The recipe for this Bourbon dates back to 1796, when Basil Hayden himself was a Master Distiller. Hayden was born and raised in Maryland, where he learned to make whisky from rye. When he came to Kentucky, Hayden began using a base of corn, but added a higher percentage of rye than other distillers, resulting in a smooth, mild bourbon that was distinctly his own. Nowadays Beam employ a mash bill of 63% corn, 27% rye and 10% malted barley, which is reportedly very close to the original.