Tastes

Vanilla bean, a lot of oak, some caramel sweetness, oily mouthfeel, beautiful spice finish.

Pour: Glencair, Dark brown, tobacco Nose: Corn, slight medicinal alcohol, faint sweet brown molasses note deep in the glass. Taste: Proof and pepper punch immediately, fades into honey and molasses, oak with a slight smokiness Finish: As this sits, the nose just gets better. A lot more of the brown sugar and barrel shine through when some of the alcohol fades off. One of my favorite BP offerings and will always buy every bottle I get an opportunity at.

Pour: Bronze, thick, coats glass and won't let go. Nose: Cherry, slight melon, cinnamon and oak. Light vanilla. Very nice nose. Taste: Oak, light sweetness, starts very under the proof point (130+) and picks up as it finishes. Almost a paprika/pepper mix note. Slightly dry bitter finish, but not in an unpleasant way for me. Quality SiB, enjoy it a lot.

Golden honey, oily legs. Poured in glencairn. Nose: Very soft, mellow nose. Not picking up anything incredibly unique. Some apple, very slight caramel. Taste: Definitely a malted bourbon. Smooth, a lot of melon, especially at the end. Watermelon and light vanilla cream. Medium long finish. Overall: 3.5/5 - this one has finally grown on me. The first couple times I had it, it was not my cup of tea. This is my third time visiting it and I’m quite pleased with it now. Maybe it’s that its had some time to open up, maybe it’s my palette today, but either way I enjoyed it. If this was my first time having it, I would have given it higher marks.

Pours light gold, thin legs on glencairn. Nose: Apple, apricot, ethanol, rye spice. The nose definitely doesn’t hide the higher proof. Taste: Similar to the nose, apple, rye spice, alcohol. Baking spices linger on the long, warm finish. Slight banana and vanilla when revisiting the nose after 2nd sip. Overall: 3.75/5 - Solid cask strength pour. Not overly complex, but an enjoyable pour for those that enjoy higher proof. Would prefer a little more oak and toasted flavors.

Pour: Golden Honey, thin legs Nose: Caramel bomb to start, candied almonds, sweet wheat Taste: Sweet bread, pancakes without the maple syrup, vanilla, brown sugar and caramels. Rye spice coats the throat. Overall: 3.75/5 - Has a little more rye spice and heat to it that some wouldn't expect from a wheated. I enjoy that, but some might take issue. Definitely on the sweet end. I give it a "buy it" recommendation for its price point.

Batch 22-02 Pours a copper color, fairly thin legs. Nose: Honey, walnuts/pecans, very little fruit, but mellow sweetness. Taste: Oak, savory, some heat. Sweet corn, definitely pick up the wheat sweetness as well. Surprisingly good roasted flavors from only a level 1 char. I pick up some of the rye spice, but not much of the rye flavor given the 20% range. Finish: Sweet corn bread with rye spice. Fairly quick finish, but enjoyable. Overall: 4/5. Probably my favorite of the Penelope series. I’m not a huge four grain fan, but this is very balanced and well blended. I think it’s worth the price point and give it a “buy it” recommendation.

Vitals: 4 years, 125.6 proof, Barrel 16195 Pours very oily, brown cinnamon color. The bourbon sticks heavily to my glencairn. Nose: Corn, toasted brown sugar, oak Taste: Oak, pepper, baking spices, mellows to sweet corn. Finish: Mellow, corn sweetness, fairly quick finish. Overall: 3.25/5 - Comes out a bit hot with a punch to the back of the throat and quickly fades. Nothing too complex happening. Starts good and ends good, but kind of dull in the middle.

2022 Total Wine SiB Pick Pours a burnt honey color, oily legs sticking to my glencairn. Nose: Cherry licorice, vanilla, ethanol feel but pleasant red fruit, strawberry cheesecake, sweet. Taste: Grain heavy, dry, honey but no sweetness or fruit that I was expecting from nose. Definite oak and burnt cereal, like roasted Honey Nut Cheerios. Finish: Fairly short, slight pepper, some bitterness. Overall: 3/5, the nose was the most pleasant part of the pour. The taste was “fine” after the expectation of fruit and sweetness from the nose was thrown away, but the finish left too much bitterness lingering as the final note.

A lot of citrus up front, light bread, creamy wax finish. Excellent budget friendly pour that can be enjoyed neat or in a cocktail.