Penelope Estate Collection: Private Select (2024) Review

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 recently released its 2024 Estate Collection, marketed as its premium line of whiskeys. It includes Founder’s Reserve, Private Select, and Single Barrel.  

 

“I was thrilled to explore the warehouses and hunt for the perfect barrels to create the collection. We pride ourselves on the details of blending, and took a hands-on approach to find specific nuances and variations in order to curate these releases. The result is an outstanding premium collection illustrating the breadth of both fine distillate and blending.” – Daniel Polise

 

Private Select is slated as an annual release and is a blend of 9-year-old Bourbons distilled in Indiana and Kentucky. The Indiana component is Ross & Squibb (MGP). The Kentucky portion is likely  Bardstown Bourbon Company, its regular partner distillery. The 2024 release is made from a mashbill of 74% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley, and 1% wheat. Packaged at 50.6% ABV (101.2°), a 750ml has a suggested price of $79.99. There were 36,000 bottles distributed.

 

Penelope Bourbon provided me with a sample of Private Select in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and taste how it fares.

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass, intending to sip it neat. It presented as a deep, dark caramel color, with a massive rim and tightly-spaced, thick, slow tears.

 

Nose: The aroma started fruity, with notes of plums and cherries. It then shifted to sweet with caramel and toffee. Cocoa and oak were not to be ignored. Drawing the air into my mouth, I experienced dry leather.

 

Palate: Private Select’s texture was airy yet voluminous, meaning it filled my mouth and carried no weight. Flavors of dark chocolate, marshmallow, and vanilla rolled across the front. At mid-palate, I discovered caramel, leather, and cherry pie filling. The back tasted of oak and rye spices, along with black pepper.

 

Finish: There was so much caramel and cherries that it was a challenge to identify the oak, rye, and pepper spices or leather notes. It wasn’t the most protracted finish; it clocked in at only 1:44, and it came in two waves before eventually falling off a cliff.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Penelope Private Select is a nine-year-old Bourbon that is beyond the realm of what I’ve had from this brand. I’ve experienced some great pours and others that are questionable. Private Select knocked this one out of the galaxy. Is it a tad expensive? Perhaps. Will you care? I highly doubt it. It is a stunningly delicious, well-balanced, easy drinker, and I’m thrilled to have a Bottle in my whiskey library. 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.