Penelope Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review

Penelope may be a young distillery with a young name, but does its signature bourbon also have a young flavor?

The Penelope Distillery is only a few years old, first founded by friends Danny Polise and Mike Paladini back in 2018. The distillery was named for Mike’s daughter and carries that “friends and family first,” sort of vibe into the company’s branding. Despite being a small craft distillery, Penelope has already released four distinct lines and nine total whiskies. The Private Select and Founders Reserve lines focus on more high-end offerings, while the three members of the Cooper Series are all aged in various wine casks

However, the Four Grain series is the flagship of the Penelope brand. This series includes four specific whiskies including a Barrel Strength, a trendy Toasted Bourbon similar to Basil Hayden or Bluegrass Distillers, and the flagship of the flagship – Penelope Four Grain.

Penelope Four Grain Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a blended bourbon from 3 separate mash bills, each composed of four grains, hence the name. It’s a bit of an odd naming choice considering that most bourbons include the same or similar four grains (corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley), but whatever works. The final mash bill is said to be 75% corn, 15% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley. In that sort of combination, you’d expect to taste a slightly sweet, perhaps syrupy bourbon with a smooth peppery finish. Unfortunately, that’s not quite what you’ll find with Penelope Four Grain.

More than the blended mash bill, it’s the age and proof that stand out in Penelope Four Grain. With 80 proof and only a 2-3 year age statement, the youth of Penelope Four Grain is what truly makes an impression. The smell is a very faint one with only subtle hints of corn and vanilla. The flavor throughout though is a thin and watery mix of corn and pure alcohol. The malted barley and rye make a slight appearance in the finish, but the watery viscosity turns what could be a spicy finish into a bitter one. Without a leading flavor, the thin consistency and bitterness was overwhelming and points directly to Penelope Four Grain’s lack of maturity.

As a new distillery, Penelope is pretty upfront about how it’s currently sourcing from MGP out of Indiana. Sure, it could be easy to point to sourcing as the reason for the bourbon’s less than appealing taste, but that would be wildly unfair. Not only is sourcing an almost financial necessity for new distilleries, but brands like WhistlePig, Stellum, and New Riff have proved that big things can happen from a little sourcing.

We’re always rooting for the small, craft distilleries, but when it comes to Penelope Four Grain, the young distillery may have released its signature bourbon a bit early.