Jacob’s Pardon 18 Year Old Small Batch Whiskey Recipe 3
71.1% ABV (142 proof) | 750mL | 18 years old | Cask strength — Jacob's Pardon 18 Year Old Recipe 3 is an American light whiskey in the truest sense: 99% corn and 1% malted barley, distilled by MGP in Indiana, aged 18 years in 211 uncharred new barrels, and bottled at cask strength. Light whiskey — distilled to high proof and aged in used or uncharred oak — is one of America's rarest whiskey styles, and 18 years in wood gives this one extraordinary depth. Bottled in Kentucky by the Taub family enterprise (Marc D. Taub and son Jake of Palm Bay International), with master blender F. Paul Pacult. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
The name nods to the family's Prohibition-era history — Jacob and Abner Taub, pardoned by FDR — and the whiskey delivers: caramel corn, black cherry, and prune Danish on the nose; turbinado brown sugar, cacao, creamed corn, toasted marshmallow, and cinnamon bun on the palate; baking spice, vanilla bean, and pipe tobacco through a long, warming finish. Among high-proof American whiskeys, Recipe 3 is a unicorn: full legal age statement, single-digit barrel count provenance, and a mash bill you'll find nowhere else.
Tasting notes
Nose: caramel corn, black cherry, prune Danish, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla bean. Palate: turbinado brown sugar, cacao, creamed corn, toasted marshmallow, cinnamon bun, saltwater taffy, English toffee. Finish: long; sweetness, spice, heat, pipe tobacco. (Per brand/retailer notes.)
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 71.1% ABV (142 proof) — 750mL, bottled cask strength
- 18-year-old American light whiskey; 99% corn / 1% malted barley
- Distilled by MGP (Indiana); aged in 211 uncharred new barrels
- Recipe #3; master blender F. Paul Pacult
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
With water — at 142 proof it needs dilution to open; add a teaspoon at a time until the fruit emerges.
Frequently asked questions
What is American light whiskey?
A legal US whiskey class distilled to high proof (160–190) and aged in used or uncharred oak — lighter in style than bourbon, and rarely seen at 18 years old.
Why is the proof so high?
It's bottled at cask strength — exactly as it came out of the barrel after 18 years, undiluted.
Who makes Jacob's Pardon?
The Taub family (Palm Bay International), distilled by MGP in Indiana and bottled in Kentucky; master blender F. Paul Pacult.
What does Recipe 3 mean?
The third release in the Jacob's Pardon series (brand launched 2020; Recipe 3 launched ~June 2023).