It really brings this message home when you open a bottle that has this cork taint. This is why I always smell the cork right after opening a bottle. I have read reports that up to 15% of commercial wine can have cork taint, but people don't realize what it is, so they drink it anyway. I know I did early on in my wine drinking experience. I do wonder why some much of the wine wil have this, unless lots of wineries use chlorine, anyway.
The end of the cork (and the wine) will have a musty smell, like you get when you go into a dark room that has been closed up for a long time, especially in a humid area. It is not a rotten smell, just ... musty smelling.
Once you smell it and recognize what it is, you will definitely remember it. Of all the smells wine gives off, one of them should never be a musty smell.