// Grain & Cereal
Corn Sweetness
What It Actually Smells or Tastes Like
A raw, straightforward sweetness reminiscent of fresh corn or corn syrup -- simpler and less complex than caramel or honey.
How to Recognize It
Most noticeable in bourbons with a very high corn percentage in the mash bill; it's often the base note everything else sits on top of.
Flavor perception varies from person to person -- this is a guide for what to check for, not a claim that everyone tasting the same pour will notice it the same way.
How It Connects to Production
Comes directly from bourbon's federally required minimum of 51% corn in the mash bill -- see Find Perfect Pour to watch how corn percentage shifts this note.
Related Descriptors in Grain & Cereal
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Bourbon Styles Often Associated With Corn Sweetness
Based on each style's own documented flavor tendencies -- not a ranking, and not a guarantee any specific bottle within a style shows this note.
Explore Bottles Showing Corn Sweetness
41 real bottles in our Distillery Directory whose own listed flavor notes include a real, closely related phrase for this descriptor (not the exact wording, but the same flavor family, per our alias table).