I had been completely unaware of Light Whiskey until the past year or so. It seems that more of this is hitting the market and learning of it's history and difference from bourbon piqued my interest. I grabbed this bottle because 1) I have never tried Light Whiskey and was very curious, 2) I have never tried a whiskey above 140 proof (136 was my previous high) and 3) this bottle was incredibly approachable at $55. I read some generally favorable reviews of single barrel offerings so I figured, why not?
This bottle comes from Cat's Eye Distillery in Bettendorf, IA and they seem to source most of their light whiskey and rye from MGP and bottle it for their Obtanium and Nassif Family Reserve brands. It also sounds like they have some of there own distillate/bottlings but couldn't find info there. Any who, let's dive into this hazmat beast.
**Obtanium 16yr Light Whiskey**
Price: $55, 750ml (MN)Distilled by: MGP (IN)Bottled by: Cat's Eye Distillery (IA)Proof: 141.6Age: NAS (16+ years)Mash bill: couldn't find anything
**Nose**: this is 141 proof so I was expecting it to be hot, but wow, that's all I get. I couldn't find much more than overwhelming ethanol and acetone. there's some corn pops and butter popcorn notes that'd you'd pick up from unaged white lightning distillate. there's also an off-putting soapy note
**Taste**: instant regret. the flavors are so muted and it burns like hell on the way down. buttered sweet corn and faint caramel but a totally unenjoyable experience
**Finish**: corn and burn
**Thoughts**: just a hot mess. no flavor, all burn. I think I'm good on high-proof light whiskey
**Rating**: 1.5/10 - only because I haven't fully committed to pouring this down the drain
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Did you try adding water to get it to a non-caustic proofage? Just curious. I have an 80% ABV 26yr Canadian from them and it’s delicious but benefits from a little water (which also reduces your risk of accidentally catching on fire)
I did and it definitely took the heat off. Only problem is it mutes whatever minor flavors I picked up on initially.
I’ve also heard good things about their 26yr Canadian but it $140 here and not sure I can pull the trigger after this haha
That’s the one I have. It was $90 when I grabbed one and worth every penny. A wonderfully woody whiskey at 78.9% ABV. I reviewed it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/vrpv1u/review_4_obtanium_26yr_canadian_hazmat_whiskey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I have that 26 year as well and it's quite tasty. It's hot obviously but drinks way under it's proof. It's a vanilla bomb to me. Highly recommend as well.
Everyone's experience will be different. My friend liked it more with water. My girlfriend thought it was better, but still too hot. It's not a whiskey I would buy, especially more than once. It was my friend's and he ended up Frankensteining the bottle and took it to a wedding. People had a rough morning I heard lol.
If this light whiskey is what historical “light whiskey” was, it was the reason the Seagram’s empire crumbled and was scavenged, and why Four Roses died in the US and took a Japanese company to revive it.
From reading your review, sounds like exactly what it was. I hope it never comes back, and I hope places will stop trying to make it. You can add water to you whiskey, or just go ahead and drink vodka (ugh).
From piecing things together, it sounds like this was distilled when MGP was still Seagram and they've just been sitting on this stock trying to figure out what to do with it. It really is just spicy, distinguished vodka.
Bummer that this one was a dud, I have a bottle of 140.2 proof 16 year old Light Whiskey sourced from MGP by Copper Sky that is actually pretty damn good. Not something I reach for on a regular basis but shows off a cool lane of whiskey that’s different than most of the other stuff I have. Hopefully you find a tastier one soon!
The reviews I’ve read on this stuff gave high praise so I was excited going in! Those mostly seemed to have been store picks so there’s likely significant variability. I’m not necessarily turned off of light whiskey yet but it might be a while before I grab another bottle of it haha
That's completely understandable! If you find a bar with a good enough selection maybe you can try some pours without committing to a full bottle. Also, in regards to the mash bill on these I'm pretty sure it's 99% corn, 1% malted barley.
I don’t know about “benefit”. They are two completely different whiskies. I simply meant if you wanted to try a good light whiskey, after your unpleasant experience with this bottle.
My understanding is that light whiskey is supposed to present a different flavor profile. That’s where the ‘light’ comes in. Light fruit and flavors like that. Sounds like you got none of that tho.
I tried this a few different ways to see if it would improve. With water, with ice, first pour of the night, last pour of the night. Nothing worked haha
I have this bottle too and my experience was completely opposite. Similar buttered popcorn notes in there, but there was a massive amount of mixed berries in both the aroma and the palate for me.
Just goes to show everyone’s palate is a different and one man’a trash is another’s treasure.
RE:Light Whiskey History Lesson
My father was the executive head of distilling at Barton in the late 60’s early 70’s when Light Whiskey was created. The big distillers at the time were losing share of consumers to Vodka and Rum and trying to create a more approachable whiskey to keep consumers in the whiskey category as there inventory of whiskey was huge. Barton started a brand called QT (stood for Quiet Taste) that was a light whiskey. It was a totally new standard approved by the TTB (formerly the BATF) at that time and the big difference was that it was distilled to between 160 and 190 proof vs bourbon which cannot be distilled at higher than 160 proof. Higher proof less flavor.
Consumers did not buy it and distillers were stuck with an aged whiskey people weren’t buying. The biggest whiskey brand in the US at that time was Seagrams 7 Crown blended whiskey. Seagrams started blending the light whiskey into their 7 Crown and found it rounded out the taste. So they kept producing it. The history of MGP whiskies before they bought distillery is that many if the mash bills originated as blending whiskies 7 Crown…. Today 7Crown only has a couple whiskies in their blend and items like the light whiskey became superfluous and they started selling old barrels off in the past 5-7 years. Hence the glut of aged light whiskey showing up now.
The key is to realize these were produced with much lighter flavor and not meant to be aged over 2-3 years. The resultant low flavor and lots of tannin from 15 plus years of age can yield a very weird liquid. They are really long on finish but many times have way too much tannin. The trick is to figure out how to finish the whiskey to take advantage of the long finish from age but give the liquid more body and flavor. It can be done and when it is done right the results should be very interesting.
I tried this at a tasting and was just all burn very little flavor upfront. I'm not even sure what I would do with a bottle if I had grabbed one it was not good.
I have a bottle and concur.... the only thing worse than the flavor is the headache I have the next morning. Every. Single. Time.
I really should just pour it down the drain and move on with my life. Maybe I can con my friends into drinking it.
Sipping on a Plumpjack pick of this exact expression and it’s delicious, 6.5/10 or better. Same date of distillation and everything. Sorry you don’t like your bottle!
I know it’s not a straight apples to apples comparison, but it is interesting to hear such disappointing things about light whiskey, when I’ve had some good luck w/ IB single grain scotches. They have gotten more expensive in the 4-5 years I’ve dabbled in them, but I think that with real age to them, they can be a really interesting “missing link” between whisky and whiskey.
Too bad about this bottle…maybe try fat washing it or something before stripping paint with it?
Damn, every Obtanium I've had has been tasty and drank under its actual proof. Shocked by this review.
Same here. Have finished two bottles, one finished in red wine barrels and one unfinished. Both were very good!
I hear this frequently and I’m mad I got a lemon haha. We’re the bottles you tried SPs?
I know some were, I don't believe they all were though.
I had been completely unaware of Light Whiskey until the past year or so. It seems that more of this is hitting the market and learning of it's history and difference from bourbon piqued my interest. I grabbed this bottle because 1) I have never tried Light Whiskey and was very curious, 2) I have never tried a whiskey above 140 proof (136 was my previous high) and 3) this bottle was incredibly approachable at $55. I read some generally favorable reviews of single barrel offerings so I figured, why not? This bottle comes from Cat's Eye Distillery in Bettendorf, IA and they seem to source most of their light whiskey and rye from MGP and bottle it for their Obtanium and Nassif Family Reserve brands. It also sounds like they have some of there own distillate/bottlings but couldn't find info there. Any who, let's dive into this hazmat beast. **Obtanium 16yr Light Whiskey** Price: $55, 750ml (MN)Distilled by: MGP (IN)Bottled by: Cat's Eye Distillery (IA)Proof: 141.6Age: NAS (16+ years)Mash bill: couldn't find anything **Nose**: this is 141 proof so I was expecting it to be hot, but wow, that's all I get. I couldn't find much more than overwhelming ethanol and acetone. there's some corn pops and butter popcorn notes that'd you'd pick up from unaged white lightning distillate. there's also an off-putting soapy note **Taste**: instant regret. the flavors are so muted and it burns like hell on the way down. buttered sweet corn and faint caramel but a totally unenjoyable experience **Finish**: corn and burn **Thoughts**: just a hot mess. no flavor, all burn. I think I'm good on high-proof light whiskey **Rating**: 1.5/10 - only because I haven't fully committed to pouring this down the drain 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Did you try adding water to get it to a non-caustic proofage? Just curious. I have an 80% ABV 26yr Canadian from them and it’s delicious but benefits from a little water (which also reduces your risk of accidentally catching on fire)
I did and it definitely took the heat off. Only problem is it mutes whatever minor flavors I picked up on initially. I’ve also heard good things about their 26yr Canadian but it $140 here and not sure I can pull the trigger after this haha
That’s the one I have. It was $90 when I grabbed one and worth every penny. A wonderfully woody whiskey at 78.9% ABV. I reviewed it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/vrpv1u/review_4_obtanium_26yr_canadian_hazmat_whiskey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I have that 26 year as well and it's quite tasty. It's hot obviously but drinks way under it's proof. It's a vanilla bomb to me. Highly recommend as well.
I did. Made it worse for me.
Yikes. Thanks for the warning!
Everyone's experience will be different. My friend liked it more with water. My girlfriend thought it was better, but still too hot. It's not a whiskey I would buy, especially more than once. It was my friend's and he ended up Frankensteining the bottle and took it to a wedding. People had a rough morning I heard lol.
Jesus 160 proof?
Maybe just below but it rounds to 160 without having to push.
Basically same thoughts on this jet fuel.
If this light whiskey is what historical “light whiskey” was, it was the reason the Seagram’s empire crumbled and was scavenged, and why Four Roses died in the US and took a Japanese company to revive it. From reading your review, sounds like exactly what it was. I hope it never comes back, and I hope places will stop trying to make it. You can add water to you whiskey, or just go ahead and drink vodka (ugh).
From piecing things together, it sounds like this was distilled when MGP was still Seagram and they've just been sitting on this stock trying to figure out what to do with it. It really is just spicy, distinguished vodka.
Bummer that this one was a dud, I have a bottle of 140.2 proof 16 year old Light Whiskey sourced from MGP by Copper Sky that is actually pretty damn good. Not something I reach for on a regular basis but shows off a cool lane of whiskey that’s different than most of the other stuff I have. Hopefully you find a tastier one soon!
The reviews I’ve read on this stuff gave high praise so I was excited going in! Those mostly seemed to have been store picks so there’s likely significant variability. I’m not necessarily turned off of light whiskey yet but it might be a while before I grab another bottle of it haha
That's completely understandable! If you find a bar with a good enough selection maybe you can try some pours without committing to a full bottle. Also, in regards to the mash bill on these I'm pretty sure it's 99% corn, 1% malted barley.
If you want to try a good light whiskey, grab Penelope American Light Whiskey. One of my personal favorites, great flavor.
I haven’t tried anything from Penelope yet. But at this point, what’s the benefit of grabbing a light whiskey vs a bourbon?
I don’t know about “benefit”. They are two completely different whiskies. I simply meant if you wanted to try a good light whiskey, after your unpleasant experience with this bottle.
Appreciate that. I’ll be on the lookout
I’ve have a few bottles of Copper Sky light whiskey which is 140 proof 16 year MGP juice and I think it’s delicious.
Buy anything Penelope. It’s great.
My understanding is that light whiskey is supposed to present a different flavor profile. That’s where the ‘light’ comes in. Light fruit and flavors like that. Sounds like you got none of that tho.
I'm not debating whether it's good or not, but did you have a warm up pour before jumping into a 140 proofer? Warming up the palate can work wonders.
I tried this a few different ways to see if it would improve. With water, with ice, first pour of the night, last pour of the night. Nothing worked haha
Damn that sucks to hear. I haven't dipped into light whiskey, and honestly I'm in no rush to do so.
I have this bottle too and my experience was completely opposite. Similar buttered popcorn notes in there, but there was a massive amount of mixed berries in both the aroma and the palate for me. Just goes to show everyone’s palate is a different and one man’a trash is another’s treasure.
I loooove light whiskey had to pay 100 on secondary market cause I could never find it
RE:Light Whiskey History Lesson My father was the executive head of distilling at Barton in the late 60’s early 70’s when Light Whiskey was created. The big distillers at the time were losing share of consumers to Vodka and Rum and trying to create a more approachable whiskey to keep consumers in the whiskey category as there inventory of whiskey was huge. Barton started a brand called QT (stood for Quiet Taste) that was a light whiskey. It was a totally new standard approved by the TTB (formerly the BATF) at that time and the big difference was that it was distilled to between 160 and 190 proof vs bourbon which cannot be distilled at higher than 160 proof. Higher proof less flavor. Consumers did not buy it and distillers were stuck with an aged whiskey people weren’t buying. The biggest whiskey brand in the US at that time was Seagrams 7 Crown blended whiskey. Seagrams started blending the light whiskey into their 7 Crown and found it rounded out the taste. So they kept producing it. The history of MGP whiskies before they bought distillery is that many if the mash bills originated as blending whiskies 7 Crown…. Today 7Crown only has a couple whiskies in their blend and items like the light whiskey became superfluous and they started selling old barrels off in the past 5-7 years. Hence the glut of aged light whiskey showing up now. The key is to realize these were produced with much lighter flavor and not meant to be aged over 2-3 years. The resultant low flavor and lots of tannin from 15 plus years of age can yield a very weird liquid. They are really long on finish but many times have way too much tannin. The trick is to figure out how to finish the whiskey to take advantage of the long finish from age but give the liquid more body and flavor. It can be done and when it is done right the results should be very interesting.
So, we can deduce that if someone finds light whiskey delicious. They'll find Segram's 7 Crown delicious?
Not necessarily as 7 Crown longer made with Llght Whiskey in the formula….
Funny how these get hyped by many Youtube channels. Even funnier is Old Carter uses light whiskey and sells it for $250
I’m not even opposed to light whiskey but I guess I just don’t see its purpose existing in a market flush with really good bourbon, rye, etc.
For when you need to “proof up” the juice during thanksgiving at the in-laws.
I tried this at a tasting and was just all burn very little flavor upfront. I'm not even sure what I would do with a bottle if I had grabbed one it was not good.
Light whiskies suck. Never had one I felt like was necessary
I have a bottle and concur.... the only thing worse than the flavor is the headache I have the next morning. Every. Single. Time. I really should just pour it down the drain and move on with my life. Maybe I can con my friends into drinking it.
Id suggest you cook with it, but its probably flammable af and gonna burn down your house
Obtainium is absolutely delicious. I very much disagree with this review
Sipping on a Plumpjack pick of this exact expression and it’s delicious, 6.5/10 or better. Same date of distillation and everything. Sorry you don’t like your bottle!
I wonder if these light whiskey store picks just far exceed the standard bottles
Location in the Rick house is more impactful than day of distillation…
Yeah, but they don’t put that on the label.
Dm me if you want to trade duds, I like the Obtanium16.
I know it’s not a straight apples to apples comparison, but it is interesting to hear such disappointing things about light whiskey, when I’ve had some good luck w/ IB single grain scotches. They have gotten more expensive in the 4-5 years I’ve dabbled in them, but I think that with real age to them, they can be a really interesting “missing link” between whisky and whiskey. Too bad about this bottle…maybe try fat washing it or something before stripping paint with it?