Review: Penelope Fuck Cancer Blended Whiskey and Barrel Strength Blended Whiskey 2025
I’m guessing you can figure out what cause this charitable pair of whiskeys from Penelope is designed to support. First launched in 2022 and alternately known as FCancer and F*ck Cancer — if you’re old enough to read this review, we figure you’re old enough to swear properly — proceeds from the sale of each of these bottles support F Cancer directly.
This is the fourth year Penelope has dropped Fuck Cancer bottlings, but our first encounter with the series. As has been the norm, two expressions are available — one at a cask strength and one at a lower 47% abv — and both are blends of different whiskeys crafted from Indiana distillate, per the labels. As you’ll see, they are two different whiskeys, not the same spirit bottled at different proof levels — though one appears to have a mashbill that would support being labeled bourbon (however it is not).
We received both expressions to review. Thoughts follow — but, tasting notes aside, thanks to Penelope for pulling this together. Great cause.
Penelope Fuck Cancer Blend of Straight Whiskeys 2025 Review
58% corn, 37% rye, 2% malted rye, and 3% malted barley.
Pretty nose, a little spicy and a little fruity… a little bit of everything. Dominant aromatics include applesauce with cinnamon and nutmeg, then almond paste. Greener rye-driven notes emerge with time in glass, evoking rosemary and brown bread, gently peppery with time in glass.
On the palate, sweet and savory notes meld with more of that almondy nougat, undulating with rich, well-browned butter and chocolaty Almond Joy candy. Bolder coconut cream and brighter cherry notes pick up where the silkier overtones leave off, with a sharp edge of orange peel and, eventually, some mint. There’s complexity here, but the experience is always bright and clean and exuberant, finishing on Christmassy spices evoking thoughts of gingerbread and spearmint. A delight. 94 proof.
A- / $80
Penelope Fuck Cancer Blend of Straight Whiskeys Barrel Strength 2025 Review
Not a higher-proof version of the above, actually: 48% corn, 46% rye, 3% malted rye, and 3% malted barley. Oddly, the nose is cornier here than the standard proof offering, despite having less corn and more rye in the mash. Complementing notes of Corn Nuts are sharp aromas of cinnamon and cloves. Notes of stewed apples add a fruity character. It’s slightly industrial as it develops, but I’d chalk this up to the alcohol content mostly.
The palate shows an immediate fruitiness with a surge of apple, well-spiced with cinnamon, clove, and ginger. Tons of brown sugar fades into buttery vanilla in short order, approaching a cake frosting quality that’s loaded with sweetness. I love a sweet whiskey, but this one ultimately came off as a bit too sugary for my taste, perhaps because it is missing a greener herbal backbone — which you’d expect from all that rye — to add some needed counterbalance. Ultimately I found the standard proof expression to be much more well-rounded. 114.6 proof.
B+ / $100
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