Penelope The Architect, Build Number 4 Review

Distillery: Midwest Grain Producers/Luxco

Mash Bill: 75% corn, 15% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley

Age: 5 years

Style: Bourbon Blend

ABV: 52% (104 proof)

Price: $60 MSRP

Background: Penelope Bourbon was started in 2018 by Mike  and Kerry Paladini, and their neighbor Danny Poloise. Named after Mike and Kerry’s daughter, Penelope, the team has been creating a variety of blended expressions that have been well received by the bourbon community. Their bourbon is MGP sourced from Midwest Grain Product (MGP) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana and has historically been a blend of three separate MGP mash bills.

Penelope’s “the Architect” is a four grain (75% corn, 15% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley) straight bourbon that was released at 104 proof. The whiskey is at least four years old and non-chill filtered. The Architect, most notably is finished using two types of French Oak staves, one described as delicate with a “low tannin content” and one with a “medium tannin content.”

Nose: An inviting medium nose, sweet, vanilla, brown butter, and oak, hint of mashed banana.

Palate: The oak is forward and lets you know its there, but plays well with the vanilla and brown sugar notes. Underneath, there is just a hint of dill to make things interesting.

Finish: Long, tapering finish with vanilla and well-rounded oak through out. This was a really nice, structured finish.

Conclusion: While there are not layers of flavor to discover, the aptly named Architect is a well-constructed bourbon blend. The French oak staves work very well here for the finish. I’ve had other whiskeys that have tried to use French oak staves as a finishing wood that have not worked out as well. I’ll have to give Penelope credit that the bourbon blend being finished is high quality, and can fully take advantage of what the French oak has to offer. The proof point works well — its hot enough to be interesting, but your not sacrificing a pleasant and relaxing drink. This was a great pour and its no wonder MGP purchased Penelope in 2022.