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.