Indianola Distilling Ivy Mountain Appalachian Corn Whiskey

There's a bit of a complicated story behind this 6 year old corn whiskey. Carlos Lovell (profiled here), a lifelong moonshiner from Mount Airy, GA distilled this whiskey after finally going legit in 2012 and opening Ivy Mountain Distillery. The whiskey, made with a recipe developed by Lovell's family over a 150 year legacy of moonshining in Northern Georgia, contains hickory cane, white dent corn, rye, malted barley, and malted corn. In 2015, the Indianola Distilling company, based in Houston, acquired the remaining barrel stock of Appalachian Corn Whiskey, and are now blending and bottling the "Heirloom" whiskey under the Ivy Mountain name. This product alongside a peach brandy also purchased from Ivy Mountain are limited stock and will presumably be discontinued when the barrels run out.

The whiskey pours a slightly hazy amber yellow. The nose is bright and sweet, with a floral, minty finish; hints of dill and oily caramel lend an old-school, appalachian quality to the aroma. The mouth is quite inviting, well-suited to the 90 proof bottling. Each ingredient is well-balanced in the profile, particularly the rye, which highlights, but doesn't overpower the richer, darker flavors of the corn and malt. Plenty of vanilla cream, a whisper of stewed fruits, and a long, clean, minty finish make this a fine sipping whiskey, similar in character to a Kentucky bourbon, but with a certain craggy, mountainous charm. Typically, small batch products are far quirkier and more demanding, not nearly this approachable or accessible. With so many mass-produced whiskeys making dubious claims to pre-pro origins and illustrious heritage, this is the genuine article and well worth a try if it passes your way.

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