Mellow Corn Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey. At under $13 with that super old-school label, this bottle is quite the eye-catcher. I was a bit scared and definitely skeptical when I first saw it, but after hearing some great things, figured I had nothing to lose (well, $13) and picked some up. Mellow Corn is a 4 year old, 50% abv corn whiskey, made from a mash containing 80% corn, and it’s been on the American market since 1945!

Compared to bourbon (also made with corn), corn whiskey requires a higher percentage of corn in the mash (80 vs 51). But more importantly, corn whiskey cannot be aged in *new* charred oak barrels, which is the choice for bourbons. The new charred oak barrels is what lends to a lot of the woody, vanilla qualities generally associated with bourbons. By utilizing used barrels, the wood influence is much weaker in comparison, which also explains the lighter color of the whiskey despite being aged a good 4 years.

Though a bit astringent and pretty simple in flavor, this is a well-made product from Heaven Hill that I think will be fantastic for mixing in cocktails as a bourbon alternative. It has a familiar sweet mellowness you find in bourbon, though less complex and woody. At $13, it’s a bargain and fun bottle to keep around.