Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon (Batch 6)

Got a free sample and haven't had any Penelope stuff before, so I'm interested to see how this goes. Nose: Light milk chocolate, really hot. I can't dive deep into this without singing my nose hairs, brown sugar. It's really hard to nose this b/c it's so hot. Palate: Nutty Finish: strong nutty finish. Not huge on nutty finishes, and this is really strong. It's actually lasting a while and I wish it wouldn't! Mildly hot. This burns a lot hotter than it's proof. 50? I'll pass. This is too young for me, burns hot, and just isn't worth drinking. I'd rather grab something else on the shelf. I saw this is around $65 and I can't imagine paying that for this. I wouldn't even pay half that. I'd grab a 20-30$ bottle and get a lot more out of it than this.

Neat. Sample. The nose is hot. Too hot. Working hard to get to the flavor which is very reminiscent of a MGP Light Whiskey. Honey, caramel/butterscotch, graham cracker. Viscous mouth feel, darker on first impression than expected. Brown sugar. Transitions into a peanut brittle mid palate. Butterscotch, honey and graham cracker on the finish. Finish has an odd bitterness to it too. Young MGP can be a turn off. They did a good job blending and disguising the youth. But the blend is so hot. One of the hottest whiskeys I have had in quite some time. There are some decent flavors but not worth the journey to get there. Too much other great MGP floating out there to recommend this.

Nose: almond pound cake. Buttery, nutty Taste: creamy mouthfeel, vanilla, a hint of rye spice or maybe just some bite from the proof, but this dissipates as you work through the glass. Finish: thin and short, but not disappointing Impressions: first sip was a shock. For some reason it has a distinct different taste than I was expecting from a bourbon (as opposed to rye or just a whiskey designation). But I kept going back for it and finished the glass quickly trying to describe it.

Not much to add that hasn’t been said already. Added a drop of water and it softened everything allowing more flavor to come through. It will stand up to ice as well. Edit - after giving this some time after my first pour I have to say this has really grown on me. I upped my score from a 3 to a 4. It seems sweeter and the finish is a bit more refined.

Paid $70. Many more bourbons with better flavor for half the price. Part of the problem with these new boutique bourbons. I don’t like the price for the inconsistency. Drinks hot. Not terrible, just would not buy again and would be cautious on anything Penelope after this.

First sniff has a strong spicy citrus notes with a smoky barrel finish. First taste starts spicy from the grain bill will a smooth caramel and orange notes leaving a spicy tobacco favor lingering at the finish.