Review: High West Light Whiskey 14 Years Old
Contrary to (and in fact the exact opposite of) what certain ill-informed websites will tell you, light whiskey is not distilled to a lower proof than regular whiskey. In fact, it is whiskey (made of unspecified grain) that is distilled to a higher proof — generally 80 to 95 percent alcohol. That puts it somewhere between “real” whiskey and neutral spirits like vodka, which are distilled to 95% alcohol or higher. Typically light whiskey is used like grain whiskey is for blending, and it finds a home in various whiskey products, including Canadian whiskey. Rarely do you find it released on its own.
For this limited release, High West sourced 100 barrels of light whiskey from Indiana’s MGP, distilled from corn between 1999 and 2001, which spent 14 years in second-fill barrels, and it’s releasing it all uncut and unblended.
The nose is slight, with notes of caramel corn, butterscotch, and some astringency. The body is surprisingly sweet — corn syrup, caramelized banana, and whipped cream. Very light on the tongue — the moniker of “light whiskey” isn’t a bad one — it gets to the finish quite quickly, which is fairly clean, quiet, and uncomplicated, but which offers notes of tobacco and gentle grains.
92 proof.
B / $100 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
High West Light Whiskey 14 Years Old
$100
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