Jacob’s Pardon 18 Year Small Batch

Cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, light vanilla, chocolate milk powder Molasses, dark chocolate, leather, caramel. Cinnamon, Lingering buttery caramel not offensive at all. Oak is there but very slightly. Since it launched in 2020, Jacob’s Pardon’s Small Batch line has focused on sourced products sitting at unique junctures in American whiskey. The first batch was a blend of MGP-sourced, 15 year light whiskey and Dickel-sourced Tennessee whiskey. Batch #2 was solely composed of Tennessee whiskey. Released in 2023, Batch #3 singles out the other component of the first small batch blend: light whiskey, at this point 18 years old. Though it’s still unfamiliar to many drinkers, light whiskey is a federally defined spirits category. The whiskey is distilled between 160 and 190 proof, likely a contributor to the “light” name, as this distills out more character from the grain. It can also be aged in either used or new, un-charred oak containers. Originally developed in the 1960s to compete with increasingly popular clear spirits like vodka, light whiskey ultimately proved a marketing flop. In the decades since, that didn’t stop some distilleries from continuing to produce and age it, including as a component for blended spirits. The category has become something of a hot commodity for non-distilling producers looking to sell unique flavor profiles with hefty age statements. High West, Obtainium, and Penelope have all released light whiskeys with 13+ year age statements; others have ticked to 20 years and older. And virtually all brands — including Jacob’s Pardon — turn to Indiana’s MGP, which began selling its deep stocks of light whiskey nearly a decade ago. MGP’s standard light whiskey mash bill is 99 percent corn and 1 percent malted barley. Jacob’s Pardon Batch #3 comes from whiskey across 211 un-charred oak barrels. The whiskey was bottled at an eye-popping 142.7 proof, well over 70 percent alcohol by volume.