Taste Test: The New Light Whiskey Might Make You a Fan of This Rare Style

Jonah Flicker
·4-min read

Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.

Even the most dedicated whiskey fans might not be familiar with the light whiskey category, and there’s a good reason for that—there’s just not that much of it around these days. Some brands and distilleries have been leaning into this style, however, including Penelope Bourbon (which is now owned by Indiana whiskey giant MGP). The brand’s latest release is a 17-year-old light whiskey that is close to 140 proof, and it’s a bottle that might draw curious drinkers into the light whiskey fold.

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Penelope Bourbon was founded in 2018 and acquired by MGP in 2023, a move that made sense given that the brand sources its whiskey from the Indiana distillery. As we reported recently, MGP is cutting back on whiskey production for the many other brands that source from the distillery due to what it is calling a softening market, but it will continue to produce its in-house brands like Penelope, Remus, and Rossville Union. While Remus focuses on bourbon and Rossville Union on rye, Penelope has a range of interesting whiskeys in its portfolio including four-grain bourbons that are given different cask finishes, and a few different age statement light whiskeys.

The light whiskey category was created in 1968. This was a time when Americans were drinking a lot less bourbon and a lot more vodka, so it was a response to these shifting tastes while still protecting the integrity of the bourbon category. While bourbon can legally be distilled up to 160 proof, light whiskey is distilled to between 180 and 195 proof. That puts it more in line with its Scottish and Canadian cousins, but also strips out more flavor because the mash is being distilled more like a vodka. Also, while bourbon must be aged in new charred oak barrels, light whiskey is matured in “used or un-charred oak containers.” This reduces both cost and the intentionally big flavor impact that comes from being maturing in new barrels. All of this was an attempt to appeal to drinkers looking for something “lighter” than good old American bourbon and rye… but that never really happened and the category kind of became a relic of the industry.

Still, distilleries like MGP continued to make light whiskey, as evidenced by the fact that this release is 17 years old (and comes after Penelope’s previous 15 and 13-year-old expressions). This whiskey was distilled to 189 proof at MGP in 2006 from a mashbill of 99 percent corn and 1 percent malted barley, aged in second-fill (used) oak barrels, and bottled at cask strength of 138.8 proof (69.4 percent ABV). Let’s talk about that last detail—that’s really, really high, nearly reaching hazmat level whiskey, so you should expect a whole lot of alcohol on the nose and palate here. But that proof is really comparable to a very strong Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and not quite as strong as last year’s 142-proof Jacob’s Pardon light whiskey (also made at MGP from the same mashbill). Despite all of that alcohol, there are some really nice sweet vanilla and caramel notes that shine through, along with pink frosting and honey flavors. Mellow this whiskey out with some water, and you start to pick up notes of cherry lollipop, brown sugar, toasted nuts, and some molasses.

This new light whiskey probably won’t take the place of all of the really good bourbon and rye you’re likely drinking produced by distilleries like Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and Beam. It might not even be the bottle you pick over the other bourbons in the Penelope lineup. But in our world of hyper-whiskey-saturation, it’s good to have some less conventional options—and this bottle is worth giving a try.

Score: 85

  • 100 Worth trading your first born for

  • 95 – 99 In the Pantheon: A trophy for the cabinet

  • 90 – 94 Great: An excited nod from friends when you pour them a dram

  • 85 – 89 Very Good: Delicious enough to buy, but not quite special enough to chase on the secondary market

  • 80 – 84 Good: More of your everyday drinker, solid and reliable

  • Below 80 It’s alright: Honestly, we probably won’t waste your time and ours with this

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