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Whiskey Review: Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024)

We review Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024) review, a six-year aged rye whiskey finished in new, freshly toasted barrels.
  • Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge
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Tasting Notes:

About:
A 95% rye/5% malted barley aged six years and finished in new, freshly toasted barrels. It is bottled at 50% ABV and priced at $74.99.
Appearance:
A straightforward, moderate amber color is in glass, supported by moderate legs and viscosity.
Nose:
Baking spice emerges from the glass in the aromatics department, joined by bananas and milk chocolate. Also of note are considerations of gingerbread, cloves, brown sugar cookies, and pears.
Palate:
There is a nice touch of mellow spice here, highlighted by a hint of molasses and a kiss of oak. Further along the palate, the essences of cloves, strawberry bubble gum, cherries, and a slight amount of milk chocolate are revealed.
Finish:
The finish is slightly spicy and sweet, ending in a moderate amount of time.
Comments:
Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024) is a light, refreshing whiskey that hits the right notes. It’s perfect for enjoying on a warm summer day in a slightly chilled glass. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024) review
We review Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024) review, a six-year aged rye whiskey finished in new, freshly toasted barrels. (image via Penelope)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

Penelope Bourbon was founded in 2018 and named for founder Michael Paladini’s daughter, Penelope. The strength of this brand’s ability to have crafted over the years since then a series of sourced straight bourbon and rye whiskey expressions that are all uniquely blended and finished garnered the attention of Indiana-based spirits giant MGP, who acquired Penelope in mid-2023 for over $100 million.
Using MGP juice, Penelope’s core expressions of Four Grain, Barrel Strength, Architect, and Toasted Bourbon have received over 40 combined awards and industry accolades. In 2024, the brand won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for Barrel Strength and Toasted, Double Platinum at the ASCOT Awards for Barrel Strength, Double Gold for Rio, and an Innovation Award for Toasted at the SIP Awards.

In addition to its cornerstone expressions, Penelope continues to introduce limited releases within its Cooper Series, Private Select, and Founders Reserve lines.

What’s in the bottle

The whiskey being reviewed here, Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024), is this brand’s second release of this particular expression. It is the result of finishing a very special, hand-selected 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash bill in new, freshly toasted barrels.

“After aging the rye whiskey for six years prior to finishing, this year’s release resulted in a profile that we believe will really stand out,” said Daniel Polise, founder and master blender of Penelope Bourbon, at the type this whiskey was released. “The char 2 profile of the finishing barrels used brought out rich butterscotch notes to the blend of selected barrels, adding additional layers and depth to a great rye whiskey.”

Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey (2024) is bottled at 50% ABV and priced at $74.99.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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