Paul and Merry Beth of MB Roland are my friends. Because I might be biased, I have decided to disclose that bias so that you can decide how much to trust the review.
Corn whiskey is not a product I go to very often. And even when I do, it is almost always Mellow Corn Bottled in Bond from Heaven Hill. But when I saw a half bottle on the shelf for less than $25 during my last visit to MB Roland, I was drawn to it and knew it would be coming home with me.
One of the things I don’t usually like about corn whiskey is that it just “tastes like corn.” Which is understandable, it has to be either unaged or aged in used barrels to minimize the flavor contributions of the barrel used. (Not to mention that if it used new barrels it would be basically bourbon.) But I think I like Mellow Corn because of the barrel. It is aged for at least four years in that used barrel and as such, it still gets an effect from it. And I think that aging might be one of the reasons why I was drawn to the bottle at MB Roland.
MB Roland Corn Whiskey is aged two years or more, which is two years more than many of the corn whiskeys I’ve had. But that isn’t the main reason I was interested in their corn whiskey. Instead it has everything to do with their process. One of my knocks against corn whiskey is that the flavor is not very complicated. It’s corn. That’s about it. But the fact that MB Roland’s process includes not adding water post distillation (still and barrel proof bottling) means that I have a reasonable expectation that every bit of flavor from the mash, fermentation and the barrel will come through. It’s one of the reasons I like their products. Every bit of the flavor lands in your glass. So it is just down to whether those flavors are good or not.
MB Roland Straight Corn whiskey
Purchase Info: $23.95 for a 375mL bottle at the MB Roland Distillery gift shop.
Price per Drink (50mL): $3.20
Details: 53.8% ABV. Batch 5. Mashbill: 95% White Corn 5% Malt. Aged in used bourbon barrels. “Aged At Least 2 years.”
Nose: Buttered corn, cooked cereal hints of cinnamon candy
Mouth: Popcorn, cinnamon red hots,
Finish: Bright and lively with a nice warm tingle that lasts for a while. Notes of milk chocolate and cinnamon red hots.
Thoughts: This is delicious. I was very surprised by the milk chocolate on the finish. Now I wish I had picked up a full sized bottle. Not only is it tasty to drink on its own, but I think I could have of a lot of fun with it in blending projects.
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