Review #125 - Old 55 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon
From a small, rural distillery in Newtown, Indiana, we have a 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon - this is from Old 55 Distillery. Established in 2013, this family-owned distillery is built around the family's farm, based in the remains of an old schoolhouse near their property.
The unique mashbill is really the point of interest here: this is made entirely from low-yield sweet corn grain. No typical corn varieties, no rye or wheat, and no malted barley. In order to get mashing and fermentation working correct, enzymes are added synthetically to the mash, as opposed to the traditional malted barley method. Because of the use of this grain, the cost of these bottles is quite high - it's not an efficient method for creating bourbon.
This bourbon is also bottled-in-bond, so it's aged at least four years, and bottled at 50%. In fact, most of the whiskies bottled by Old 55 are single barrel products, and we get some good information on the back label: this bottle is from Batch 18A10, which was distilled and barreled during the Spring of 2018, and bottled in the Spring of 2022.
Old 55 100% Sweet Corn Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 170 (2023)
Age Statement: 4 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Details: Mashbill of 100% sweet corn; bottled in bond; Batch 18A10, barreled Spring 2018, bottled Spring 2022
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 2 months; bottles at 80% and 70% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Light and pale in complexion, sharp, and a pretty strong acetone or sharpie marker smell at the beginning. We get wheat and hay, and it's slightly sweet, with just a bit of grain. Mild vanilla, white pepper, and some canned corn come in; it can be a bit metallic, and there's a chemical eucalyptus note, almost like a young rye. That permanent marker note ends up permeating pretty much the entire experience, start to finish.
Palate: Acetone and oak, it's young and a bit raw. There is a sugary sweetness hiding behind that, with cake icing, vanilla bean, maybe a bit of spicy pepper to go along with it. It's warm, and the oak seems young, adding more maple sugar and burnt cinnamon toast. There's a sort of craft, almost homemade, feel to it, and the mouthfeel is medium-thick; again, that chemical permanent marker note keeps on appearing.
Finish: Vanilla ice cream, some heat from both ABV and spicy oak, some white pepper, too. More permanent marker, some wet oak later, and a bit of canned corn. There's a sharp aftertaste, young and raw.
Final Note: Well, the concept is certainly unique. The sweet corn does definitely add another dimension of grain flavor - you can almost taste a sweet, canned corn sort of note in there. Beyond that, though, there are some flaws: the maturation doesn't seem to have tamed this nearly enough, there are a lot of similarities to a new-make spirit. It's sharp and harsh, and that chemical permanent marker smell and taste never disappears. It could be that this specific single barrel had issues, but we're not sure. And, because of the combination of flawed liquid and high price, value... isn't great.
Our Average Rating: 2.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 1.81
