I attended the Whiskey Acres bourbon release party in early June. While I was there, I tried their corn whiskey. I really enjoyed that spirit almost as much as the bourbon. One of the drinks being served during the party was a Mojito made with the corn whiskey, which was very tasty. The flavors from this whiskey are a great complement with the lime, mint, and sugar in the drink. As promised a couple of weeks ago here is my review.
The corn whiskey is unaged, so the color is clear. This spirit is not cloudy at all. There is a nice cling to the glass, whch indicates a good body.
The bottle is nice. I like the printed bottle that does not use a label. The motto on the back of the bottle is. “Great Whiskey Isn’t Made. It’s Grown.” The bottle cork is also very nice. The bottle also comes with a chard stave and a booklet telling you how to use it. They say that it takes the supplied stave about two weeks to age the spirit and it is fun to taste the corn whiskey daily to see how it changes. I might get another bottle and try this myself.
Now onto the important aspects of this whiskey. which are smell and taste. There is a very pleasant, sweet cornbread aroma. It has a little alcohol smell, but it is displaced by the butterscotch notes. It smells so nice you should spend sometime just enjoying it. The smell does set the expectation for the taste.
The first sip was smooth with very little burn at the front or back of the mouth. It did warm the insides as it went down. At 90 Proof (45 ABV), this was a nice surprise. The clear spirit has enough body to give it a pleasant mouth feel. It starts with a sweet cornbread taste and then evolves into a butterscotch and caramel after taste. It might even have a faint caramel corn after taste.
I would not pour it into a glass and sip it, but it is not unpleasant. Adding ice does not affect the flavor much. It might even bring out the butterscotch caramel sweetness and a little more burn. The corn notes are also very nice.
While I was at the tasting, one of their summer drink specials was a Corn Whiskey Mojito. It was this Mojito that pushed me into buying a bottle of Whiskey Acres Corn Whiskey. It made the best Mojito I have ever had. The corn whiskey’s taste really enhanced the lime, mint, and sugar in this drink. So here is my recipice for a Corn Whiskey Mojito.
- Corn Whiskey Mojito
- 1/2 Lime
- 1 oz Simple Syrup
- 6 to 8 Mint Leaves
- 2 oz Whiskey Acres Corn Whiskey
- 4 oz Club Soda
- Ice
Muddle lime, mint, and simple syrup together. Add corn whiskey and mix. Add club soda and ice to fill up you glass and garnish with mint sprig. Kick back and enjoy a Northern Illinois Mojito.