Skip to main content

Discovering the spirit of Basil Hayden: Tim Heuisler’s story

Basil Hayden Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey in bottle with glasses -resized hero
Basil Hayden

Suntory Global Spirits or Beam Suntory are world-renowned, and for good reason. In its arsenal of delicious adult beverages, there are some big names you’ll recognize instantly, including Laphroaig, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Basil Hayden, and more. But our focus today is on a little-known brand called Basil Hayden. Here to talk to us about the brand and his journey to becoming the Global Small Batch Whiskey Ambassador and American Whiskey Ambassador for Suntory Global Spirits, Tim Heuisler. He has now been with the company for over eight years, nearly a decade. The Manual’s Dan Gaul sits down with him to discuss everything about bourbon, whiskey, travel, and what it means to be an ambassador within the spirits industry. Take a seat, pour yourself a glass, and let’s go.

Tell us, Tim: How did you get into the wide world of whiskey and Beam Suntory?

Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey served on a tray with glasses
Basil Hayden

As the youngest-ever General Manager of Time, a renowned whiskey bar in Philadelphia, Heuisler’s career evolved from staying behind the bar to becoming the small batch ambassador for Beam Suntory. “It’s funny; I found a matchbook from Time restaurant the other day, which has got to be fifteen years old at this point,” he says, sharing a bit of nostalgia.

But he also explains that trajectory and what it was like. “I kicked my career off working at bars and restaurants since high school. When I was 21, Time opened up — amazing whiskey bar, jazz venue, still in Philadelphia [and] a great spot,” he says. “I cut my teeth behind the bar, worked up to general manager, [and] spent about nine years there. Truly my passion for spirits and cocktails and, particularly barrel-aged spirits and whiskey blossomed there. I was really lucky to meet a lot of people in the whiskey industry.”

That seems to be a driving connection for many influential people across all industries: making strong connections and building rapport. In this case, Heuisler found it in the industry he grew to love: spirits and whiskey.

“None of these brands were created overnight, and none of this whiskey was created overnight. There’s a lot of time and energy and passion that goes into them.”

Meeting those people is all part of building a budding career. “If, Fred Noe, our seventh-generation master distiller from Beam, if he was in town, you bet he was swinging by our spot, tasting, or hosting a little event. So, that’s where I got to meet Fred and become part of the Beam Suntory fold. After many years of doing the restaurant thing, which was great, I wanted a change. I missed a lot of weddings, I missed a lot of birthday parties, you’re working weekends — I mean anyone that’s been in the industry can relate,” Heuisler says.

Heuisler broke away from that mold and ventured into new territory, where he is today. “I can’t say that my job now is ‘normal,’ being a global brand ambassador. The travel is very real. I’m still missing some of those events I mentioned. But I love to travel, I love spreading the stories, and the brands I get to represent — representing Fred and Freddie from our distillery and everybody that works there,” he says. “I’m very ,very lucky. My job is not normal, and I’m really blessed to be in this position. I love the world of whiskey, and I love meeting folks like yourself and others that enjoy it. Because there’s a lot that goes into it. None of these brands were created overnight, and none of this whiskey was created overnight. There’s a lot of time and energy and passion that goes into them.”

Tasting excellence: Pouring a dram of Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

people sharing a bottle of Basil Hayden Kentuck Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Basil Hayden

Deeper into the interview, the boys pour themselves a dram and dive in with a tasting. Today, they’re wetting their lips with Basil Hayden Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, just the base blend. But don’t take that to mean it’s a lesser variant.

“This is the OG, released in 1992 as part of our small batch collections. Under that small batch collection, which was created by [Frederick] Booker Noe, our sixth-generation master distiller, it was Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Baker’s, and Bookers. That was the original lineup,” Heuisler explains. “Again, it all came out in ’92 to reinvent the bourbon wheel and what people thought of as bourbon whiskey. Because, at that time, bourbon was not very popular. We really didn’t have any ultra-premium bourbon brands out there, and Booker, he created that term small batch.”

“Small batch, I like to describe it as more than one and less than all. It’s not one barrel. Not all of our barrels. It’s a small batch.”

Heuisler jokes that they should have claimed the term small batch as their own. “I’m sure there’s someone in the company kicking themselves in the butt because we didn’t put a copyright on the term small batch. Because it is everywhere now,” he says.

“But small batch, I gotta be very clear, has no legal governance. Like the word ‘bourbon’ is protected by the U.S. Federal government, and you need to follow guidelines to put bourbon on your label.”

Small batch is not protected or governed in the same way, implying that it could be pretty much anything a distiller or whiskey maker wants.

But Beam Suntory, at least according to Heuisler, has a very tight definition: “Small batch, I like to describe it as more than one and less than all. It’s not one barrel. Not all of our barrels. It’s a small batch.”

He explains how Booker was essentially the father of the modern development of small-batch releases and what evolved into what we experience today with many whiskeys and bourbons. Booker stretched the boundaries of taste, experience, and blends, creating a ton of unique flavor profiles.

A nose for the good flavor

Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke bottle of bourbon whiskey with glasses on table
Basil Hayden

Back to the tasting, they first nose in and then sip, exploring what flavors are sloshing around their taste buds. True aficionados.

“I never want someone to say, ‘Oh, I’m smelling this wrong.’ No, you’re doing great. But your vocabulary and what you’re picking up might just be a little bit different.”

Gaul says, “I get that smell right up front of like caramel, maybe some honey, like really nice and warm.”

Heuisler responds, “You’re talking about those caramels, that vanilla when you take a look at a glass of whiskey […] you gotta remember 100% of the color is coming from that barrel and most of the flavor. The things you’re mentioning — caramels, vanillas, light oak, a little bit of spice — those are aromatics. You don’t taste those. You taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter, Umami. So, all those romantic flavors that we like to swirl our glass and mention as we nose and taste, that’s coming from the aromatics. That’s coming from that interaction of that whiskey with that barrel.”

“I never want someone to say, ‘Oh, I’m smelling this wrong.’ No, you’re doing great. But your vocabulary and what you’re picking up might just be a little bit different,” he says.

Personally, I recognize this as an odd juxtaposition with my cigar experiences. Your tongue and taste buds only pick up so much flavor. The rest of the nuanced flavors you get on the retrohale — when pulling the smoke through your nostrils. That is nearly identical to nosing the whiskeys and bourbons and allowing your olfactory senses to pick up a more nuanced flavor.

Another great interview in the books

It would be impossible to summarize the entire hour-long interview here. As always, I highly recommend watching the full thing to preview the parts that weren’t included and get a better visual sense of what’s happening while the two aficionados discuss the whiskeys.

Briley Kenney
Briley has been writing about consumer electronics, technology, and many lifestyle topics for nearly two decades. When he's…
Sonrisa Rum: A quality brand that’s genuinely aiding the Puerto Rican community
Sonrisa Rum bottles with colorful background

Today, in true Dan Gaul fashion, the man with the plan sits down with Shareef Malnik (co-CEO and founder) and Jae Goodman (co-CEO and Founder), both from Sonrisa Rum. The idea is to get a backstory about the brand, learn a little about where these influential leaders come from, and maybe sip a little of the beverage. Above all, the rum takes center stage, and we really get the opportunity to learn why Sonrisa stands out in such a competitive market and why that's so exciting for the future of the beverage. I highly recommend watching the full interview for yourself, as always, but I've also gathered a few choice tidbits to share below. Let's pour a glass.

Crafting the Perfect Rum: Insights from Sonrisa Rum Founders
The origins of Sonrisa Rum
Dan Gaul: "If you could give us some highlights of how y'all met, what made you get into the rum business, and what's your passion around it?"

Read more
Here’s the perfect 3-day foodcation in Austin, Texas
We tried the best resturants in Austin, Texas on this 3-day foodcation
A man eating in a restaurant in Austin Texas

You can take a dip in Barton Springs, visit a hill country winery, or go down to the 6th Street entertainment district and visit the many bars and nightclubs while visiting culturally saturated Austin, Texas. But I’m boldly suggesting you scrap all that and just eat your way through the city instead. Austin has a great food scene, and you won't regret taking a "foodcation" in Austin.
You can try one or two of these best restaurants in Austin or choose to visit them all. Either way, you’ll be tasting dishes that tourists and locals alike can't get enough of.

Day 1: Taste something new with Austin’s New American Scene
Breakfast: The Peached Tortilla

Read more
Spiced rum punch for a crowd
Make life easy for your Halloween party with this quick and tasty punch
spiced rum punch recipe captainmorgan barset berrysmashpunch

Whether you're going all-out for Halloween with spiderwebs everywhere and a house full of sweets, or whether you'd rather have a low-key affair and share a few casual drinks with some friends, a great way to enjoy tasty cocktails without the stress is to make batched drinks. You can mix everything up before any guests arrive, then let people serve themselves for a low-stress way to ensure everyone gets a drink.

The key to a good batched drink is to get the proportions right, as these will often use more fruit juices and other mixers as they typically contain less ice than a shaken or stirred cocktail. And the other key is to pick flavors that are easy to drink and will be widely enjoyed. Unless your friends have very particular (and very similar) tastes, this is not the time for hot and spicy margaritas, powerfully bitter negronis, or dangerously boozy martinis. Pick something fruity and on the sweeter end, as this tends to be more amenable to a wider range of people, and you'll have a better chance of pleasing everyone's palate.

Read more