Review: Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon 7 Years Old (2026)

Since being acquired by MGP in 2023, Penelope has been steadily expanding its lineup of American whiskeys, including blends of stock sourced from across Indiana and Kentucky. Some of the brand’s most prominent releases include novel finishes, from the rum-kissed Havana to the (excellent) Omega, which gave 11 year old Kentucky bourbon a secondary maturation in French oak.

Apparently, Penelope isn’t content to just expand the lineup; founders Danny Polise and Michael Paladini, who both stuck around post-acquisition, seem set on giving existing skus an up-market refresh.

Enter the new Penelope Barrel Strength, which has gotten an age statement boost from four to seven years. The bottling itself is a blend of four Indiana and Kentucky-sourced bourbons, with a derived mashbill of 70% corn, 23% rye, 5% malted barley, and 2% malted rye. The final blend is bottled at an uncut, non-chill filtered 115.2 proof (57.6% ABV). According to the brand, about 78,000 bottles will be released, each with a suggested retail price of $60.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon 7 Years Old (2026) Review

Spice-forward on the nose, early aromas include toasted nuts (specifically walnuts and pecans), cinnamon candy, dark toffee, toasted marshmallows, brown butter, and both black and white peppercorns. The brown butter builds with time, walking right up to burnt territory without quite crossing into it. Sour mash and sourdough lend some significant grain character, though it takes a few sniffs to really develop in the nostrils. As far as fruit, there’s some baked apple and grape skin on a deep inhale. But this one keeps things focused on nuts, sweets, and spice, while relatively restrained oak allows some grain to punch through.

At first, Penelope’s latest barrel strength sips below its proof, and it’s an inviting first taste. It’s also fruitier than the nose, and early flavors range from dried figs and dates to dehydrated peaches and cherry cough drops. The midpalate falls back toward Penelope’s familiar four-grain profile: hard caramel candy, cinnamon syrup, and an undercurrent of pecan pie filling. It’s a fairly elegant balance of flavors, and I sense some consistent — and certainly not unpleasant — evolution from sip to sip, buoyed by just enough oak to hint at the blend’s age statement. My most pressing critique is the mouth feel, which feels a bit thin, even at an uncut 57.6% ABV.

The finish brings a big dollop of Hershey’s milk chocolate, alongside lingering pepper, clove, and a last hit of baked apple before drying tannins take the wheel. Again, it’s well-composed and long enough, though I wonder if more viscosity could have helped extend some of the better flavors here. While not among their very best, it’s a pretty good outing for the brand, and a solid drinker if you can find it at MSRP.

115.2 proof.

B+ / $60

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