Review of Penelope Madagascar Bourbon (2026)

Two childhood friends, Mike Paladini and Daniel Polise, along with Mike’s wife, Kerry, went into business together and created their own Bourbon brand. 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 my kudos for its comprehensive transparency. From the start, Penelope made no secret of the fact that MGP was the distiller. 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 had moved to Bardstown Bourbon Company. Then, in May 2022, Luxco, MGP’s consumer-facing subsidiary, purchased the brand. And, now, this month, everything is called Sempreon.

 

Penelope has a product line called Cooper Series, centered on the art of cask finishing. If you assume that cooper refers to the art of barrel making, you’re as wrong as I was. The name comes from Daniel’s son, Cooper. Its newest Cooper Series Bourbon is called Madagascar.

 

Madagascar begins with Penelope’s 4-grain mashbill of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley. It aged for four years in new, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then transferred to former Cognac casks for a 3- to 4-month finishing cycle. Packaged in 750ml bottles at 49.5% ABV (99°), it carries a suggested price of $79.99 and is non-chill-filtered.

 

“With Madagascar, we wanted to explore how finishing in Cognac casks can bring a new dimension to our popular Four Grain Straight Bourbon. What we found was a whiskey with notes and flavors that people are looking to enjoy this time of year. The Cooper Series lets us build on a familiar foundation while exploring new ways for consumers to experience Penelope.” - Michael Paladini

 

I met with Ryan Mills, Penelope’s national brand ambassador. We did an online tasting together, but I didn’t let him influence what I tasted. We exchanged thoughts. Penelope Bourbon kindly sent a sample bottle in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. I am grateful for this opportunity to #DrinkCurious.

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: MGP
• Age: 4 years
• Mashbill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished for 3 to 4 months in vintage Cognac casks
• Alcohol Content: 49.5% ABV (99°)
• Price per 750mL: $79.99
• Non-chill filtered

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass to explore this Bourbon neat. Its color was similar to raw honey. A medium rim formed thin, tightly packed, slow tears.

 

Nose: After waiting about 15 minutes for Madagascar to breathe, I brought the glass beneath my nostrils and inhaled. I found cherries, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and both orange and lemon citrus. When I took the air into my mouth, I found leather and cinnamon.

 

Palate: The first sip featured a tremendously buttery texture. There wasn’t really a palate shock, but I did get a blast of vanilla custard. I took another sip; this time I found lemon zest, dried figs, and vanilla custard on the front of my palate. The middle included notes of browned butter, cinnamon, and raisins. On the back, I tasted clove, old leather, and oak.

 

Finish: What remained were flavors of oak, vanilla, lemon zest, a healthy dose of clove, very old leather, cinnamon, and raisins. It had an arid finish, with the oak and leather sucking the moisture out of my mouth. Dark chocolate and cocoa came out of nowhere; the dark chocolate faded quickly, but the cocoa, clove, and leather were the last to fall away. The 1:27 duration straddled the line separating medium from long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The crazy thing is, the more I sipped, the more creamy the mouthfeel became. Also, the vanilla seemed emboldened. The fruit notes came early, yet as the experience went on, they seemed somewhat subdued.

 

Of the Cooper Series, I found Madagascar very impressive, and of its various Bourbon finishings that Penelope has been involved with, including Riviera, Havana, Valencia, and Rosé, Madagascar is my favorite and stands right up there with Cigar Session: Chapter 2.

 

Unless you find vanilla offensive (and what Bourbon drinker does?), there’s absolutely nothing not to love here, including the price. Penelope Madagascar is like a grand slam home run during the World Series. Yeah, Bottle rating. Don’t let this one pass you by! 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.