Ripe stone fruit | Strawberries & Cream | Honeycomb | Caramel popcorn | Light oak

Vanilla frosting | Ripe summer berries | Oak | Faint baking spices | Cinnamon cake

Cinnamon stick | Charred oak | Vanilla | Lingering light dry spice

High aged light whiskeys have always enthralled bourbon drinkers as they deliver a similar yet entirely different flavor profile all at the same time, thanks to how they’re made. As defined by the United States Code and clarified by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), light whiskey is whisky produced in the U.S. at more than 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) [but less than 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof)] and stored in used or uncharred new oak containers.

Penelope started down their light whiskey journey with their 13 year release in 2021. While they took a break in 2022, they’ve since released a new light whiskey every year, increasing the age of the whiskey by 2 years each time. For 2026, the brand released their highest proof light whiskey to date, and it’s also the oldest. Notably, the age only increased by 1 year versus the 2 year increase that the prior releases saw.

The whiskey instantly grips you with sweet flavors thanks to a great aroma. Ripe fruit scents combine with sweet ones to produce a nose that you can’t help going back too often. The palate is pleasing, carrying over fruit notes and sweetness thanks to ripe summer berries and vanilla frosting, along with a note of cinnamon cake. The finish drops almost all of its sweeter side, revealing spice and charred oak with a dollop of vanilla.

Penelope has been on a tear with their light year series, with both their 15 Year and 17 Year releases producing exceptional results. While their 18 Year release is still great, it fails to reach the heights that prior ones have. Whether the cause is the upping of the proof or the age to the highest the series has ever seen, it is hard to tell. That’s not to say this isn’t a great whiskey, which it is; however, Penelope had set expectations so high from its last few releases that the bar may have been impossible to try to reach to begin with.