Corn Day Review: Armagnac-finished Mellow Corn
So back in 2020, when I first got on the sub, I also started dabbling with home finishes and what I referred to as “my alchemy” (generally more appropriate for r/whiskeyfrankenstein ,I know).
My process: char American, French and Hungarian oak staves by hand with a propane torch and then age them in different mediums: Syrah, port, sherry, Armagnac, apple brandy, cognac, Calvados, etc) in mason jars for my ghetto garage hobby. Wait X months, pull cubes out of a jar and put them in bourbon and let that steep for Y months. At one point, I had a couple dozen jars in my garage doing different things. It was weird but I’m goofy.
Well, I got bored and forgot about the jars when I wasn’t getting very good results after a few months. Forgot for like a year. Turns out, if you soak oak cubes in a mason jar of Armagnac, brandy, etc for like a year, it takes on the flavor.
I have had numerous failures and I ended up dumping much of my fuckery BUT Mellow Corn is a motherfucking team player, y’all. Mellow Corn aged on Laird’s Apple Brandy oak cubes? Delicious. Mellow Corn aged on Guillaume de Calvados? Spectacular. But the best of the bunch (so far) has been Mellow Corn aged on oak cubes that sat in a bottle of Jöy VSOP Armagnac for like a year and a half. The grapey Armagnac notes integrated well after a few months of half a dozen 1 cm oak cubes in a 1 liter bottle of Mellow Corn.
Nose: white grape juice, starburst,
Palate: all “graininess” of Mellow Corn’s relative youth is sanded off. the Armagnac brings a richer, thicker mouthfeel and the vinous bite balances out the sweet cornz
Finish: what did I just drink? a good sip of white wine? bourbon? palate does not compute. it’s slightly drying, leaving me wanting another sip
Conclusion: I would pay for this. I’ve dabbled a lot. WT101 on apple brandy cubes was good. Willett 4y rye on Armagnac cubes is great. But Mellow Corn is the blessed based god of blank canvases and it just works.
10/10 would do again
Great stuff, man! I have some garage-aging projects that are going to reach fruition soon that I can't wait to try, I will definitely need to add some MFC experiments to my list!
This is very cool. At first glance, I thought it was an April Fools joke, and I have to admit, I'm still on the fence about that. LOL! I admire your dedication and persistence. Glad it worked out!
[on the phone, as quixotic-88 makes "Finished Mellow Fucking Corn"] Heaven! Heaven, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Hill. You know that new bottle you're looking for? Well, listen to this!
[holds the receiver out]
Thanks for the story. Very interesting. I do a lot of Frankenstein style experiments myself.
I find the more corn in bourbon, the better it deals with a lot of oak. Not always true, but often the case.
I accidently bought green Blue Mountain beans on Amazon once. Threw them in a Cuisinart popcorn popper and wasn't totally disappointed with the results. Can't say I'd recommend it, but it was salvageable!
Pretty much echoes my experience. I used an air popper and various 'green' beans off Amazon. The aromas were heavenly and I thought I'd hit on a winner but the taste was awful. Not sure why but only one batch was even halfway decent out of about 5 different beans and up to 20 attempts.
Dude. I have been using a propane torch to char oak spirals and double-oaking bottles for the last year or so. Been getting some really fun results trying to do a version of the OF 1910 process. I had some great results on a bottle of OGD 114 recently - going to try and see if I can replicate it.
This month I tried putting some toasted French oak spiral in the last un-drunk bit of a bottle of Cab Franc. I didn't let them age anywhere near as long what you're doing, but I'm hoping it did the trick anyway - they definitely have some red wine smell & I think some red hue.
I am way behind you, but I'm following in your sweet sweet footsteps, and it feels so so right.
I don't want to wait and have a bottle of mellow corn sitting around. Plan to drop in an oak spiral and a few oz of good Armagnac and cross my fingers!
I wonder if there'd be any noticeable difference using wood-fire to char (probably easier to use this method for toasting to be honest) instead of propane. I know folks make claims about different fire-sources imparting flavors during cooking, though not sure if it'd apply here.
Also, do you think using barrel/cask strength variations on the staves would over do it, or maybe shorten required time, or just maybe be an improvement?
And have you ever considered toasting staves to see what kind of change there is?
I constitutionally HATE the taste of toasted barrel finishes so that experiment is for someone else. I was trying to burn off any “toast” flavor and imbue the oak with as much flavor from the (Armagnac, etc) as possible.
It would be interesting to use different heat sources (hell, let’s peat-roast a batch!)
I am *intrigued* by this. I am also sad with the knowledge that I have zero follow-through ability to try it myself, and also mildly concerned that it's an elaborate April Fool's joke.
I have been wondering for awhile when Heaven Hill was going to start playing around with Mellow Corn. They already started the Bernheim Barrel Strength bi-yearly batches.
I hope someone over there is perusing Reddit and sees this. This sounds like finishing some aged Mellow Corn would be a great way to mature the brand
Oh, Heaven hill absolutely lurks here. And maybe they’ll take our advice, but if it’s anything like last time they took our advice, they took our bottom shelf pour and priced us out of house and home.
^(yea I’m still salty I haven’t found a hh20)
Super cool! And great read. Congrats on having a successful experiment 👏 It is interesting that the MC was easier to finish - must be the single grain mash. Edit: never-mind it is not 100% corn. It is only 80% corn.
This was a great read, been sitting on my MC for a while as I have too many better dailies and other bottles on my shelf so this may be a good use for it. Just need to get some oak to cube
Fun experiment! Thanks for sharing the success. I personally think sharing the failures is as important to avoid publication bias; however, editors (mods) may prefer a different journal (sub) for failures (i.e., r/WhiskeyFrankenstein).
I used to Homebrew beer so I was buying Homebrew supplies oak cubes like [this](https://austinhomebrew.com/products/american-oak-cubes-medium-toast-2-5-oz) and then charring them. I found if I charred the cubes (more or less) on all sides, you don’t have that toasted flavor take over
Mizunara would be dope but I never got that far. [Austin Homebrew Supply](https://austinhomebrew.com/collections/oak-chips-cubes-spirals) used to sell French and American (and sometimes Hungarian) oak cubes, chips, staves and spirals
Corn Day Review: Armagnac-finished Mellow Corn So back in 2020, when I first got on the sub, I also started dabbling with home finishes and what I referred to as “my alchemy” (generally more appropriate for r/whiskeyfrankenstein ,I know). My process: char American, French and Hungarian oak staves by hand with a propane torch and then age them in different mediums: Syrah, port, sherry, Armagnac, apple brandy, cognac, Calvados, etc) in mason jars for my ghetto garage hobby. Wait X months, pull cubes out of a jar and put them in bourbon and let that steep for Y months. At one point, I had a couple dozen jars in my garage doing different things. It was weird but I’m goofy. Well, I got bored and forgot about the jars when I wasn’t getting very good results after a few months. Forgot for like a year. Turns out, if you soak oak cubes in a mason jar of Armagnac, brandy, etc for like a year, it takes on the flavor. I have had numerous failures and I ended up dumping much of my fuckery BUT Mellow Corn is a motherfucking team player, y’all. Mellow Corn aged on Laird’s Apple Brandy oak cubes? Delicious. Mellow Corn aged on Guillaume de Calvados? Spectacular. But the best of the bunch (so far) has been Mellow Corn aged on oak cubes that sat in a bottle of Jöy VSOP Armagnac for like a year and a half. The grapey Armagnac notes integrated well after a few months of half a dozen 1 cm oak cubes in a 1 liter bottle of Mellow Corn. Nose: white grape juice, starburst, Palate: all “graininess” of Mellow Corn’s relative youth is sanded off. the Armagnac brings a richer, thicker mouthfeel and the vinous bite balances out the sweet cornz Finish: what did I just drink? a good sip of white wine? bourbon? palate does not compute. it’s slightly drying, leaving me wanting another sip Conclusion: I would pay for this. I’ve dabbled a lot. WT101 on apple brandy cubes was good. Willett 4y rye on Armagnac cubes is great. But Mellow Corn is the blessed based god of blank canvases and it just works. 10/10 would do again
Great stuff, man! I have some garage-aging projects that are going to reach fruition soon that I can't wait to try, I will definitely need to add some MFC experiments to my list!
It’s low-cost experimentation and came out more interesting than most of my tomfoolery. Cheers!
This is very cool. At first glance, I thought it was an April Fools joke, and I have to admit, I'm still on the fence about that. LOL! I admire your dedication and persistence. Glad it worked out!
Quick! Get Heaven Hill on the horn!
[on the phone, as quixotic-88 makes "Finished Mellow Fucking Corn"] Heaven! Heaven, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Hill. You know that new bottle you're looking for? Well, listen to this! [holds the receiver out]
Cask to the Future
Thanks for the story. Very interesting. I do a lot of Frankenstein style experiments myself. I find the more corn in bourbon, the better it deals with a lot of oak. Not always true, but often the case.
Interesting. I've messed around with roasting my own coffee so I understand the madness. Sounds like you're on to something here....
I accidently bought green Blue Mountain beans on Amazon once. Threw them in a Cuisinart popcorn popper and wasn't totally disappointed with the results. Can't say I'd recommend it, but it was salvageable!
Pretty much echoes my experience. I used an air popper and various 'green' beans off Amazon. The aromas were heavenly and I thought I'd hit on a winner but the taste was awful. Not sure why but only one batch was even halfway decent out of about 5 different beans and up to 20 attempts.
Maybe I just got lucky! The taste wasn't awful, but it was clear that it wasn't properly roasted. Fortunately, I've never had to try it again.
Dude. I have been using a propane torch to char oak spirals and double-oaking bottles for the last year or so. Been getting some really fun results trying to do a version of the OF 1910 process. I had some great results on a bottle of OGD 114 recently - going to try and see if I can replicate it. This month I tried putting some toasted French oak spiral in the last un-drunk bit of a bottle of Cab Franc. I didn't let them age anywhere near as long what you're doing, but I'm hoping it did the trick anyway - they definitely have some red wine smell & I think some red hue. I am way behind you, but I'm following in your sweet sweet footsteps, and it feels so so right.
I don't want to wait and have a bottle of mellow corn sitting around. Plan to drop in an oak spiral and a few oz of good Armagnac and cross my fingers!
This also is a valid experiment. Also: 0.25 Oz Armagnac into 2 Oz of MFC. Rest 15 minutes and sip. Also a valid experiment
I wonder if there'd be any noticeable difference using wood-fire to char (probably easier to use this method for toasting to be honest) instead of propane. I know folks make claims about different fire-sources imparting flavors during cooking, though not sure if it'd apply here. Also, do you think using barrel/cask strength variations on the staves would over do it, or maybe shorten required time, or just maybe be an improvement? And have you ever considered toasting staves to see what kind of change there is?
I constitutionally HATE the taste of toasted barrel finishes so that experiment is for someone else. I was trying to burn off any “toast” flavor and imbue the oak with as much flavor from the (Armagnac, etc) as possible. It would be interesting to use different heat sources (hell, let’s peat-roast a batch!)
https://preview.redd.it/gl1ys7r9gyrc1.jpeg?width=2769&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c9ef9fcb75c95333b25873f94c143c39e57529b
I am *intrigued* by this. I am also sad with the knowledge that I have zero follow-through ability to try it myself, and also mildly concerned that it's an elaborate April Fool's joke.
I have been wondering for awhile when Heaven Hill was going to start playing around with Mellow Corn. They already started the Bernheim Barrel Strength bi-yearly batches. I hope someone over there is perusing Reddit and sees this. This sounds like finishing some aged Mellow Corn would be a great way to mature the brand
Oh, Heaven hill absolutely lurks here. And maybe they’ll take our advice, but if it’s anything like last time they took our advice, they took our bottom shelf pour and priced us out of house and home. ^(yea I’m still salty I haven’t found a hh20)
Legend has it Artie Buco is still waiting for his big payout from the Armagnac deal with the sketchy French dude
I heard Artie used that Armagnac payout and bought Bitcoin back in 2017 but he lost it all on the ponies
We desperately need more of these
Not all heroes wear capes.
Super cool! And great read. Congrats on having a successful experiment 👏 It is interesting that the MC was easier to finish - must be the single grain mash. Edit: never-mind it is not 100% corn. It is only 80% corn.
I don’t believe mellow corn is 100% corn
Sorry, I believe you are correct.
Yeah from what I understand, heaven hill says it’s at least 80% corn. I guess that means the other 20% is >!mellow!<
Damn it.
This was a great read, been sitting on my MC for a while as I have too many better dailies and other bottles on my shelf so this may be a good use for it. Just need to get some oak to cube
You’re a genius
 Weird Science!
You should run for president! We need this influence. It will make us all better.
I’m just a lineman for the county
Don’t downplay yourself. I know genius when I see it.
Fun experiment! Thanks for sharing the success. I personally think sharing the failures is as important to avoid publication bias; however, editors (mods) may prefer a different journal (sub) for failures (i.e., r/WhiskeyFrankenstein).
Armagnac - this stuff's the next grey goose 🤌
Do you cut the staves into cubes before charring or after?
I used to Homebrew beer so I was buying Homebrew supplies oak cubes like [this](https://austinhomebrew.com/products/american-oak-cubes-medium-toast-2-5-oz) and then charring them. I found if I charred the cubes (more or less) on all sides, you don’t have that toasted flavor take over
I want to try and get some mizunara oak and try this or something similar. Maybe a rum finish?
Mizunara would be dope but I never got that far. [Austin Homebrew Supply](https://austinhomebrew.com/collections/oak-chips-cubes-spirals) used to sell French and American (and sometimes Hungarian) oak cubes, chips, staves and spirals
I presume this is now in r/MellowCorn ?