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Penelope Rio vs Basil Hayden’s
Penelope Rio and Basil Hayden’s sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a sourced, classically built blend versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Penelope Rio | Basil Hayden’s |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Four-Grain Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley | 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) +18 proof | 80 proof (40% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$80 – $100 | ~$38 – $45 ~$49 less |
| Availability | Limited | Widely available easier to find |
- Basil Hayden’s does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Penelope Rio
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Basil Hayden’s
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Penelope Rio Basil Hayden’s
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 9/5 sweetness: Penelope Rio 9 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 5 out of 10
heat 5/2 heat: Penelope Rio 5 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 2 out of 10
oak 4/3 oak: Penelope Rio 4 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 3 out of 10
fruit 6/5 fruit: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 5 out of 10
spice 6/6 spice: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Penelope Rio 3 out of 10, Basil Hayden’s 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- Penelope Rio: Penelope's four-grain blend finished in honey barrels and then amburana wood. It tastes like a cinnamon roll: honey, gingerbread and sweet baking spice.
- 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.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll with more proof behind it.
- 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 significantly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio); neat, rocks, highball (Basil Hayden’s).