I’ve tried plenty of bourbon brands, and while I have my favorites that I go to time and time again, I’m willing to try brands that I haven’t had before, too.
The Bourbon Real Talk Community loves Penelope, and I have to confess that I had never tried it before I wrote this week’s column. I spent a modest fortune on four varieties to see what the fuss is about — and by and large, I’m impressed.
Penelope Bourbon (Four Grain)
80 proof, mash bill: 75% corn, 15% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley
Retails for ~$39.99
I started with the signature bourbon; think of this one as a gateway to the Penelope family. The aroma gives off a honey-caramel sweetness with a hint of orchard fruit and a finish of baking spices. When I tasted it neat, the same aroma notes came through in the flavor. It’s a lower-proof bourbon with only four years of aging, but the heat surprised me.
On the rocks, the honey flavor is prominent, along with some vanilla and some notes of maybe pear — it’s a soft hint of some fruit. This was one of those rare bourbons that I liked better neat than on the rocks.
All in all, it’s awfully sweet, and it comes across as somewhat lightweight. It would be a good entry-level bourbon and great for cocktails.
Rating: 8/10
Penelope Wheated Bourbon
80 proof, mash bill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley
Retails for ~$39.99
Calling it “wheated” when it’s a single percentage point more than the Four Grain is a weird flex, but as a fan of wheated bourbons, I looked forward to giving this one a try. The aroma is bready with a strong vanilla note.
Drinking it neat gives off a heat that one might expect from a 95-proofer. It’s a richer flavor than the Four Grain, but it’s a similar flavor profile of sweet caramel with fruit and baking spices. It’s warm and appealing with a spice note that makes its voice heard.
Tasting it on the rocks doesn’t change the flavor profile or the heat all that much, but I think it’s equally enjoyable neat or on the rocks. On the whole, I would consider this one an upgrade to Four Grain, and it’s probably one I’d come back to more often than Four Grain. Where Four Grain whispers, Wheated speaks up.
Rating: 9.5/10
Related: Whiskey Wednesday: My Conversation With Randall Sullivan of Bourbon Real Talk
Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon (Batch 20)
114 proof, mash bill: 82% corn, 8% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley
Retails for ~$64.99
Penelope has released several batches of its Barrel Strength, and this one is Batch 20, one of the newest. When I was at the Big Green EGGtoberfest on Saturday, one cook offered me a pour of his Penelope Barrel Strength, which had a black label that signified a private select and not one of the red label batches. I liked Batch 20 much better.
I’m always aware that a barrel-strength bourbon is going to be fairly strong, so I approach it carefully. One of the first things I noticed was that it’s much more viscous than the previous two, and I pick up an aroma of brown sugar and vanilla.
This one had the heat you’d expect from something of a higher proof, and it’s remarkably peppery all the way down. When I tasted it neat, I caught a lot of caramel and brown sugar notes with a creaminess that’s appealing and adventurous.
On the rocks, those flavors evened out a little more, and I tasted a little oakiness that wasn’t there when I tried it neat. The heat was still there, too. I didn’t get the fruity notes that some other reviewers promised, but that didn’t detract from a rich, almost velvety bourbon.
Rating: 9.5/10
BONUS: Penelope Peach Old Fashioned
80 proof, straight bourbon and rye with peach bitters and maple syrup
Retails for $29.99
Confession: I’ve never been a fan of pre-made cocktails. Too many of them are glorified wine coolers — besides, half the fun of having a cocktail is making it yourself or watching someone else make it. Still, Penelope’s Peach Old Fashioned intrigued me.
The aroma is peachy and syrupy, which doesn’t come as a surprise. Normally, I wouldn’t try an Old Fashioned neat, but I had to gauge what I was in for. It’s tremendously sweet like candy, while the rye heat is there just enough to make you aware of it.
This doesn’t come as a shock, but on the rocks is where this ready-made comes to life. The bourbon isn’t the star of the show, but somehow it feels stronger than the also-80-proof Four Grain. This one may not win over purists, but for fans of peach flavors or sweeter cocktails in general, it’s dangerously easy to drink.
Rating: 9/10
All in all, I enjoyed all four of the Penelope varieties I tried, but I’m still not sure why this brand has such a devoted following. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll probably come back to most of these from time to time, but they’re not necessarily among my favorites.
