drlewis
Penelope Toasted Bourbon (char 4, toast medium, 25-302)
Bourbon — Indiana, USA
Reviewed
June 15, 2026 (edited June 16, 2026)
Char 4, toasted medium, 4 yrs, 100 proof, tasting neat.
Dull golden brown and average coating legs in the glass. Nose is light-- brown sugar, vanilla oak, and a whiff of spice in the back. Not as "charred/toasted" as I hoped. On the palate, oily and maple sweet, with vanilla oak char and tannic leather, baking spice, anise/fennel (?), but mainly sweet. Coating mouthfeel that runs through a long finish of spice, sweet grass, and tingly menthol mint. Dry and a little astringent, but also a light sour note. An ice cube doesn't hide the tannic toasty flavors, but does soften the astrigentency and lets the toast shine through more clearly.
I've had the Bourbon Toasted Barrel char 5 heavy toast #25-301 (more smokey and burnt orange peel notes) and the Rye Toasted Barrel 2 char heavy toast #24-304. Thought both were better, or just more nuanced, than this one. Maybe I prefer the heavy toast flavors over the char level? Maybe not. A little pricey at $60, but a fine toasted 100 proof 4 year bourbon.
60.0
USD
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review