Distillery: Penelope Sourced from MGP
Proof: 80
Age: NAS
Mashbill: Undisclosed
BACKGROUND: Penelope Bourbon was started by Michael Paladini & Danny Palice, two New Jersey natives who grew up together with a shared live for bourbon. Shortly after Mike had his first child, Penelope, he decided he wanted to try something new and join the bourbon industry. Shortly after the two started brainstorming ideas on what was to come next. After some searching they decided to source the whiskey from MGP & went in with no expectations or experience, knowing what they liked & what they wanted. After a day of testing and tasting they picked the mashbills they liked best and got to work. Through trial, error, and some time the two mastered their craft & came out with what is now Penelope Straight Bourbon.
NOSE: The nose is very light and reminds us of apple juice. Their are strong notes of sweet cream, apple, and maple. Although it is light, the notes are well developed. The lightness can be attributed to the proof. (19/25)
PALATE: Like the nose it is quite light with notes of creamy, sweet almonds, vanilla bean, light citrus, and some subtle spice. It is very smooth, easy to drink, and very enjoyable. You don't need an ice cube or anything with this one. (28/40)
FINISH: The finish is smooth with notes of young oak, honey, and some very smooth baking spice. It is medium in length and has a nice creaminess that coats your mouth. (20/25)
VALUE: Penelope Four Grain Straight Bourbon has a $40 SRP which is a good price. (7/10)
Overall: 74/100
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Basil Hayden's 8 year
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Weller Special Reserve
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Black Maple Hills (Purple Label)
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
