Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes (2024 Edition)

 

Two childhood friends, Mike Paladini and Daniel Polise, along with Mike's wife, Kerry, went into business together and created their own brand of Bourbon. Mike and Kerry were expecting a child and knew they wanted to name their daughter Penelope. That inspired them to name their brand Penelope Bourbon.

 

Penelope Bourbon earns kudos from me with its comprehensive transparency. Penelope makes no secret that MGP distills it. It partners with Speyside Cooperage to source casks for its various oak finishes. Penelope’s whiskeys were initially blended and bottled at Castle & Key Distillery. However, those operations have since moved to Bardstown Bourbon Company.

 

Then, in May 2023, Penelope Bourbon was acquired by Luxco, MGP’s consumer-facing subsidiary.

 

Today, we’re exploring the second annual release of Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey. Batch 24-304 was distilled from a familiar 95% rye/5% malted barley mashbill, then matured in new, charred oak barrels for six years. The whiskey was then transferred to new, freshly-toasted, #2 charred oak barrels.

 

This Rye is non-chill filtered and packaged at 50% ABV (100°). It carries a suggested price of $74.99, but as many of us know, allocated bottles can have substantial price swings.

 

“After what we achieved with last year’s release, we are really excited for our second installment. Our first Toasted Rye scored 99 points at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and we’re confident this release will be equally well received.” – Michael Paladini

 

Not to take anything away from “nailing it” at a competition, I don’t put much stock into the awards (or points) won. I’ve been a judge, and I’d do it again. However, these events aren’t what most people think they are, and in this 2018 article, I explained how most of them work.

 

To get back on track, before I get to the #DrinkCurious part, I must thank Penelope for providing me with a sample of this whiskey in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I sipped this Rye neat from my Glencairn glass. Inside, the liquid appeared as a reddish-orange amber. The rim looked jagged, but on closer inspection, it was microthin with tiny droplets hanging on for dear life. Slow – very slow tears fell.

 

Nose: Toasted oak, unsurprisingly, was the first note my olfactory sense picked up. The rest of the aroma included cherries, butterscotch, and tobacco leaves. I encountered slightly smoky vanilla when I drew the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: The texture was somewhat soft yet carried a medium weight. The front of my palate found a smoky toasted oak component – not peaty, just smoky. Cigars and orange zest joined that. I tasted vanilla, black tea, and coffee at mid-palate. The back provided plenty of spice with black pepper, clove, and cinnamon.

 

Finish: The finish featured cinnamon, black pepper, charred marshmallows, tobacco, and orange zest. I timed it at 2:18, making it very long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Toasted finish whiskeys are very hit-and-miss with me. I’ve had several that were over-oaked. That wasn’t the case at all with Penelope Toasted Rye. Instead, the smoky component captivated my attention, while the sweet and spicy portions provided distractions. Overall, this was a very well-balanced American Rye. For the money, Penelope Toasted Rye is a solid pour and well worth the money. It earns my Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.