Review #: 458
Description: Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength: 2020 r/Bourbon Blend
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: This is a blend of bourbon created by a panel of r/Bourbon members. Back during lockdowns and whatnot, the panel got a bunch of samples and played around with blends before presenting the options on a live stream to come up with the final product. The result is 60% of 75 Corn/21 Rye/4 Barley, 30% 99 Corn/1 Barley, and 10% 51 Corn/45 Wheat/4 Barley. The label notes the youngest was at least 45 months aged but I believe that was the 10% component, so most of it is between 4-5 years.
Distillery – MGP
Bottler – Penelope
Brand – Penelope
Selection – r/Bourbon
ABV – 55.6%
Age – 3 Years
Nose – Cherry, cinnamon-swirl bread, nougat, toasted almond, vanilla ice cream
Taste – Caramel, milk chocolate, oatmeal raisin cookie, prickle of black pepper, corn flake cereal
Finish – Toasted tree nuts, wheat bread, torched cherry, a touch youthful and warm
Score: 5
Would I buy a bottle? Yes, it was a good price at the time and the infancy of the program. It has expanded since but this laid a solid foundation to have faith in their product
Thoughts: This really is a solid blend that they came up with. It’s nothing crazy but it hits core bourbon notes even with some funky ingredients. This biggest hit is the youth and heat but it only comes in at the end and isn’t gross or anything, just reminds you it’s there though.