Company: Heaven Hill
Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky
Aging: 4 Years in a once-used Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 50% ABV
Proof: 100 Proof
Mash Bill: 80% Corn, 8% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Non-Chill Filtered: No
MSRP Price: $15
Mellow Corn – Straight Corn Whiskey Tasting Notes
Appearance: Golden Mellow Corn Honey
Nose: Caramel, corn, vanilla, toasted oak, cornflakes, Frosted Flakes, citrus notes, light fruits, apricot, mango, banana chips
Palate: Corn and caramel sweetness, vanilla, toasted oak, citrus, and fruit notes – reminds me of the Bulls-eyes candies that were caramel with vanilla cream center or the CowTales candies. It also has a bit of spice to it that is subtle but enjoyable.
Finish: Medium finish that is surprisingly rich for a $15 bottle – leaves you with a nice corn and caramel sweetness, vanilla, and toasted oak with lingering rye spice on the tail end
Is Mellow Corn Whiskey an Approachable Whiskey?
Mellow Corn Whiskey is surprisingly enjoyable.
Every time I pour a glass of this, it takes me back to my childhood eating some Frosted Flakes and remembering the smell of the milk that was left over after each bowl.
I know, it’s weird.
But somehow, the milled corn and sugar of Frosted Flakes converts in my brain over to high-corn vanilla flavors in whiskey.
The pour does have a little bit of spice and heat to the finish but for $15, you can easily overlook that.
Is Mellow Corn Whiskey Complex?
Mellow Corn has a lot more layers of flavor than I was expecting.
Usually, I sit down with a whiskey and can pick out the flavor profile quite quickly.
But every now and then, I run into a whiskey that stumps me for the first 3-4 sips.
With Mellow Corn, I really had to take quite a few smells and sips to really break down the flavors I was finding which was quite fun and unexpected.
From the Heaven Hill Website
“Mellow Corn is produced in accordance with a unique set of regulations that define Straight Corn Whiskey.
It is distilled from a mash of at least 80 percent corn and aged for four years in a once-used Bourbon barrel.
Compared to the deep amber color created by the newly charred oak barrels in the production of our other Bourbons and American Whiskeys, the result of the used barrel is a lighter, straw-colored spirit.
Heaven Hill Distillery is one of the few remaining producers of this unique whiskey.“
What are Mellow Corn Whiskey’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Obviously, Mellow Corn’s strongest attribute is its price tag.
$15 for this bottle is a steal.
My next favorite thing about this whiskey is that it really throws my brain for a loop.
I’m so used to bourbons or rye whiskeys that when I tasted this straight corn whiskey, my brain really had to calibrate and pay attention to the differences between this and your normal bourbon (which is also dominantly corn).
Is Mellow Corn Whiskey a go-to whiskey?
If I could find Mellow Corn Whiskey in Pennsylvania, this would absolutely be a go-to whiskey.
Is Mellow Corn Whiskey priced accurately to its quality?
Mellow Corn Whiskey delivers above and beyond its $15 price tag.
If I tasted this whiskey in a blind taste test, I would expect it to cost $40-50.
Conclusion for Mellow Corn – Straight Corn Whiskey
Overall, Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey is an absolute steal.
People always joke about this whiskey because it’s so cheap and the bottle looks so generic.
But truly, it is a spectacular whiskey and I really enjoyed tasting it and reviewing it today.
This bottle will easily be making my top 5 budget whiskey list.
Since this whiskey is made by Heaven Hill Distillery, it makes me want to find a bottle of Heaven Hill 17 Year which has a similar mash bill of 78% Corn, 10% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley.
Unfortunately, that bottle costs $300-500+ and I will likely never have the chance to find it here in Pennsylvania.
I did recently review the Heaven Hill 7-Year Bottled-In-Bond which has the same mash bill though.
All-in-All, this bottle is absolutely worth $15.
If you see it on the shelf, but yourself as many bottles as you can.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
If you decide to give this bottle a shot, please let me know on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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