Some consider Basil Hayden to be sort of the entry level whiskey label in the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, and there are some valid reasons for that. But the fact of the matter is that this bourbon and rye whiskey brand also puts out some interesting expressions, the latest of which is a new rye whiskey made from a relatively unusual mashbill of 100 percent malted rye grain.

Basil Hayden was created in 1992 by the late, greaet Jim Beam master distiller Booker Noe, along with Booker’s, Knob Creek, and Baker’s (the brand was called Basil Hayden‘s until 2021). What makes it stand out from other releases in the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, all of which are produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co., is that the whiskey is bottled at 80 proof, the minimum strength at which whiskey can be bottled here in the U.S. And that low proof means that the core lineup is not always appealing to seasoned whiskey drinkers, even though the bourbon has some extra spice on the palate due to the fact that it’s made from Beam’s high-rye mashbill, the same one used for other brands like Old Grand-Dad.

I’ve had the chance to try Basil Hayden straight from the barrel at the distillery, and believe me when I say that it’s very good. Still, this brand will never offer a barrel-proof release because the whole point of it is to be a lower proof whiskey that is accessible to novices and can still be used in cocktails. That stands true for the new Golden Rye, a semi-experimental release in the spirit of past Basil Hayden expressions like Subtle Smoke (finished in smoked barrels) and Dark Rye (a blend of Kentucky rye, Canadian rye, and port).

This 100 percent malted rye differs from the usual mashbill for Beam rye whiskeys, which usually contain just above or exactly the legally required 51 percent rye grain. But this is not the first appearance of this style of whiskey—in 2023, the distillery released a previous iteration called Malted Rye. The reason for this re-release has to do with the brand’s recent announcement that it’s restructuring into three different price tiers “designed with the modern whiskey drinker in mind,” which could also be an attempt to entice new drinkers given the current state of the market. The tiers are as follows: Tier One is called Versatility, and will include Basil Hayden Bourbon and Golden Rye priced at $37 per bottle; Tier Two is called Creativity, and will include Basil Hayden Toast, Dark Rye, and future LTOs priced at $50 per bottle; and Tier Three is called Rarity and includes Basil Hayden 10-Year-Old Bourbon priced at $85 per bottle.

We got to try a sample of the new Golden Rye, and it’s a solid addition (or rebranding, really) to the lineup, with notes of spice, dried fruit, vanilla, caramel, ripe pear, and a hint of licorice on the palate. This is a good whiskey to try mixing up some cocktails with as well, so give it a try in your next Manhattan or whatever drink you prefer. Golden Rye is available now at retailers around the country, and you can find the rest of the lineup at websites like ReserveBar now.