An award-winning rye whiskey series is coming back, with a new release by Indiana-based brand Penelope Bourbon. The brand is known for its series of straight bourbon whiskies, and its previous release in the Toasted series, Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey, was a top scorer at spirits competitions. The release won double gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, scoring highly with the judges there.
“After what we achieved with last year’s release, we are really excited for our second installment,” said Michael Paladini, founder of Penelope Bourbon. “Our first Toasted Rye scored 99 points at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and we’re confident this release will be equally well received.”
The new release is a similarly rye-focused spirit, with a 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash, and it has flavors of butterscotch and vanilla with toasted marshmallow, tobacco, and fruit.
Once a whiskey has been distilled, it is put into barrels to be aged — and in the case of bourbon, that involves using new American oak barrels. Traditionally, these barrels are charred by being heated quickly and for just a short time. But to finish this whiskey, it is put into barrels that have been toasted rather than charred, by exposing them to lower heats for a longer time. This toasting process affects the flavor of the final spirit, but it is also hard to predict. So the Toasted series will feature a variety of different chars for different flavors in each release.
“After aging the rye whiskey for six years prior to finishing, this year’s release resulted in a profile that we believe will really stand out,” said Daniel Polise, founder and master blender of Penelope Bourbon. “The char 2 profile of the finishing barrels used brought out rich butterscotch notes to the blend of selected barrels, adding additional layers and depth to a great rye whiskey.”
