as a host of traditional and Colorado whiskies, at large, family-owned liquor stores, like Wyatt’s Wet Goods, that maintain vast whiskey and spirits sections for your enjoyment.