I’m not the world’s foremost Bourbon lover. When it comes to whiskey, I generally prefer Ryes, Japanese offerings, and Sour Mashes over the sweeter and more corn-forward Bourbon. But this blend of Bourbons distilled from heirloom corn is just so unabashedly corn that I can’t help but respect it. As Maria Bamford once said, “CORN!”
Baby Jane doesn’t try to add any fancy wood, smoke, age, sherry, port, or whatever other finishes. It’s… well, it’s just corn. I’ve had a lot of other Bourbon’s that I thought were too corn-forward, but somehow I don’t feel that way about Baby Jane. It manages to turn the dial so far past the “maximum corn” setting that it loops back around again and becomes pleasant.
Its thin viscosity is a welcome and unexpected characteristic. There’s none of the extra syrupy, unpleasant legginess of some super sweet Bourbons here. Instead, Baby Jane has a thin and drinkable viscosity that doesn’t overload the palette after multiple sips, which I think helps make the extreme corn flavor more tolerable–quite enjoyable, in fact.
I’m not sure how this would fare for those who enjoy Bourbons more than I do. But, for a product that should have been way off for my personal preferences, this was an enjoyable surprise (especially at only $49).