Penelope Bourbon Goes Back To Basics With New Core Expressions

In one sense, Penelope Bourbon is a brand that has bucked the usual state of affairs for whiskey brands. The usual path is to release core, regular expressions and only then branch out into cask finishes, experimentals, single barrels and other such variants. Penelope is one of a handful of brands that went the opposite route, starting with the variables. Only now are they coming around to basics by releasing their Classic Series. The new series includes a straight bourbon and a straight rye, with no extra treatment or categorization.

“Since the beginning, our mission has always been to deliver the best possible whiskey to the consumer with every product we release,” said Michael Paladini, Founder and Vice President of Strategy at Penelope Bourbon. “We didn’t always follow the traditional playbook, but we always prioritized quality above all else. We’ve been talking about and working toward introducing Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Straight Rye Whiskey for a long time, but we wanted to make sure they were perfect before releasing them.”

The bourbon stock comes from a 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% malted barley mash bill, which will spark whiskey enthusiasts to debate whether it was sourced from Lux Row or Heaven Hill. Anyone’s guess is good to go for the rye, however, which is made with a very Pennsylvania-style mash of 93% rye and 7% malted barley (the low barley content strongly suggests the use of packaged enzymes).

“These expressions have been in development for a while,” said Danny Polise, Founder and Master Blender of Penelope Bourbon. “Using Kentucky distillate for the bourbon, like we’ve done in past blends, felt like a natural step as we worked to create something we genuinely liked. We kept dialing in the blends until they felt right, especially with the Straight Rye release.”

Both expressions are bottled at 92 proof. Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (SRP$44.99) and Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey (SRP$34.99) will be available in select markets starting this month, with nationwide availability to follow