Guero 15 YR American Light Whiskey Finished in Pinot Noir Casks

[Scotch_Collector]

I have seen the 14 year light whiskey/Guero from Savage and Cooke. It looked interesting and as I have mentioned here before, I have 4 other light whiskey's (Penelope 15 year, Jacobs Pardon, RY3, and Cat's Eye Obtainium). I enjoy them immensely and find them to be very corn forward and generally sweet with other nuanced flavors. When I saw the Guero aged in Pinot Noir casks, I was intrigued. 

 

The explanation/fact sheet is below but my two cents are as follows. It is very consistent with a light whiskey (although the ABV is under 60% and the lowest of any light whiskey I have) in terms of the sweet and vanilla like flavors you get on the palette. However, the wine cask influence is definitely noticeable and an interesting departure from what I have come to expect from light whiskey. It is not an overly sweet (the wine flavor) but rather fruity and a little tangy. It balances the whiskey well. I only had it the other day and was not feeling my best. If my opinion changes, I will update. However, this is a solid and unique addition to the collection. 

 

Rating: 8.25/10

 

https://savageandcooke.com/spirits/guero-american-whiskey-15-year/

[rzelinka]

Is the Penelope 15 year much different from the 17 year American Light Whiskey? I really enjoyed the 17 year. Haven’t sampled the 15 year. I found the Jacob’s Pardon to be good but I preferred the Penelope. 

[Scotch_Collector]

On 7/20/2025 at 4:28 PM, Scotch_Collector said:

I have seen the 14 year light whiskey/Guero from Savage and Cooke. It looked interesting and as I have mentioned here before, I have 4 other light whiskey's (Penelope 15 year, Jacobs Pardon, RY3, and Cat's Eye Obtainium). I enjoy them immensely and find them to be very corn forward and generally sweet with other nuanced flavors. When I saw the Guero aged in Pinot Noir casks, I was intrigued. 

 

The explanation/fact sheet is below but my two cents are as follows. It is very consistent with a light whiskey (although the ABV is under 60% and the lowest of any light whiskey I have) in terms of the sweet and vanilla like flavors you get on the palette. However, the wine cask influence is definitely noticeable and an interesting departure from what I have come to expect from light whiskey. It is not an overly sweet (the wine flavor) but rather fruity and a little tangy. It balances the whiskey well. I only had it the other day and was not feeling my best. If my opinion changes, I will update. However, this is a solid and unique addition to the collection. 

 

UPDATE: I had the Guero again and I am updating my Rating from 8.25/10 to 8.5/10. Marginal difference, but thought it was worth an update. Really good stuff. 

 

https://savageandcooke.com/spirits/guero-american-whiskey-15-year/

 

[Scotch_Collector]

On 7/23/2025 at 1:09 PM, rzelinka said:

Is the Penelope 15 year much different from the 17 year American Light Whiskey? I really enjoyed the 17 year. Haven’t sampled the 15 year. I found the Jacob’s Pardon to be good but I preferred the Penelope. 

I don't know. I have only had the 15 year. It enjoyed it and found it smoother than the Jacob's Pardon but not as rich. I really enjoy the Jacob's Pardon, as well as the Penelope, but tend to prefer the Jacob's Pardon because of the richness and more going on in terms of flavors.

 

Having said that, the Penelope is smooth and flavorful.

 

I might have to revisit them, but I imagine I will still prefer the Jacob's Pardon.

 

I have 5 Light Whiskey's now. In order, this is how I rank them. 

 

1. Jacob's Pardon - Small Batch 3 at 142.7% Proof

2. Cat's Eye Obtanium 15 Year - Store Pick for First Fill Spirits in Saratoga Springs, NY

3. Savage and Cooke - Guero 14 Year Light Whiskey finished in Pinot Noir Casks

4. Penelope 15 Year Light Whiskey

5. RY3 14 Year - Store Pick for Norfolk Wine and Spirits in Norfolk, MA. 

 

They are all very good and I am splitting hairs a bit, especially for the top 3. 

[Kepler]

Just be aware what you are buying.  Light whiskey can be quite sketchy, compared to "straight" whiskey.   

 

https://vinepair.com/articles/light-whiskey-guide/

 

Like Superman and Clark Kent, light whiskey and high prices should never be seen together at the same time....

[rzelinka]

27 minutes ago, Kepler said:

Just be aware what you are buying.  Light whiskey can be quite sketchy, compared to "straight" whiskey.   

 

https://vinepair.com/articles/light-whiskey-guide/

 

Like Superman and Clark Kent, light whiskey and high prices should never be seen together at the same time....

But in the same way most know Superman is Clark Kent, and vice versa, we have come to understand that high prices tend to come with American Light Whiskey. At least that’s been my experience.

[smokinjoe]

While my curiosity to try one of the uber aged varieties of some brand of light whiskey is piqued, the category itself leaves me uninterested.  The recent influx of releases hints to me that MGP is offloading barrels to the market simply to get them out of their ricks.  And, the buyers are using all the means to make them attractive on the shelf by promoting the high age statement (which to me is fluff, because it’s not apples to apples with other aged brown spirits), attractive dressing (which I can certainly respect and generally appreciate when done well), attempts at pumping as much flavor into them through a multitude of barrel finishes (let’s face it, probably to make it palatable), and with the option of infusing caramel coloring in it to give it a semblance of color that would be expected of such a high age, but is generally not possible in the uncharted or used cooperage.  
 

That said, since I have been such a fanboy of David Perkins for so long,  and knowing he played around with the category, I can’t dis it too badly!