Here we have my current American whiskey of the year.

This one shocked me from the get-go. I had the pleasure of speaking to Paul Pacult on Episode 119 of the Whiskey Ring Podcast, and didn’t know he was involved at all with this particular brand.

At 142.7º, this isn’t for the faint of heart, and I’d recommend building your palate up for it (i.e., don’t make this your opening pour if you value your tongue). Once you’re ready, though, this is an exceptional pour.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s hot - but it doesn’t drink nearly at the hazmat level. More like an aspirational 125º with a light numbing sensation. And behind that heat is flavor.

Cooked fruit pies in summer, fruit fresh off the trees, buttery pie crust, with all the vanilla and custard you’d expect from a bourbon cask. Except, at 18 years old, this manages to have nearly no woodiness. Even in a used cask I’d expect some, and I can’t tell you how happy I am that it’s not there.

There is a tight nose, which is really the only fault I can find with this, but I expected that based on the proof (there’s science behind that if you want to go down a rabbit hole). The palate explodes immediately, the vapors hitting my tongue before the liquid did with stone fruits of all varieties.

I’ve had other 99% corn/1% malted barley products from LDI/MGP, and I can’t remember one impressing me this much and this thoroughly. Exceptional.

From the Brand:

Brothers. Bootleggers. Legends. Nearly a century ago, Jacob and Abner Taub crafted and bootlegged their own whiskey during Prohibition to support their family. Then one fateful winter night in 1929, their world came crashing down during a sting that would land the brothers behind bars. Six long years later, Franklin D. Roosevelt pardoned the Taub brothers. They were able to reignite their family business with their brother Martin and help launch Baltimore Club Whiskey. This would set into motion a family tradition that would span generations. The brothers served their time, and now, and now the Taub family continues this legacy with the introduction of Jacob's Pardon, a fine American whiskey that pays homage to their rebellious roots. Its complex, smooth, timeless, and frankly, a little liberating. It would be a crime not to enjoy it.

Thank you to Jacob’s Pardon and Palm Bay for the sample and opportunity to review. All opinions are my own.

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Jacob’s Pardon Small Batch Recipe #3 American whiskey: Specs

Classification: American Whiskey

Producer: Jacob’s Pardon (LDI/MGP Distillate)

Mashbill: 99% Corn, 1% Malted Barley

Proof: 142.7º (71.35% ABV)

Age: 18 Years Old

Location: Indiana, Bottled in Kentucky

Jacob’s Pardon Small Batch Recipe #3 American Whiskey Price: $199.99

Official Website

Jacob’s Pardon Small Batch Recipe #3 American whiskey: Tasting Notes

Eye: Honey. Thin circlet rims and legs, no droplets.

Nose: Cinnamon Graham crackers. Roasted corn husks. Hint of mint, freshly picked off the plant. Black tea with honey, a Hot Toddy light on the whiskey. Peach and cherry pastries open with air, but otherwise is a typically tight nose for this proof.

Palate: Hot on the front third of my tongue, the corn whiskey bursting out with cooked orchard and stone fruit in a Graham cracker pie crust. Cherries, nectarines, plums, pears all there, some papaya too. Not nearly as hot as the first sip, which was hot but not 142.7º hot. Mouthfeel is piquant but syrupy, huge and filling. Coats the whole palate, vanilla pastry cream, mid-palate numbing and cognac on the back end.

Finish: Buttery cinnamon pie crust, lots of bourbon cask flavors without being woody at all. Huge mouthfeel continues on a medium-long finish.

Overall: Aside from a tight nose, this is an absolute banger. You’ll need to build up to it, but not as much as I thought based on stats alone. A fruity concoction of cooked pies and bourbon barrels - maybe cooked pies aged in bourbon barrels? Tons of body with no woodiness, a cognac-like back end of dry fruit, and that light mint. Drinks below proof, aged exceptionally to not be woody at 18 years old even in used casks. This is complex and feels like a fully finished product. Exceptional.

Final Rating: 8.7

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary

8 | Excellent | Exceptional

7 | Great | Well above average

6 | Very Good | Better than average

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary

4 | Has promise but needs work

1-3 | Let’s have a conversation