Abasolo Mexican Corn Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Ever since Balcones broke certain barriers in 2009 by making a corn whiskey with blue corn, both accelerating the trend for small distillers to reach for novel grains and asserting a Tex-Mex whiskey style for the first time, I’ve been waiting for some serious work to be done in making whiskeys with heirloom Mexican corn. Mexico has at least 59 different types of native corns, with about 2/3s of Mexico’s farmers collecting their own seed stock from the harvest, rather than relying on an agri-corporate behemoth like Monsanto to supply them. If Americanized blue corn could make the root spirit of Baby Blue what it is, and later on the Bloody Butcher red corn bourbons what they have become, what about all those untapped Mexican corn varietals?

Now we have our first answer. Destilería y Bodega Abasolo, under the direction of Master Distiller Ivan Saldaña, has become Mexico’s first dedicated whiskey distillery. Taking up the question of just what a whiskey-maker can do with all that Mexican corn, they have introduced Abasolo.

This whiskey is made with Cacahuazintle corn, but that isn’t the only distinctly Mexican part of its creation. As part of milling and mashing, that corn undergoes nixtamalization, the same process used to make masa for tortillas and tamales. This both pulls more flavor forward in the grain and helped Saldaña leave other grains (like malted barley) out of the mash, so this is a 100% Cacahuazintle  whiskey. The whiskey is then aged for two years in ex-bourbon barrels, so it fits squarely into American rules regarding what a corn whiskey is.

The Whiskey
Bottled at 86 proof (43% ABV), Abasolo has a pale yellow look in the glass. Like so many Scotch whiskies, it looks like a viscous white wine.

Far from being the corn husk-driven spirit that most distiller’s yellow corn-based American corn whiskeys or the buttery cornbread experience of Baby Blue, the nose on Abasolo suggesting it was rather fruity. I found apples and peaches, accented by a light dusting of spices and pine.

The flavor followed in that sweet vein, bringing out canned peaches and vanilla on the palate, plus a touch of corn hush. The spicing becomes more distinct, developing into cinnamon. The mouthfeel on Abasolo is a light one, but a touch oily. Pepper rises up to say hello on the back end. As the finish gets going, the sweetness fades out and that peppery note keeps on rising.

I thought it was yummy, especially when I put it on ice in my rocks glass. Grab a bottle and enjoy it for your summer drinking.

The Price
Expect to pay about $40 a bottle for Abasolo.