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Penelope Bourbon Architect Review

Can a bourbon hide its darkest, chewiest depths until the first sip? Penelope Architect does—here’s what the French oak finish adds to every layer.

OVERALL RATING

8
$48
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Architect reflects Penelope’s love for innovation in bourbon.

Finished with French oak staves from our partners in Tonnellerie Radoux. It’s built with the same creativity and precision that defines great design.

So it’s fitting that we named this expression after a team member’s father, a London based architect whose life’s work embodied the balance of art and science.
Appearance:
Burnt Orange
Nose:
Minted toffee, thick toffee and chewy caramel and tobacco leaf. Desiccated coconut, peaches in their own syrup and Mint Julep cocktails.
Palate:
Bigger, richer and darker than the rest of the releases so far. Very forward with drying oak, ginger, grilled peaches, liquorice, mint, cocktail bitters, mint oil, toasted American oak and loads of brown sugar.
Finish:
Long, minty and rolling. There isn’t any smoke as such in this bourbon, but it feels like the taste of a smoked Old Fashioned cocktail, or something in that vein. It’s brooding, rolling, constantly moving and switches between earthy sweetness and confectionary sweetness. As soon as you get notes of caramel and coconut, it contrasts that with some big earthy notes of liquorice, mint and gentian root. The finish is huge and I can still taste it around 10 minutes after finishing it.
Comments:
This is really well put together, complex style of bourbon that is quite impressive when it hits your tongue. It’s a little deceptive at the start as it gives none of these deeper, earthier profiles away on the nose. Once it hits your palate, it sings of layered complexity with a lot to talk about. one of the chewiest products I’ve ever tasted.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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