Editor’s Note: The party behind this whiskey gave us a review sample. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.
Penelope Bourbon, founded in 2018, is a popular sourced American whiskey label originally named after founder Mike Paladini’s daughter. The brand’s team’s success in using sourced MGP spirits to produce well-regarded expressions put it on the map of the giant Indiana distillery, which acquired Penelope last year for well north of $100 million.
Penelope is sold in over 40 states and three countries today, bringing a multitude of expressions to fans of the label. The whiskey being reviewed here, Penelope Bourbon Tokaji Cask Finish, is one of those. Part of Penelope’s limited edition Cooper Series, with its focus on pairing the whiskeys with wine casks from different wine-making regions, Tokaji Cask Finish is an eight-year-old MGP rye that’s been finished in casks that are said to convey onto it “the late harvest notes of the Tokaji wine from Hungary.”
Distilled from the standard two-grain MGP rye whiskey mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, this whiskey has been bottled at 106 proof. As a yearly release, in 2023, it received 91 points from Whisky Advocate and was awarded a Gold Medal ASCOT Award.
“From consumers to tasting panels, our Tokaji Cask Finish was really well received last year,” said Paladini at the time of its release. “For the initial release we used a 6-year-old straight rye whiskey as our base, and we are excited to bring this back but with an 8-year base at the same price point.”
Penelope Bourbon Tokaji Cask Finish is priced at $89.99 per 750-ml bottle, with the equivalent of only 1,900 (6-pack) cases being released in 2024.