Kettle corn | Cake batter | Honeycrisp apples | Light & sweet

Dessert flavors | Crème brûlée | Candy apple | Kettle corn | Sweet & creamy

Cinnamon spice | Clove | Confectioners’ sugar | Vanilla custard | Long

Light whiskey has been appearing more and more, making its way into an increasing number of brand portfolios. As defined by 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. 

Most of the light whiskey we’re seeing was distilled by MGP, and if it’s pre-2011, it was technically distilled by Seagrams who operated the distillery at the time. The first release in the Founders Reserve line, 13 Year American Light Whiskey is a blended release that totals 25 barrels selected by the founders of Penelope Bourbon. Despite its high proofpoint, it’s a surprisingly easy drinker that focuses on the sweet dessert flavors that nicely characterize aged light whiskey, most notably smoothing out the rough edges that this type of whiskey can sometimes exhibit. It reaches the height aged light whiskey is capable of, providing a welcome deviation from the standard “bourbon” flavor profile but still staying in line with a flavor profile bourbon drinkers with a sweet tooth will appreciate. If you haven’t tried light whiskey yet, this is a great place to start.