 A bottle of Georgia Moon corn whiskey, sold in the form of amason jar | |
| Type | American whiskey |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Alcohol by volume | At least 40% |
| Proof (US) | At least 80° |
| Colour | Clear or brown |
| Ingredients | corn |
| Related products | Bourbon whiskey,Moonshine,Straight whiskey,Tennessee whiskey,Bottled in bond |
Corn whiskey is an Americanliquor made principally fromcorn. Distinct from thestereotypical Americanmoonshine, in whichsugar is normally added to themash, corn whiskey uses a traditional mash process,[1] and is subject to the tax and identity laws for alcohol under federal law.[2]
Corn whiskey is made from amash (mixture) of at least 80 percentcorn and distilled to a maximum strength of 160proof (80%alcohol by volume).[2][3]
Unlike otherAmerican whiskey styles, corn whiskey is not required to be aged in wood.[2] If aged, it must be in eitheruncharred or previously usedoak barrels and must be barreled at lower than 125 proof (62.5% abv). In contrast, a whiskey distilled from a mash consisting of at least 80% corn in a charred new oak barrel would be consideredbourbon.[4][2] Aging is usually brief – six months or less – during which time the whiskey absorbs color and flavor from the barrel while the off-flavors andfusel alcohols are reduced. A variant calledstraight corn whiskey is also produced, in which the whiskey is stored in used or uncharred new oak containers for two years or more. Whiskeys produced in this manner and aged for at least four years can be designatedbottled in bond if they meet additional requirements.
Many American whiskey distillers include unaged corn whiskeys in their product lines along with bourbons and other styles. A few large whiskey producers make unaged corn whiskeys but most corn whiskeys are made by smaller distillers located all around the country.[5][6]
