About this SPIRIT
Jim Beam
1770 - Corn farmers in the Kentucky region of Virginia distil their excess crop into a sweeter whiskey. Bourbon is born.
Jacob Beam relocated to central Kentucky in 1788 to become a corn farmer. With having such a successful yield, he decided to make some of the excess corn into whiskey. He named his first barrel of whiskey ‘Old Jake Beam Sour Mash’ and sold it to a colonialist. From then on, it grew in popularity with farmers and traders alike.
The business was passed down through the family, and in 1894 James Beauregard Beam, known to his friends as Jim, takes ownership. After Prohibition ended, Sixty-nine-year-old Jim Beam and his son T. Jeremiah rebuilt the distillery by hand in just 120 days. Production grew, and new techniques evolved to produce well known, high quality products worldwide.
Today, the brand belongs to Frederick Booker Noe III, Jim Beam’s great grandson, who like all the Beams, has learnt the ropes by working with each different process that goes into making this iconic Bourbon.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
A Kentucky Bourbon with rye at its core, Basil Hayden’s has been operating since 1796. Believing the use of small grains being added to the mash would complement the traditional corn base, the recipe has largely remained unchanged. This small batch Bourbon is a relatively mild 80 proof, with an aroma of tea, spice and a hint of peppermint. To taste there are more spices, pepper and honey with a gentle clean finish.
spirit at a glance
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