Best Of

And now for something completely different!

Feeling I had hit the limit for easily available, relatively affordable Bottled in Bond whiskies found around me, I started to dig deeper into lesser known BiB whiskies that might pique my interest. After a few months of reading /r/bourbon on Reddit, I kept seeing a name come up: Mellow Corn.

Now you see, Mellow Corn is not a fancy name. Nor does the bottle look fancy (the plastic cap is a dead giveaway). In fact, it looks like the kind of thing you'd find covered in dust on the bottom shelf in a crummy gas station. So normally this is not the sort of product I would intensely seek out. But I just kept seeing it mentioned on /r/bourbon over and over again. They called it the "poor man's Pappy", or "The greatest deal in whiskey". Drinking styles of the juice were known as "Cornforms". Was it actually good, or was this meme whiskey? I'd never know - Mellow Corn rarely gets out to California.

....until now. A new shop opened up near me and low and behold, the sweet corn nectar of the Gods was now available to me, at a price point of $9. NINE DOLLARS. Was it actually good? Is it meme booze? Time to find out.

A quick primer on "Straight Corn whiskey". By law, corn whiskey must be:

• Distilled from a mashbill of at least 80% corn;
• Distilled to no higher than 160 proof;
• Aged in used barrels (aging in new barrels would legally make it bourbon)
• Barreled at no higher than 125 proof; and
• Bottled at no less than 80 proof.

Unlike bourbon, corn whiskey has no age requirement (though if aged for at least two years, it can be labeled a "Straight Corn Whiskey").

Mellow Corn, however, is a goddam Bottled in Bond whiskey. That guarantees it to have no less than four years in a barrel. And this, furthermore, is aged four years in used Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Let's rock.

I found it odd that this didn't carry the distinct Bottled in Bond certified seal over the top of the cap like all the others I've tried have. I'm assuming this is due to the screw cap nature... Guess it's probably the only BiB whiskey rocking a screw cap so whatever.

This whiskey is kind of greater than the sum of its parts. It's a simple whiskey, and it certainly tastes no more than a day over 4 years - it's quite hot. The nose burns you, and the taste lingers with heat. However, I'm surprised by the simplicity of the experience. Sweet corn, vanilla, and slight banana. Oak presence is there for sure, but nowhere near as prominent as other long-aged whiskies. Despite the 100 proof, this whiskey is, wait for it.... mellow AF. Shockingly drinkable neat for what I was expecting.

Is it the best whiskey I've ever had? Not by a long shot. Is it the best value to flavor I've experienced? Quite possibly. Nine dollars is crazy difficult to ignore for how good this whiskey is. I'm told over ice, strangely, is the best Cornform for this booze. So far, neat has been pleasant enough. What a ride.

Get you some Mellow Corn.