Mellow Corn

Bought: Master of Malt, 3^rd August 2016

Ratings:
83/100 – Whisky Bible 2016
69.22/100 – Whiskybase (average from 34 member votes)

The first book I got about whisky was Ian Buxton’s “101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die”. In it he mentions Mellow Corn, a simple and cheap corn-based whiskey from America. The reason it’s taken me so long to get a sample is because even Ian Buxton thinks it’s poor whiskey. He says it’s worth trying “if only to understand the beneficial influences of malted barley and ageing”. It’s also an example of America’s whiskey history – before bourbon there was straight corn whiskey, a form of moonshine deeply routed in American tradition. So you can see how Mellow Corn lends itself perfectly to Ian Buxton’s book.

Nearly 70/100 on Whiskybase isn’t a good score with comments ranging from “God awful. Just God awful.” to “I like this one. It’s not sophisticated. In fact, the alcohol bites you in both the nose and the mouth. There’s hardly any finish, but hey, it’s perfect for watching old episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard. American muscle cars, Daisy Duke and corn whiskey sort of belong together, and that’s what makes this one special for me.”

Scoring 83/100 in the Whisky Bible classifies this corn experience as ‘good whiskey worth trying’. The author, Jim Murray, says “dull and oily on the nose, though the pallet compensates with a scintillating array of sweet and spicy notes.”

Ian Buxton’s tasting notes are:

Nose: Waxy (it should be), with light floral notes and vanilla
Taste: Surprisingly complex, with mouth-coating oiliness, some fruit and toffee
Finish: Quite lively; the fruit, wood and caramel notes hang on in there

Here’s Big Red Liquors with his review on You Tube (August 2014):

Kilchoman ‘Coull Point’

Bought: World Duty Free, 2^nd July 2015

Ratings:
84.48/100 – Whiskybase (average from 35 member votes)

This Kilchoman is a Travel Retail exclusive, which usually means it’s available outside of the UK and several places within. This doesn’t appear to be the case with the ‘Coull Point’, which I first saw in UK airports in 2014. I spoke to an employee at the ‘World of Whisky’ shop in Gatwick airport who said his company had bought up all the stock. Since Kilchoman is a small distillery, I believe him. The Whisky Barrel in the UK is trying to sell it for £200 but they clearly got their stock from the airports where it’s only £50. A £150 mark-up?! Seriously?! You can buy bottles at auction for around £50-£60.

84.5/100 on Whiskybase is an excellent mark. It seems hard to dislike Kilchoman. The distillery is probably the best success story in the whisky world in recent years. Comments from Whiskybase members include “nice whisky”, “a very active, young interesting thing with a character of its own and a lot of potential” and “one of Kilchoman’s most successful presentations to date”.

If you can find the Kilchoman ‘Coull Point’ at an airport for £50 I’d recommend getting a bottle. Not only is it good to drink but also it has potential as an investment.