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Basil Hayden’s vs Four Roses Small Batch Select
Basil Hayden’s and Four Roses Small Batch Select sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Basil Hayden’s | Four Roses Small Batch Select |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley | 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 6 years |
| Proof | 80 proof (40% ABV) | 104 proof (52% ABV) +24 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$38 – $45 ~$19 less | ~$55 – $65 |
- Basil Hayden’s does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Basil Hayden’s
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Four Roses Small Batch Select
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Basil Hayden’s Four Roses Small Batch Select
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
heat 2/6 heat: Basil Hayden’s 2 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10
oak 3/6 oak: Basil Hayden’s 3 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10
fruit 5/8 fruit: Basil Hayden’s 5 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 8 out of 10
sweetness 5/6 sweetness: Basil Hayden’s 5 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 6 out of 10
spice 6/7 spice: Basil Hayden’s 6 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 7 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Basil Hayden’s 3 out of 10, Four Roses Small Batch Select 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Proof and heat dominate the difference.
- Basil Hayden’s: Built on the high-rye Old Grand-Dad mash but bottled at just 80 proof, which makes it the lightest thing in the Beam range by a distance. Peppery and herbal, but very thin — the price reflects the packaging more than the liquid.
- Four Roses Small Batch Select: Six recipes, non-chill-filtered, at 104 proof, and the most complete thing Four Roses makes at a normal price. The house fruit character with enough proof and texture to carry it.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Basil Hayden’s if you want an unusually light, peppery, low-proof pour and you do not want any weight in the glass at a lower price point.
- Go with Four Roses Small Batch Select if you want the fullest expression of the Four Roses fruit-forward style without chasing an allocated bottle with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, highball (Basil Hayden’s); neat, rocks (Four Roses Small Batch Select).