Light Whiskey is Making a Comeback

Even if you like to explore different whisky styles, one that you may not have seen is light whiskey. It’s a curious, mysterious genre, and people are often left wondering what it really means. Spoiler alert: it’s not called light whiskey because it’s diet-friendly, because of its color, or because of its proof. The term is partly meant to describe the whiskey’s flavors, but that isn’t the whole story.

By definition, light whiskey must be produced in the U.S., with a distillation proof of more than 160° (80% ABV) but less than 190° (95%), and aged in new uncharred or used oak containers. There is no rule on what grains can be used, a fairly typical part of most other whiskey definitions. It seems to fly in the face of what most people have come to expect from American whiskey. Yet light whiskey is undergoing something of a renaissance in recent years. The style, looked down upon for decades, has suddenly been generating some buzz.

One of Whiskey’s Greatest Flops

Light whiskey was first recognized as an official style back in 1968, and was truly a product of its era. The drinks landscape looked much different back then: American whiskey had fallen into the doldrums, with U.S. distillers losing market share, mainly to imported vodka. Desperate for a way to regain lost ground, some producers petitioned the government to change the definition of certain whiskey styles. The move was met with pushback from industry rivals, so the ATF (forerunner of the modern TTB) solved that problem by creating a completely new category for the beleaguered distillers.

It was called “light whiskey” as part of a marketing strategy—framing it as “light” enough to appeal to the average vodka drinker. The uncharacteristically vague regulations aimed to bolster the idea, using high distillation proof and new uncharred or various used barrels to move away from the bolder flavors found in new charred oak-aged bourbons and shift closer toward the more flavor-neutral profile of vodka and Canadian whisky. The lack of rules for a specific mashbill and those looser barrel requirements also meant that light whiskey makers could use basically whatever ingredients they wanted.

Distillers heard the message loud and clear, and set about making light whiskey throughout the early ’70s in anticipation of the next hot trend. But there was a problem: The whiskey just didn’t taste all that good, and nobody was interested. Light whiskey utterly failed to capture the attention of vodka drinkers, who found that light whiskey didn’t work like vodka in cocktails, and it alienated the then-dwindling number of bourbon lovers. Light whiskey crashed and burned, going down as one of the biggest flops in whiskey history.

Gradual Rediscovery

In the ensuing decades, light whiskey eventually did find a role. Overproduction had made stocks both cheap and plentiful, and it became attractive to blenders. Buying light whiskey was an inexpensive way for smaller producers to boost volume—and help some larger brands like Seagram’s 7 Crown with margins. It did little to help the style’s reputation, but since there was now a market, some distillers began making light whiskey on an ongoing basis to sell to other producers. One of the biggest fish in that pond was the old Seagram Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, better known today as MGP’s Ross & Squibb.

That was the story for quite some time. But everything changed in March 2016, when High West Distillery did the unthinkable: bottling a 14 year old MGP light whiskey. To say it was a gamble is an understatement. High West had built its success on impressive rye whiskeys at a time when rye was still an overlooked style. Now it was wading into completely uncharted territory, showcasing a whiskey style that had been maligned and reviled over nearly half a century. Against all odds, High West’s light whiskey was a success, scoring 89 points with our tasting panel. The release was so popular that the distillery brought out a follow-up batch two years later, that included all of the remaining light whiskey it had on hand. High West had kick-started a new era for the style.

The Modern Landscape

High West made the blueprint for what modern light whiskey expressions would look like. Even today, most use the same outline as the one from High West: distilled by MGP from a 99% corn and 1% malted barley mashbill and aged for at least 10 years. The key difference is that the newer light whiskeys tend to be bottled at cask strength, whereas High West’s was proofed to 46% ABV.

One of the most prolific light whiskey blenders today is Indianapolis-based Backbone Bourbon Co. In 2014, founder Nolan Smith was trying to formulate a spin-off of the brand’s flagship bourbon recipe; he wanted to use some older liquid to add complexity to the blend, but didn’t have the aged inventory on hand. Scouring the market, he eventually found some 2006 vintage light whiskey for sale. After some trial and error, he eventually landed on a blend of straight bourbon and rye, which was accented with just a bit of light whiskey. The blend was dubbed Backbone Prime blended bourbon and launched in 2015. In the ensuing years, Backbone would buy more light whiskey, which was used to make another blended bourbon called The Forge. Eventually, it would bottle a light whiskey as Triple Down single barrel.

Nolan is drawn to light whiskey for its relatively simple, sweet flavor profile, which starts emerging in full after 10–15 years, by his timetable. “When it gets older, it develops this wonderful concentrated intensity of sweetness that makes for a really cool addition to a blend.” Light whiskey accounts for a small portion of Backbone’s blends—roughly 5% of Prime and 10–15% of The Forge—but Smith argues that it’s integral. “It’s the critical part of what makes [The Forge] so cool,” he says. Backbone’s older light whiskey stocks, which Nolan says aren’t a good fit for the blends, are typically selected for its single barrel program.

Another whiskey maker in this space is Jacob’s Pardon, which launched in 2020 and is made by master blender F. Paul Pacult. As a spirits writer and historian, Pacult had always been aware of light whiskey, but he didn’t think much of it until he tasted the High West release. When he first stepped into his role at Jacob’s Pardon, he was most excited to finally get a chance to play with the brand’s 1,000-barrel stockpile of light whiskey. “I started tasting through them, I was really surprised by how absolutely delicious they were,” recalls Pacult. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a lot. As I started going through the barrels, I began to think we could do something with this, especially the older ones.” The first release was a blend of aged MGP light whiskey and George Dickel Tennessee whisky, but Jacob’s Pardon soon followed with a single barrel light whiskey. The most recent expression, aged 18 years in uncharred barrels, is bottled at an eye-watering 71.4% ABV.

Pacult says light whiskey works so well as a blending component due to its malleability; most importantly, saying that despite the high proof it doesn’t really overshadow the other components in the blend. “It acts as a platform for other ingredients to really shine, either the wood or the other whiskeys in the blend. That’s why [blenders] really like it so much.” Pacult refuses to touch any light whiskey younger than 8 years old. He notes that older stocks really benefit from uncharred oak, which tempers the sweetness while bringing out cherry-like notes.

Penelope also dabbles in light whiskey. Its American Light Whiskey (ALW) release has become a popular addition to the lineup. Co-founder and master blender Danny Polise says light whiskey was “love at first sight” for him. His first foray was a 13 year old version encompassing 33 barrels from MGP (purchased before MGP acquired Penelope). Post-acquisition, Penelope now has wider access to MGP’s light whiskey stocks and has since released older expressions: The most recent, a 17 year old, came out in January. Polise is particularly drawn to the “airy” profile of the whiskey, which he credits to the high distillation proof. He lovingly describes it as being “like 99/1 [99% corn, 1% malted barley] corn whiskey on steroids.”

Some of the more unorthodox light whiskeys belong to Austin Craft Spirits in Texas, which uses a completely different recipe. Founder Tom Buchsbaum originally set out to make wheated bourbon but accidentally broke a few regulations along the way—distilling at too high a proof and aging it in used bourbon barrels. Rather than rework the recipe to fit the TTB’s bourbon definition, he decided to bottle it as light whiskey. He still uses that formula today: An undisclosed mashbill that includes Texas-grown white corn, red wheat, and Wildfire malted barley, and aging it in barrels sourced mostly from local producers. Buchsbaum’s light whiskeys are notably younger than the others on the market, at 2 years old or younger, but our tasting panel found that they hold up to their older compatriots. Buchsbaum says the secret is using smaller 25-gallon barrels and leveraging Texas’s intense climate to speed maturation.

What’s In A Name?

Ask any light whiskey producer what their greatest challenge is, and they’ll tell you it’s marketing. Even though it’s undergoing a resurgence, light whiskey is still a very hard style to sell—due to the lingering negative reputation it had in the ’70s and confusion among drinkers. One of the more interesting aspects of light whiskey’s renaissance is how each producer works to overcome it.

Light whiskey makers all complain that the name doesn’t really explain the style.

Pacult sees the biggest problem in the name itself. Early on, Jacob’s Pardon made the conscious decision to label their expressions as American whiskey rather than light whiskey in order to sidestep the negative connotations associated with it. “I wish there could be another name, but I know that isn’t going to happen,” Pacult adds. Over at Backbone, Nolan shares the same sentiment. “I just wish they’d call it something else,” he said with a laugh while remembering some funny conversations he’s had with confused drinkers. “It’s no big deal, but first of all, what is this? It’s 140 proof and they call it light whiskey?” Since it is a part of Backbone’s single barrel program, Nolan is often able to introduce fans to the style through barrel tastings. He nearly always includes a light whiskey as the capstone of his tasting flights, which he uses to gauge how each group handles high proofs, and sometimes it sparks interest. “Most of the time, you have to find a group that just has a special relationship with light whiskey for them to want to go down that path.”

Buchsbaum sees it differently. “When we first made [Austin 101], we were told it was going to have to be light whiskey. And we were almost advised against it, because ‘no one goes into the store to buy light whiskey.’” But he’s embraced the style, and doesn’t shy away from the moniker. “Calling it light whiskey is describing it as what it is,” he says. “And we’re proud of it.” Tom says that being able to pour samples for people really helps break down some of the confusion around the style.

7 Light Whiskeys to Try

If you haven’t tried a light whiskey before, it’s definitely a style worth exploring, characterized by subtle sweetness and airy notes of fruit, vanilla, honey, and other soft flavors which make it an ideal after-dinner dram or refreshing summertime sipper. Most light whiskeys have attributes that modern whiskey drinkers like: high proof, high age statements, and an occasional bargain price. As the category continues to evolve, the best of light whiskey may be yet to come, but now is a great time to jump aboard to see what you’ve been missing.

92 points - Austin 121 Cask Strength, 65.6%, $94
Peach, apricot, vanilla, earthiness, apples, dark berries, and a hint of anise

92 points - King’s Family Distillery 17 year old Single Barrel Select, 67.5%, $100
Caramel, mellow oak, gentle herbs, grape jelly, açai, cocoa powder, and anise

91 points - Penelope 17 year old, 69.4%, $100
Sweet baked cherries and raspberries, caramel, and balanced heat

90 points - Austin 101, 51%, $49
Golden Delicious apples, white pepper, peaches, and honey-covered wheat toast

90 points - Backbone Triple Down Single Barrel, 68.3%, $50
Cherries and raspberries, with water, salt water taffy, and vanilla almond ice cream

90 points - Jacob’s Pardon 18 year old Recipe No. 3 Small Batch, 71.35%, $195
Yogurt-covered raisins, prunes, M&Ms, baked pears, cherry pie, and cracked pepper