Penelope Cooper Series: Havana

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Penelope Bourbon for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Penelope Bourbon from the Cooper Series, labeled "Havana," displayed on a wooden railing with fresh snow. The background features a winter landscape with trees and a shed.

Jumping straight into the bourbon tonight. With President’s Day on the horizon, a lot of my fellow Minnesotans are heading to warmer weather since schools have the day off. Which means I am up to my ears in dogs. So let’s get to it.

Havana is the latest release in Penelope Bourbon’s Cooper Series. We looked at another entry in the series a little under a year ago when we reviewed the Penelope Rio release. Like that one, this is a barrel-finished bourbon. In this case, it uses Penelope’s blended four-grain mash bill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley. Much like Rio, this bourbon spent time in three different barrels.

First, the bourbon was aged for four years. Once dumped, it was then finished in used Caribbean rum casks for an additional 12 months. Finally, it was aged for another month in a barrel that was previously used to hold maple syrup. Fun fact: that maple syrup barrel originally spent the first part of its life aging none other than Penelope Bourbon. Life is a circle sometimes.

Here’s what the company has to say about this latest edition of the Cooper Series:

“This is much more than a rum-finished bourbon – it’s a standout in our collection of cask-finished bourbons,” said Danny Polise, Penelope Bourbon Founder and Master Blender. “The maple finish is the perfect complement to the initial rum-finished bourbon by further elevating the blend and creating balance between savory, sweet and oak spice.”

Let’s get into the tasting notes.

Penelope Cooper Series: Havana

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 46.5% ABV. Cask-finished in both maple syrup and used rum barrels. Composite mash bill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley.

Nose: Oak, maple candy, and vanilla.

Mouth: Very sweet, spicy, maple, molasses, and vanilla.

Finish: Medium length and warmth. Lingering notes of molasses, oak, baking spice, and vanilla.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn face with a frown, its tongue sticking out and crossed out eyes. It signifies that I gave this a dislike rating.

Thoughts: I think this might be the first Penelope release that doesn't get a positive rating from me. When tasting neat, I found the flavors to be oddly disjointed and not well-balanced. It is super sweet, and the spiciness on the palate isn’t really reminiscent of baking spice—it’s just mostly heat. There is also an oddly prominent ethanol note, which I will sometimes get in a highball made with soda that is too sweet. I’m not a fan. However, with the addition of bitters and ice, Penelope Havana makes a decent Old Fashioned.

I have no doubt that I am an outlier on this one. The other reviews I scanned while seeing if Google would take me directly to the product page are all pretty positive—at least in the short snippets that appear in search results. But I can only speak to my own tasting experience, and it wasn’t positive. As always, I’m not saying it’s bad—I’m just saying: I don’t like it.

That said, I wouldn’t mind trying a cocktail made with bourbon, rum, and maple syrup. Might have to play with that a bit.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A125

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bourbon labeled "Batch A125," showcasing its rich amber color, set on a wooden railing with a blurred backyard scene in the background.

Another year, another round of Barrel Proof Heaven Hill releases. These things are always good, with only slight differences between them. But they keep sending them, so I keep reviewing them. I mean, it’s more fun to taste whiskey when you know it’ll be good before you even open the bottle. Some of the bottles I receive are unknown, and there’s always that little bit of fear that I’m about to put something horrible in my mouth. And no one wants to put something horrible in their mouth.

I’ve talked to women before.

Before we dig into how this whiskey tastes, we should probably discuss what it is. Well, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A125 is, as the name suggests, a barrel-proof version of Elijah Craig. The A125 designation is a bit more complicated but not too bad. A denotes the release order of the calendar year: A = first, B = second, C = third. 1 is the month of the release—January, in this case. 25 is the year of release (it’s now 2025, in case you were unaware). So, A125 means this is the first release of the year, released in January 2025.

OK, now let’s get a drink. I, for one, could use one.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, A125

Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 59.1% ABV. 10 years, 7 months old.

Nose: Caramel, oak, vanilla custard, and nutmeg.

Mouth: Follows the nose with notes of caramel, vanilla custard, spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Hot and long with baking spices and vanilla custard.

IMAGE: This is a hand drawn smiley face graphic. It signifys that I like this bourbon.

Thoughts: This is really, really good. As usual. I haven’t run across a single release in this series that isn’t delicious. That said, some are slightly better or worse than others, so let’s look at a comparison.

Comparison to Last Time: The nose is similar, but C924 is sweeter. C924 is hotter and spicier, while A125 showcases a lot more sweet vanilla. Both finishes are hot and pretty long. Both take water well, though C924 doesn’t show many changes with a little water, while A125 amps up the sweetness.

Both are delicious, but if forced to choose, both my wife and I would pick A125.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Woodinville Bourbon, Port Finish

I’d like to thank Woodinville Whiskey Company for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Casks, featuring a detailed label with rustic imagery, set on a wooden railing with a blurred backyard view.

Hi everybody! (Every time I think of those words, I think of Dr. Nick from The Simpsons. “Well, if it isn't my old friend Mr. McGreg, with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg!” Man, I’m sidetracked already, and I haven’t even really started yet.)

Recently, Woodinville Whiskey made a lot of their products available for purchase on their website, WoodinvilleWhiskeyCo.com. In honor of this news—and let’s be honest, to help get the word out—they sent me a bottle of their Port Finish bourbon. Since this is one of their products I’ve never tasted before, I thought it would be a good use of all of our time to give it a proper review. Especially since you don’t have to go online to buy it—it’s also nationally available at retail.

So, what is it? Well, as the name says, it’s Woodinville bourbon that has been finished in Port casks. Originally launched as a special release in 2017, it was so well received that it became the third full-time member of their lineup. Now, if you’re like me, you want more details than that. Well, never fear—the company is ready to tell us. This bourbon starts with a mash bill of 72% corn, 22% rye, and 7% malted barley. It then spends at least four years in barrels sourced from Independent Stave before spending another six months or so in Port casks, specifically Port casks sourced from Portugal’s Douro Valley.

But enough with all of that—let’s get to the important part. How does it taste?

Woodinville Whiskey Company Bourbon, Port Finish

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 45% ABV. Mash bill: 72% corn, 22% rye, and 7% malted barley. Finished for 6 months in Port casks.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, red fruit, and fresh-cut oak.

Mouth: Brown sugar, red fruits, nutmeg, clove, and oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of brown sugar, red fruit, chewable vitamins, nutmeg, clove, and oak.

IMAGE: I like this whiskey so I gave it a like rating. Those are represented by this hand-drawn smiley face.

Thoughts: This is a very good whiskey. I really like the fruit notes that I assume the Port finish is bringing. The oak notes are more like fresh-cut oak than aged and dried oak. The nutmeg and clove are lovely on the mouth and finish. In fact, the complex finish is the best part of this. I'm really enjoying it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Estate Collection 2024, Single Barrel and Private Select

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Penelope Bourbon for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Two bottles of Penelope Estate Collection bourbon on a wooden railing, with a snowy backyard featuring trees, a shed, and a boat in the background.

Last September, Penelope Bourbon announced the release of a line of bourbons with a bit of extra age on them. Instead of their usual four- to six-year-old bourbons, this line would feature bourbons aged nine to eleven years. When I saw the email come across my desk, I won’t lie—I was pretty excited to see that I might be getting a sample of at least some of them. I’ve enjoyed Penelope’s bourbons in the past, particularly those with unusual barrel finishes. They always seem to teach me about some obscure wine or spirit I hadn’t encountered before.

I wasn’t going to learn much this time. However, I did get a reminder that MGP makes some damn fine bourbon. As is to be expected from a company under the MGP/Ross & Squib/Lux Row umbrella. I’m a fan of most things that they put out. But this time there are no barrel finishes, just good bourbon, expertly blended, at least for the non-single barrel one.

Now, let’s dive into the two bourbons I’ll be reviewing tonight. I received samples of one of the single barrels and the Private Select, the latter being a blend of bourbons with both wheated and rye mashbills. Here’s how the brand describes each:

Penelope Private Select is an annual release that pushes the boundaries of what blended bourbon can be. This innovative expression showcases the unique characteristics of the finest 9-year-aged straight bourbon barrel stocks hand-selected from two different states. Bottled at 101.2 proof (50.6% ABV), the 2024 release features a mash bill of 74% corn, 20% rye, 1% wheat and 5% malted barley.

Penelope Single Barrel reveals the character that lies within the finest aged bourbon stocks. Each 10-year-aged barrel has been hand-selected from various warehouses and floors, revealing profiles too exceptional to blend. With two rye mash bill options – 21% and 36% –Penelope Single Barrel is a celebration of the individuality and complexity that can only be found in a single barrel of well-aged bourbon.

Penelope Estate Collection Single Barrel, 21% rye Mashbill

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: 10 years old; Mashbill: 75% corn, 4% malted barley, 21% rye; 49% ABV.

Nose: Cinnamon, chocolate, wintergreen, and red fruits.

Mouth: Cinnamon, mint, black tea, and caramel.

Finish: Warm with medium length; notes of cinnamon, caramel, and black tea.

IMAGE: This is a smiley face. Because I like it.

Thoughts: This is very tasty. I’m really enjoying the sweetness and oak-derived notes. The cinnamon spice balances beautifully with the other flavors. It’s a well-rounded and very enjoyable barrel. If the rest of the barrels in this release are this good, this is definitely one to keep an eye out for—especially at under $100.

Penelope Estate Collection Private Select

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: Composite mashbill: 74% corn, 20% rye, 1% wheat, 5% malted barley; 9 years old; 50.6% ABV.

Nose: Mint, almond, and vanilla custard.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet with notes of caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, and almond.

Finish: Medium length and warm; notes of cinnamon, caramel, marshmallow, and almond.

IMAGE: A yummy bourbon always gets a smiley face.

Thoughts: This is very good—maybe not quite as impressive as the single barrel, but certainly not "$10 worse," so to speak. Like the single barrel, I love the balance of sweet and spicy notes. If you can swing spending $80–$90 on a bottle of bourbon, this is another one that is well worth a look.

If you enjoy BourbonGuy.com, consider supporting us! Make a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. You can also shop our custom merch—tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more—at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER for 5% off orders of $50 or more!

Four Roses Single Barrel Collection, 2025

I’d like to thank Four Roses and their PR team for providing this review sample with no strings attached

IMAGE: Four Roses Single Barrel Collection display featuring bottles OBSV, OBSF, OESK, and OESO, each 100 proof, aged 7-9 years, with unique tasting notes and mash bills.

Who says bitching and moaning doesn’t get you anywhere in life? For as long as I’ve been writing for this site—hell, as long as I’ve been a fan of bourbon—I’ve been bending the ear of anyone at Four Roses who would listen about letting people try all these different recipes they keep bragging about. It’s their differentiator. It only makes sense to let people peek behind the curtain.

And in 2023, they finally listened by releasing the Ten Recipe Tasting Kit, filled with 50ml bottles of each recipe. Because yes, I’m sure it was all me—who else could it have been? Their marketing and product development teams? Pssh.

I thought that was the end of things. But no. Starting in early 2025, Four Roses is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their flagship Single Barrel bourbon with the introduction of the Single Barrel Collection. This new lineup features three new 100-proof bourbons—OBSF, OESK, and OESO—alongside the classic OBSV. Each bottle, aged 7-9 years, showcases Four Roses' unique recipes, blending specific mash bills and yeast strains for a distinctive flavor profile. The collection is priced at $49.99 per bottle, with new recipes rotating annually.

"We are incredibly proud of the recognition our flagship Single Barrel has received over the last 20 years, so to be introducing our new Single Barrel Collection in this anniversary year is something truly special," said Four Roses Master Distiller, Brent Elliott.

So, since they sent me a 100ml bottle of each, let’s see how they taste, shall we?

Four Roses Single Barrel Collection, 2025

Purchase Info: These samples were sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price for each bottle is $49.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: Each recipe is aged from 7-9 years old and at 50% ABV.

OBSF

Nose: Sweet and floral, with mint and oak.

Mouth: Crème brûlée, mint, cinnamon, and oak.

Finish: On the longer side of medium, with lingering notes of cinnamon, oak, and especially spearmint.

IMAGE: A smiley face because I like this, even though it is my least favorite of the four.

Thoughts: This is super minty. If you don't like spearmint, skip this one. But if, like me, you rank mint as a top five flavor, you’ll really enjoy it. I like it a lot.

Comparison to the Standard OBSV: OBSF is a mint bomb throughout—on the nose, palate, and finish—compared to OBSV.

OESK

Nose: Almond, cherry, bubblegum, yeast bread, and a touch of mint.

Mouth: Almond, cherry, caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth, with rich notes of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice.

IMAGE: A smile. This is my favorite of the bunch and it makes me smile.

Thoughts: I like this one. The almond and cherry notes blend beautifully with the sweet caramel, vanilla, and baking spice. Nothing dominates; it just melds into a delicious whole. My favorite of the three so far.

Comparison to OBSV: OBSV is more floral on the nose, while OESK is richer and more flavorful on the palate, with a longer finish.

OESO

Nose: Caramel and cinnamon.

Mouth: Cinnamon, caramel, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth, with lingering notes of cinnamon and mint.

IMAGE: A smiley face. Very solid and enjoyable.

Thoughts: Nice and spicy, with lots of cinnamon throughout. The touch of mint on the finish keeps you coming back for more. I like this one.

Comparison to OBSV: Very similar on the nose, but OESO is much spicier on the palate, with more cinnamon. It also has a longer and warmer finish.

Final Thoughts

The OBSF felt a little one-dimensional, with mint taking center stage and only minor support from other notes. The OESK was more well-rounded, with almond and cherry adding depth to the classic bourbon notes of caramel and vanilla. The OESO stood out for its spiciness, with cinnamon shining throughout.

If I had to rank them, it would be:

  1. OESK

  2. OESO

  3. OBSV

  4. OBSF

But your mileage may vary, not only because every palate is different, but also because these are single barrel products, and slight differences are inevitable.

If you enjoy BourbonGuy.com, consider supporting us! Make a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. You can also shop our custom merch—tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more—at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER for 5% off orders of $50 or more!

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Fall 2024

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached

IMAGE: A clear whiskey bottle labeled "Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Fall 2024 Edition" with details about the bourbon, set on a wooden railing with a blurred outdoor background.

Well, hey there. Long time no see. I know I should have told you I was going to be away, but I really didn’t think I would be gone for quite this long. Sure, the holidays are a busy time to be an in-home dog sitter, but I could have probably managed that if my wife and I hadn’t also gotten sick with a nasty cold for most of that time as well. Figures, right? But we got to spend lots of quality time with one another—coughing, snotty, quality time. It wasn’t the most fun we’ve had together, but at least we had lots of snuggly dogs to help us manage.

But you aren’t here to read about my illness. You’re here to read about tonight’s bourbon. Old Fitzgerald is an old, old brand. At about 150 years old, it’s even older than I am. Or my mom. Or her mom. There’s a good chance there might be a couple more ladies up that lineage who have come and gone in that time, for that matter. Popularized by the one and only “Pappy” Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald was the pride of the Stitzel-Weller distillery before eventually making its way over to Heaven Hill, the current brand owner.

When I first got into bourbon, Old Fitzgerald was a tasty and inexpensive brand for Heaven Hill. Then, it became a tasty and inexpensive “Kentucky-exclusive” brand for Heaven Hill before going off the market. After a brief hiatus, the brand returned as an Ultra-Super-Ultra Premium brand that is hard to find and even harder to afford. I thought that was going to be a mistake on Heaven Hill’s part, but I guess I was wrong. Sure, I haven’t been afforded the opportunity to buy a bottle yet (or even see one in the wild), but obviously, someone has since tonight’s version is the 14th one they’ve released. And at two per year, that means their plan been working for seven years.

I guess there’s a reason I’m not in charge of product decisions at whiskey companies. I’d probably go out of business following a model of “keep things as delicious as you can, sell it for the least you can, and sell a lot of it to make the endeavor worthwhile.” Actually, that sounds a bit like the old “Pappy” Van Winkle quote from when he was in business: “We make fine bourbon...at a profit if we can...at a loss if we must...but always fine bourbon.”

Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond, Fall 2024

Purchase Info: his sample was provided at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $154.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink: $10.33

Details: 50% ABV. 11 years old. Heaven Hill wheated bourbon mashbill.

Nose: Caramel apple, vanilla, and oak.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, oak, cinnamon, and apple.

Finish: Long side of medium length and warm with notes of caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

IMAGE: This is delicious bourbon. And delicious bourbon makes me smile. So this is a smiley face.

Thoughts: This is delicious. It perfectly showcases the Heaven Hill house flavor profile. Just tons of stereotypical bourbon notes throughout—rich and full-flavored, oaky but not too much oak. Super tasty. It’s honestly too bad it’s over $10 per pour because this one is very good, and I sincerely wish that everyone was as lucky as I am in getting to taste it. If you happen across it, and the price is worth it to you, jump on it.

If you enjoy BourbonGuy.com, consider supporting us! Make a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. You can also shop our custom merch—tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more—at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER for 5% off orders of $50 or more!