What is Corn whiskey

The third whiskey grain I want to cover is Corn.  Corn whiskey, or Corn liquor, is an American liquor made from a mash made of at least 80 percent corn.  This is a significant deviation from typical American whiskey laws which normally state that a mash mixture should be made up of no less than 51 percent of the grain it’s named after. 

Many people are familiar with “Moonshine”, the romanticized yet still illegal distillation of Corn whiskey in the United States.  Its illegality stems largely from the lack of taxes the Moonshine distillers pay the government.  That and the lack of product oversight and regulation can lead a consumer to purchase a product that can lead to sickness, blindness, or possibly death.

Like many other whiskies, Corn whiskey is usually 40 percent ABV and higher.  It is typically un-aged, going straight from the still to the bottle.  Since there is little to no aging involved, the whiskey will be clear with a strong alcohol smell and quite a bit of bite.

For my experimentations I tried The Original Moonshine, HudsonNew York Corn Whiskey, and something in a mason jar a friend told me was Moonshine.  The first two can be purchased legally at a liquor store, whereas the third had dubious origins that I’d rather not consider.

The Original Moonshine from Stillhouse Distillery is 100% corn whiskey distilled to 80 proof (40% ABV.)  It is clear and comes in a nicely designed bottle.  It has a little bit of a rubbing alcohol aroma and not much else.  The fore-taste is smooth with a bit of a bite on the after taste.  It’s mildly sweet on the tongue with a hint of what reminds me of green, grape skin.  It has a gentle burn going down.  This is something I might want a sip of after shoveling the snow off the driveway.

The Hudson New York Corn Whiskey is pot stilled from 100% New York Corn and distilled at Tuthilltown Spirits.  At 92 proof (46% ABV) it has a little more kick than the previous whiskey I talked about.  It is clear and sold in the bottle design typical for Tuthilltown.  A nice feature this distillery has is that all of its inventory can be purchased in 375 ml. bottles.  Alas, though the bottles are half the size, the price is not.  The aroma on this whiskey was a little harder to pinpoint.  I got a little rubbing alcohol (though much less than the Stillhouse version) and stale champagne…almost a mustiness.  I looked online for another taster who opined “wet cement.”  This whiskey was a lot more raw.  It gave a nice bite on the tongue and a solid burn on the way down.  It is sweet; reminding me of frozen grapes.  That may be from the alcohol evaporating from tongue.

The last whiskey I tried was allegedly the real McCoy…no pun intended.  This particular batch was packaged with strawberries.  It was pink in color and served in a mason jar.  It was sweet, smooth and had a syrupy consistency.  In conversation, I learned that the “men folk” drink the clear stuff, while the whiskey with strawberries or cherries is for the ladies.  The fruit is added because it absorbs some of the alcohol, making it a little less alcoholic and less raw.  I also learned that just like the big distilleries, the illicit ones have their own jealously guarded recipes and techniques that are sometimes several generations old.  A pleasant fact I learned is that reputation is a major concern and that no one is going to buy their product if it tastes bad, kills you, or makes you go blind.  Sometimes this self-regulation exceeds national standards.  Of course, there is no way to be certain.  

What is Wheat Whiskey?

Of the four grains used in making whiskey, wheat is the one least represented.  During my research, I found very little information on the topic.  Most of my literature concerns itself with Rye, Scotch, and Bourbon.  Wheat is mentioned, but as an additional ingredient to a mash, not as its own whiskey. The internet followed a similar line of reasoning, but it had a few more bits of information.  Whiskey.Com had more information on wheat whiskey than any other resource I could find.

So what is wheat whiskey?  Well, as the name implies, its whiskey distilled from a wheat mash.  I was only able to find two sources on its regulation.  They both agree that the whiskey be distilled from a mash bill of at least 51 percent wheat, with the rest of the mash made up of other grains.  Bernheim Whiskey states that its whiskey is aged for two years in a new, charred white oak barrel.  This conforms to a similar requirement in the U.S. for a rye whiskey to be labeled as “straight.”  Whiskey.Com states that the age requirement is three years.  Neither site states the ABV of the whiskey before maturation.

As I mentioned earlier, wheat whiskey is under-represented in the whiskey world.  For my experimentations, I was only able to find two locally, and neither can be considered straight whiskies. 

The first whiskey my friends and I tried was Koval MidwestWheat Whiskey.  It is made using 100 percent “organic” wheat.   It is un-aged, so it’s perfectly clear.  The bouquet was baffling, in that all of us came up with different scents.  Aside from different noses, we all let our drinks breathe for different lengths of time, which had a noticeable effect.  I got a light bread or doughy smell, while my friends got hints of vanilla, licorice, and unripe banana/green plantain.  On tasting, I had white pepper “tingle” on the tongue with a finish that was short and sweet, like frozen green grapes.  Not everyone got the pepper, but they all got some sort of fruity/citric character from it.  We all agreed that for an un-aged whiskey, it was smoother than expected.

The other whiskey we tried was Buffalo Trace White Dog Wheated Mash.  They state, quite proudly I might add, that it is un-aged.  It, too, is perfectly clear.  Now, the difference from this whiskey and Koval’s is that it is not 100 percent wheat.  In fact, it is very likely that wheat makes up less than 51 percent of the mash bill.  So why did I get it?  Well, I like Buffalo Trace as a company and this product is very similar to their bourbon recipe, replacing the rye with wheat.  Also, the selection for wheat whiskey is fairly limited.  But I digress.  The bouquet was the first cause for debate.  We came up with all sorts of descriptions:  active dry yeast (the kind you add to warm water), grappa, sourdough, and sour wine.  Again, scents waxed and waned when it was allowed to breathe.  The second debate was the taste.  I got a light oatmeal taste with a smooth finish, while someone else got Easter Bunny eyes (a kind of “dull” candy taste) with a cognac-like finish.  I didn’t get any of the pepper I tasted with the other whiskey.  Again, it was smoother than what you would expect from an un-aged whiskey at 115 proof.

As with Rye, there seems to be an increase in the demand for wheat whiskey.  Whereas Rye is having a revival, Wheat is having its dawning.  From what I have gathered through research and shopping for wheat whiskey, it has only been in small batch production since 2005.  Perhaps it is the novelty of trying something new and different that is creating the demand.  I should also note that both of these spirits were not aged, which segues into the moonshine/poitín fad that seems to be developing.  Whatever the reason, whether it enjoys the same level of success as its brother and sister grains is anybody’s guess.