Review: Penelope Bourbon Rio and Rye Tokaji Cask Finish
Once-obscure Penelope Bourbon has been rising up the ranks in part because of its innovative approach to finishing, two examples of which we have on tap today, both designed around a brief concluding spin in a barrel that once held something sweet.
Now part of Luxco, Penelope has been cranking up production and innovation. Both of these whiskeys are part of Penelope’s Cooper Series, which the company describes as a “world tour” of ingredients and flavors. Rose Cask Finish and Valencia are the other two offerings in the series to date, bringing the total number of bottles in the collection up to four.
Let’s dive in.
Penelope Bourbon Rio – “Inspired by the joy of Brazil,” Rio is a bourbon with two finishes: American honey barrels and Brazilian Amburana hardwood, the latter an increasingly common — yet polarizing — barrel finding a home in both the rum and whiskey worlds. The base spirit is made with Penelope’s four-grain mashbill, consisting of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley. If you like rum, honey, or both you’ve come to the right place. This is some crazy sweet stuff, immediately evident through a nose that does indeed smell like sticking your nostrils into a pot of honey. Earthy, sweet, and layered with incense, it moves deftly between sugar and floral notes before eventually evoking a perfumy sandalwood quality. On the palate you could be forgiven for assuming this was an exceptionally well-aged and uniquely styled rum, again bold with honey, plus caramel, vanilla, and a bit of brown butter. Chewy in body and full of fruit, the experience can feel a bit stickily cloying on its own. It merits tempering with water or, better yet, using as a mixer or as part of another cocktail where some sweetness feels apropos. The curious quality of Amburana — part Brazil nut, part coconut — is present throughout the experience; appropriately tempered, it gives the finish a chocolate quality to explore. Heady stuff, and nothing if not unique. 98 proof. Reviewed: Batch #24-901. B+ / $90
Penelope Rye Tokaji Cask Finish 8 Years Old (2024) – This is the sequel to a 2023 release of the same name that we didn’t taste at the time, with another 11,400 bottles of bourbon hitting the shelves. While last year’s version was a 6 year old, 2024’s whiskey starts as 8 year old MGP rye (95% rye and 5% malted barley), finished for an unstated length of time in Hungarian Tokaji wine casks. The nose of the whiskey is redolent with classic rye character, a hearty expression of green grass, herbs, black pepper, and some char — all in all nothing that you wouldn’t expect to see from unfinished MGP rye at this age level. Significant time in glass helps some sweetness to creep into the picture, but it’s faint, tamped down by a considerable abv. On the tongue, the whiskey feels hot and, while slightly sweeter and more fruity, indistinct when it comes to the particular, honeyed tones of Tokaji. There’s more of an apple quality to the whiskey that feels like it’s part of a fritter, then a layer of golden syrup and a squeeze of citrus. Insistent notes of vanilla are followed on the finish by a caramel cake quality. A little water does wonders to tie this all together, coaxing the whiskey toward a character akin to baklava, at last notes of nuts and honey finally emerging. Is it heavy on the Tokaji? No, but it’s still a small scale delight worth sipping through a glass or two. 106 proof. A- / $90
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