A rich Bourbon blend delivered at cask strength with a sweet flavor profile rich in caramels and orange zest.

Mike Paladini and his wife Kerry had long agreed that if they had a daughter she would be named Penelope. In 2018 they had that daughter, named her as intended, and founded Penelope Bourbon at the same time with Mike’s childhood friend Danny Polise. As many start-up Spirits companies do, they have launched with a little outside help. In this case distilling and aging in Indiana at MGP and expert blending and bottling assistance from Castle Rock in Kentucky — whom they proudly call part of their team. And the team is working, with two successful releases under their belt and a fistful of awards already in hand.

With each batch, Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength seems to get better and better. Batch #5 was just released and we are pretty darned excited to tell you about it. First, let’s review the specs.

It’s a blend of three Bourbon Spirits — two with rye in the mash and one with wheat-based. Two of them are aged three years, one is aged four in barrels. All of the casks had a #4 char on the staves and a #2 char on the heads. This is an older version of their core Bourbon set up that forms the foundation of their lineup. Another difference is that it’s bottled uncut at 58.3% ABV. We love the stuff, and we’re not alone. This year it took a Double Gold in San Francisco, a Platinum at the SIP Awards, and a bunch of top recommendations from major magazines.