Johannes Reginald Beam immigrated to the United States from Germany after the American Revolutionary War ended, and he eventually made Kentucky County his home. During that period, Kentucky County was governed by a military governor by the name of John J. Bowman and was still regarded as a part of Virginia. Beam started collecting corn after moving to Kentucky, and he started a family custom of turning the extra grains he collected into whiskey. Since then, the Beam family has been producing whiskey for the firm of the same name for seven generations (the company is named after James Beam, who saved it during Prohibition).

Named for Basil Hayden Sr., a Maryland Catholic who led 25 other Catholic families from Maryland to Nelson County, Kentucky (near Bardstown, home of the Jim Beam) in the late 1700s, Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a part of Booker Noe’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection. Hayden was not just a devout man—he founded the first Catholic church in the present-day Commonwealth of Kentucky—but he was also a pioneering distiller.

Although the majority of bourbon was produced at the time using a conventional corn foundation, Hayden broke with custom in 1796 by adding tiny grains to his mash because he thought the peppery rye characteristics would make a remarkable contrast to the sweetness of the corn. Hayden was correct, much to the dismay of the conventional crowd.

Few things are more American than bourbon, which can be made anywhere in the United States but is primarily manufactured in Kentucky.

It must be bottled at 40% ABV or greater and contain at least 51% corn. Why don’t we try this American classic?

Browse our treasure trove of rare and difficult-to-find bourbons, discover your new favorite among the Top 10 bourbons, or take a look at our amazing assortment of bourbons.