Dustin Gandoff
Penelope Bourbon Unveils New Whiskey
Meet the newest kid on the block in the whiskey world. Penelope Bourbon has just rolled out its first new release since being taken over by MGP Ingredients. If you’re a whiskey enthusiast, you’re familiar with the innovations and top-shelf quality that MGP has been known for. Now, with this bourbon bottle from Penelope, there’s a new taste to experience, and it’s one that won’t soon be forgotten.
A Toast to the Toasted Barrel Finish Rye
Penelope’s fresh-out-the-barrel product- A Toasted Barrel Finish Rye. This creation is not your typical whiskey. It’s bottled at 100 proof, a bold step that proudly declares this new kid is here to leave its mark. To produce the Toasted Barrel Finish Rye, the distillers at Penelope employed a combination of traditional and innovative methods. Let’s delve into the intricate process that’s behind this remarkable distillation.
The Bourbon’s Core
The rye whiskey starts as Penelope’s award-winning four grain bourbon mash bill which consists of corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley. This perfect blend is what gives the resulting spirit its unique, complex body. To ensure consistency, Penelope’s master blenders handpicked barrels of this bourbon, each aged between 2-3 years.
Charring A New Path
However, what sets this bourbon apart is its toasted barrel finish. What’s this, you ask? Well, after being aged in a new charred oak barrel as per bourbon regulations, the whiskey is then transitioned into a secondary barrel. The difference is that this barrel is toasted, not charred. Each of these barrels is meticulously toasted to a Medium Plus, which imparts deeply caramelized sugars into the wood.
The Finishing Touch
When the whiskey is slowly aged in these toasted barrels, it extracts these sugars, together with the unique flavors that only toasted oak can provide. The result is a whiskey with additional layers of depth and complexity. This bourbon breathes out bold notes of deep caramel, sweet oak, and charred wood on the nose, leading to an exceptionally smooth and full-bodied finish that hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, and light spice.
The Bold Step to 100 Proof
One of the noticeable aspects of this new release is that it is bottled at 100 proof. Why is this a big deal? The strength of a bourbon is often a sign of its character. A 100 proof whiskey does more than just make a statement; it preserves more of the flavors from the barrel and the original mash. This means that every sip of this whiskey is nothing short of a flavor explosion.
A New Era for Penelope Bourbon
The release of A Toasted Barrel Finish Rye marks an exciting chapter for Penelope Bourbon under MGP Ingredients. MGP’s influence is surely being felt resulting to awesome innovation, yet it is clear that the spirit of Penelope Bourbon remains intact. And if this latest expression is anything to go by, the future is bright and tasty!
It’s Whiskey Time!
If you fawn for a chance to try out new flavors and appreciate an exemplary mingling of the old and the new, Penelope Bourbon’s Toasted Barrel Finish Rye is definitely one you want to watch out for! Ultimately, what you’ve got in this new release is a whiskey expression that is not afraid to stand out from the crowd, to chart its own trajectory. Here’s to future creations from Penelope. It’s an exciting time to be a whiskey lover!
