Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye Review

Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye is a blend of a 5-year-old rye, a 7-year-old high-rye bourbon, a 13-year-old bourbon and a 6-year-old bourbon. The 5-year-old rye makes up 80% of the blend with the remaining 20% being the bourbons which begs one key question: how is it being labeled as a rye?

Basil Hayden's Two By Two Rye

I’m seriously wondering how this got past the TTB to be labeled as a rye since it’s a blend. Even using the unofficial “standard” Jim Beam mash bills there’s no way to make an 80/20 mix that results in a “total mash bill” that would qualify.

The unofficial Jim Beam mashbills are 77/13/10 (standard rye), 63/27/10 high rye) and 51/39/10 (rye). Using those I did a lot of math and I couldn’t get the end mash bill to be at or over 51% rye. So I’m well an truly at a losts why it’s considered a rye. Anyways, on to the review.

Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Jim Beam’s Words: Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye

Our blending team took on the challenge of bringing together rye and bourbon whiskies from our aging stock to create something incredibly balanced – something that embodies the best that both types of whiskey have to offer.

While blending is commonly used in American whiskies to deliver a consistent flavor from bottle to bottle, the art and craft is truly on display when balancing liquids from different origins. It takes immense skill to develop an original recipe and an incredible palette to deliver a final product that is more than the sum of its parts.

The final blend is about 20% bourbon to 80% rye and is best served neat or on-the-rocks to experience the complexity created by meticulously blending four component whiskies.

Basil Hayden's Two By Two Rye Details

Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye price, ABV, age and other details

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Jim Beam
Blend: 20% Bourbon, 80% Rye
Mash Bill: ~ (20% Jim Beam high-rye bourbon + 80% Jim Beam Rye)
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS (5 Years)
ABV: 40%

Batch: #3 in the series

Price: $50*

Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye Tasting Notes

EYE
Toffee

NOSE
Spice, toffee, buttery grain, oak, herbal rye spice and a bit of orange zest.

PALATE
Toffee, baking spice, cocoa, citrus, oak, herbal rye and a bit of grain and soap.

FINISH
Medium – Spice, oak, grain and soap.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a light warm feel.

Basil Hayden's Two By Two Rye is a young tasting light whiskey with an overall sweet nature that turns a little soapy on the finish.

Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye Review: OVERALL

The aroma of the Basil Hayden’s Two By Two Rye is light and comes across young with a touch of raw wood and a sweetness that grows as it opens. The palate also comes across sweet and young with some soap notes that arrive as it sits and opens. The finish gathers more of that soap as time goes on; it never overpowers or becomes a dominant flavor, but it definitely makes itself known.

This is not a whiskey I feel strongly about one way or the other. It’s decent, drinkable, and something I wouldn’t mind having in my glass if offered. On the other hand, it’s not a whiskey I’d grab off my shelf on a regular or even semi-regular basis if I had a bottle… don’t even want to snag a bottle like I did the original Basil Hayden’s Rye. Overall, not my thing.

SCORE: 80/100 (B-)

Basil Hayden's Two By Two Rye Review