Round 1c of the 2018 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets features number 1 seed Mellow Corn Bottled in Bond Corn Whiskey versus Number 4 seed Ezra Brooks Rye.
Mellow Corn is a product of Heaven Hill Brands. It is a bottled-in-bond product, meaning it is the product of one distilling season, bottled at exactly 100 proof and was aged for at least 4 years. As this is corn whiskey, it is made from at least 80 percent corn in the mash recipe and was aged in either uncharred or used barrels. It is a number one seed due to its high proof.
Ezra Brooks Rye is a product of Luxco. It is a sourced whiskey that is assumed to have been distilled at the MGPi distillery in Indiana. It is a two-year-old rye. It is the youngest whiskey in the contest and as such is a number four seed.
These were tasted blind in the following order. My thoughts on each are from before the reveal.
Mellow Corn
Purchase Info: $11.88 for a 1L bottle at Blue Max Liquor, Burnsville, MN
Details: 50% ABV, non-age stated.
Produced by: Heaven Hill Brands
Nose: Buttery popcorn, spearmint, a touch of cinnamon, and after a while strawberry oatmeal.
Mouth: Warm and spicy. Cinnamon and honey.
Finish: Medium and warm. Lingering dried grain notes. A touch of bitterness.
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Nice and warm. Good spice. Only slight knock on it is a slightly dried grain note on the finish that doesn't agree with me.
Ezra Brooks Rye
Purchase Info: $17.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Eagan, MN.
Details: 45% ABV.
Produced by: Luxco (Assumed MGPi)
Nose: Strong mint and ginger ale.
Mouth: Thinner in the mouth than the last one. Mint and ginger spice.
Finish: Flavorful finish. A "Blossom" of flavor after swallowing. Mint, cinnamon, and ginger.
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Just the opposite of the last one. This has a pretty mild mouth, but a fun finish.
Who wins?
So, Mellow Corn is sweet baked good on the nose while Ezra Brooks Rye is a spicy soda. This is a draw on the nose. Mellow Corn has a nicer mouthfeel while Ezra Brooks Rye has a more pleasantly flavorful finish. This is the hardest matchup in the contest. These are both good and to be honest my wife and I both chose a different winner. After sitting on this for most of a week I have to declare a winner based soley on the finish. Winner: Ezra Brooks Rye.
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