Newcomer Penelope Bourbon brings the power and warmth with their Barrel Strength release. 

Mike Paladini and his wife Kerry had long agreed that if they had a daughter she would be named Penelope. In 2018 they had that daughter, named her as intended, and founded Penelope Bourbon at the same time with Mike’s childhood friend Danny Polise. As many start-up Spirits companies do, they have launched with a little outside help. In this case distilling and aging in Indiana at MGP and expert blending and bottling assistance from Castle Rock in Kentucky — whom they proudly call part of their team. And the team is working, with two successful releases under their belt and a fistful of awards already in hand.

Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon is built upon the foundation of their core Bourbon. It’s the same great blend of three Spirits — two rye-based and one wheat-based with the same aging profile (two Bourbons aged two years, one aged three) and non-chill-filtered. The barrels have a #4 char and the heads have a #2 char. The difference is that it’s bottled at 58.3% ABV. Their thinking is that an everyday Bourbon should be approachable and tasty all by itself. But there should be a Bourbon for those who appreciate higher proof and want to make great cocktails. That’s Penelope Barrel Strength Bourbon.