Skip to main content

Penelope Bourbon launches rare Founders Reserve Whiskey

Penelope is releasing a memorable wheat whiskey

Penelope Bourbon
Penelope Bourbon

Sometimes, alcohol brands are launched and named because of a geographic location or historical event. In the case of Penelope Bourbon, the brand was launched in 2018 because co-founder Mike Paladini and his wife Kerry were expecting a child named Penelope. He decided to team up with childhood friend Danny Polise to commemorate her birth to start Penelope Bourbon. The brand has received much acclaim and multiple awards in the years since.

Penelope Estate Collection Founders Reserve

A bottle of whiskey with two glasses of whiskey
Dmitry Ersler / Adobe Stock

Recently, the brand announced an epic new release called Penelope Estate Collection Founders Reserve. This straight wheat whiskey begins with a mash bill of 95% wheat and 5% malted barley. It’s matured for a full eleven years in new, charred American oak barrels at the renowned Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Recommended Videos

“We have been looking forward to this release for some time,” Polise said in a press release. “Since first finding these barrels back in 2019, we’ve anxiously followed them as they aged and waited for the right time to dump each lot. Each lot is distinct in its character and offers something special for whiskey lovers.”

Where can I buy it?

Pouring whiskey into a glass
Chetty Thomas / Shutterstock

This expression is extremely limited. If you want to get your hands on a bottle, you’ll need to join the Founders Reserve List.

“The Founders Reserve List allows our supporters to experience these rare bottles before they’re gone,” said Polise in a press release. “We’ve crafted something truly special, and we’re excited to share it first with all who have supported us along the journey.”

This way, you can get early access to the five unique lots of whiskey, each bottled at a different cask strength proof. Since it’s so limited, you won’t find this expression at your local liquor store. The whiskey will be available for pickup at Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky between November 22 and December 21 for $199.99 per bottle or $995.95 for all five.

Learn More

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
Going green never tasted so good: 7 sustainable spirits to try now
Get to know these sustainable spirits brands
Brother's Bond

Sustainability (especially in the alcohol world) isn't easy. It requires distilleries to create initiatives for environmentally responsible actions that impact everything they do, from where they source their ingredients to what they package their spirits into how they distribute their products. To be sustainable, they need to lower waste and reduce their overall carbon footprint.

In my nearly twenty years of writing about alcohol, I've been lucky enough to visit distilleries all over the world, from Taiwan to Tennessee. And in those years, I've seen a handful of highly sustainable distilleries in action. There's something special about knowing that not only is the whiskey, rum, vodka, or tequila well-made and flavorful but it's made in a way that doesn't negatively impact the world for our children and beyond.
7 sustainable spirits brands

Read more
Heaven Hill is launching the second edition of its Grain to Glass Whiskey
Heaven Hill is set to launch a new rye whiskey
Heaven Hill

If you enjoyed last year’s “Grain to Glass” expression from Heaven Hill, you will likely be excited to learn that the iconic Kentucky-based brand is set to release the second edition of this popular series this month. And, instead of a bourbon, this year’s release is a rye whiskey.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Rye

The 2025 edition of Heaven Hill’s Grain to Glass series is a Kentucky straight rye whiskey. This limited-release expression begins with a mash bill of 63% rye, 20% corn, and 13% malted barley. Grown in Nelson County, Kentucky, by the family-owned Peterson Farms, Beck’s Hybrids 6225 is the corn seed varietal chosen for the second edition.

Read more
Whistlepig Whiskey collaborated with Liquid Death to make a whiskey that was matured in caskets
Whistlepig Whiskey's newest release was aged in specially-designed caskets
WhistlePig

In the world of whiskey collaborations, you'll have a tough time beating the new partnership between Vermont's renowned WhistlePig Whiskey and Liquid Death. It's called WhistlePig GraveStock Wheat Whiskey, and it's matured with a spooky twist.
WhistlePig GraveStock Wheat Whiskey

This limited-edition collaboration is a wheat whiskey matured in American oak. But instead of the usual barrel or cask, it's aged in oak caskets before being proofed down using Liquid Death Mountain Water.

Read more