Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey 

"Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature."

- Michael Faraday

You ever come across an offer that appears to be too good to be true?

Well, I have and I won't bore you with the details of my investment in Thornburg Mortgage (actually, I can if you click here).

So when Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey¹ was recommended to me by the bartender at The Belfry in Kansas City as a superior low priced high taste replacement for Old Overholt Rye . . . I had my doubts.

Some twenty years ago while visiting my brother-in-law, I had reason to inspect his liquor cabinet. And I quickly noticed two things. One, that it was better stocked than mine in terms of quality (that Woodford Reserve was quite tempting). And two, that it held an unknown bottle of rye named Old Overholt, which was labeled with a portrait of what appeared to be a previously unknown Founding Father. It had a rather dusty label - like how the bottle kept in Phillip Marlowe's desk might look.

On closer inspection, it wasn't a portrait of a Founding Father, but of the eponymous namesake's son Abraham Overholt. And on even closer inspection it didn't taste dusty at all, nobody would confuse it with Woodford Reserve Rye, but not bad at all. My brother-in-law explained that it had an added benefit, it was quite reasonably priced and therefore he used it as his fighting brand fighting brand whiskey.

Old Overholt has a long and distinguished distilling tradition. Founded by Henry Oberholzer (Anglicized to "Overholt") at the turn of the 19th century and greatly expanded by his son Abraham. At one point it was partially owned by industrialist Henry Clay Frisk (of the Frick Museum) and by the early 20th century one of the largest and most respected whiskeys in the country. Prohibition, WWII, and America's subsequent fascination with domestic beer, screwdrivers, and Alabama Slammers caused the brand to struggle, and eventually, it went the way of all independent liquor brands . . . it was acquired by Jim Beam².

Currently distilled in Clermont, Kentucky Old Overholt is classified as straight rye, meaning it is aged for at least two years in newly charred oak barrels from a mash of at least 51% rye.

At $15 per bottle (750 ml) Old Overholt quickly became a mainstay occupying an important place (and role) in the bottom of my liquor cabinet. Sometimes as part of a personal cocktail hour after a long day, sometimes decanted into a crystal decanter, and sometimes served on the rocks late in the evening to guests after their tastebuds had been dulled. It was a rich and rewarding relationship that lasted many years with many cherished memories.

Then one day 3-4 years ago, I was in a rather upscale bar and ordered a $15 cocktail, that as it turned out came with Old Overholt Rye. I'm not sure how it happened but this bottom-shelf mainstay had surreptitiously climbed all the way to the top shelf (why it's the epitome of the American success story!).

About this same time I also noticed the price of Old Overholt slowly creeping up until at $21/bottle the economics had become in doubt. And when a mixologist wearing a vest, sleeve garters, and a handlebar mustache included it in my Flackhattan without a hint of remorse or irony, I knew it was time to find a replacement.

After the bartender at The Belfry recommended Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey as a lower cost better tasting replacement for Old Overholt I was of course intrigued, but wary. Especially when I realize that it wasn't even straight rye or bourbon. Though when I learned that it was $17.99 per 750 ml bottle, some of my concerns were allayed.

Quite simply Mellow Corn Straight Corn Whiskey is the most unique whiskey I have ever drank. It comes with two gimmicks:

1. It is corn whiskey³. According to the U.S. Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (the TTB) means it is 1) made from a mash of at least 80 percent corn and distilled to a maximum strength of 160 proof. 2) aged in previously-used charred oak barrels.

2. It is bottled in bond, which means it is 100 pf and aged four years in a federal warehouse.

Either way, this stuff, is damn good. Its pale yellow color may make it look like it's going to be rough going down, but it is not. It's drinkable straight, though when mixed with some vermouth, bitters, and two cherries it becomes quite tasty.

So in the end, some things are definitely not too good to be true.

September 2022

Endnotes:

¹ In marketing, a fighting brand is a lower-priced offering launched by a company to take on, and ideally take out, specific competitors that are attempting to under-price them.

² Jim Beam was subsequently acquired by Suntory in 2014 for $16 billion. Yes, that's correct, the Japanese are now making your whiskey.

³ While Mellow Corn is aged in previously used charred oak barrels, unlike other American whiskey styles, corn whiskey is not required to be aged in wood. Though if aged, it must be in either uncharred or previously-used oak barrels and must be barreled at lower than 125 proof (62.5% abv).