Mellow Corn Bottled in Bond Whiskey

I reviewed this whisky back in May of 2022, but what with one thing and another hadn't had it since, and after almost two years of practice, I'm far better equipped to evaluate Mellow Corn than I was then. And so I'm doing another review. I'm not certain what the mash bill is. One source said that it's 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% barley. A couple of other sources said that it's 90% corn, with the remaining 10% consisting of rye and barley. I do know that it's at least 80% corn, because that's what the US government requires, but right now I wonder if anyone outside of Heaven Hill knows what it really is. This bottle cost me $17.99 at the Kelly Liquors store in the Mountain Run shopping center. There's no age statement on the bottle, but this is a bottled in bond whisky so by law it must be at least four years old. Due to the legal requirement that corn whisky age in either new uncharred barrels or used charred barrels, it doesn't pick up a lot of color from the wood, and is straw colored in the glass. NOSE: A note of sweetness without any specific sweet item is the first thing I got. Then came musty corn, a slight lemon sourness, and caramel with vanilla. MOUTHFEEL: Creamy. TASTE: On the palate this juice begins with a definite honey note, the cinnamon, and then through repeated sips I got banana candy, lemon, sweet corn, and a little bit of oak. FINISH: The finish is long, beginning with a sweet note, merging almost immediately into cinnamon, some sweet oak, and finally a lingering spice note. SUMMARY: This whisky surprised me, when I paid attention to it, with how complex it is. Now it's not very complex - it's actually a simple whisky - but it's less simple than I expected to find. I'm glad I decided to review this again, because two years ago I could never have gotten all this from the juice. Even though it is a simple whisky, due to the rules governing corn whisky, it's a tasty one. As a bottled in bond whisky it's 100 proof, but if I didn't know that, I'd never guess it. It doesn't assault you with alcohol on either the nose or the palate - it's indeed a mellow whisky that drinks like it's 10 or 15 proof points lower than it is. It is definitely worth the price, and it's a very affordable price. [edit] When I posted this I forgot to include my rating, so I've come back and will insert it below. RATING: On my hick scale it's the fifth (counting from the bottom) rating, Good. This is equal to 3.125 stars, 62.5/100, and 6.25/10.