I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Penelope Bourbon for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
It's a good day today. I think I have the anniversary trip for my wife and me planned out. Just need to run the last bit past her. Yesterday, I reached out to Delta about why I was bumped off our direct flight to one with a layover, and they responded by changing me to a flight on a different day where I wasn’t sitting by my wife. Not at all what I was asking for, and after speaking to a manager, I decided to cancel the flight and move on from Delta for a while. So now: road trip. Not as rough of a timeline as last time, nor as long of a drive, so it should be okay.
But like I said, it's a good day. Not only did I get that pesky anniversary trip planned, but the sun is out! I swear, after a drought the last two years, Mother Nature is making it up to us by giving us all the rain we missed and then some. And though I’m glad I do not need to water the garden, I am very glad that I can see the sun today. Minnesota gets gloomy enough with our nine months of gray winter skies.
The final reason it’s a good day is I get to write about a delicious rye whiskey today. And as you can see from the photo above, I’ve been enjoying the heck out of this one. But before we get into the tasting notes, let’s take a look at what the company has to tell us about this one. They went through all the trouble of giving us all the geeky data, we might as well read it. But first, the marketing speak:
Our Toasted Series is a testament to the power of serendipity. When we began to explore toasted finishes, we weren’t expecting each barrel to be so different — so we decided to embrace this variety of chars and toasts that make every bottle in our Toasted Series truly one-of-a-kind.
After full maturation in charred new American oak barrels, we finished 100% straight rye whiskey in a new, freshly toasted barrel. While it can be hard to predict the flavor profile of each bottle in our Toasted Series, the deep notes of vanilla imbued by the toasting process add another dimension to our signature flavor profile. Whether you’re into a Heavy Toast or Lighter Char, our Toasted Series truly offers something for everyone.
That’s the serendipity of Penelope.
Now onto the good stuff. This rye whiskey is made from MGP’s 95% rye mashbill (it took me a couple of minutes to understand that the “100% straight rye whiskey” in the marketing speak above was just saying “no additives” and not referring to the mashbill). The whiskey was aged for six years before being put into a second barrel that was charred to a level two and toasted to a heavy toast level. This is the second release of Toasted Rye and has a suggested retail price of $74.99.
Penelope Toasted Rye
Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00
Details: 6 years old. 50% ABV. Mashbill: 95% rye, 5% malted barley.
Nose: Cinnamon, spearmint, cedar, and honey.
Mouth: Strong, but not overpowering, oak hits first with notes of cinnamon, dark chocolate, caramel, mint, and cedar following after.
Finish: Bright and vibrant with medium length. Notes of cinnamon, mint, and cedar.
Thoughts: I like this one. It's hitting all my favorite rye notes like mint, cedar, and cinnamon. There is just enough oak to support the delicious rye notes without taking over. There is some sweetness to it, especially when consumed out of a rocks glass rather than tasted in a Glencairn. Overall, I really like it.
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