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Now a property of Midwest Grain Products (MGP), Penelope began as a well-regarded NDP named after one of the founder's firstborn. Known for finished bourbons like the Architect Series, Penelope has released a number of iterations in the Cooper Series, pairing their bourbon with various wood types and used casks from around the globe. Rosé Cask Finish was the first offering to be introduced in the series and features French Rosé wine casks from the Southern Rhône region. This particular pour comes from Batch #10 which was bottled in March/April of 2025. Rosé Cask typically places in the 90s (100pt scale) for major competitions and won a gold at SFWS 2023 and platinum at ASCOT 2023.
🛒Sourced: $49.99 for 750ml from Smyrna World of Beverage, April 2026. Penelope does typically have rebates available online.
🧪Proof: 94 proof, 47% ABV - Finished bourbons usually have flavor above and beyond their proof.
🎨Color: R4 - ruddy orange with some decent thickness
🥔Mash Bill & Production: 76% corn, 14% wheat, 7% Rye, and 3% malted barley. Note that this is a four-grain bourbon mash bill with a relatively small amount of malted barley to assist in fermentation.
- Age - No Age Statement - Website cites a 4-5 year initial aging period plus another four months to finish in the Rosé cask.
- Barrel Entry Proof - 114
- Char - Char #4 Staves, Char #2 Heads
- Batch Size - Tens of Thousands of Bottles (MGP scaled it significantly post acquisition)
- Chill Filtered - No
👃Nose: Gentle and mildly sweet, deeper into the nose you do start to pick up the rosé influence but it's not overbearing. If you're familiar with Penelope's four grain standard bourbon that forms this bottle's base, you'll find a lot of the same rounded sweet corn, caramel, and fresh honey hay.
😜Palate: Very easy drinking, thicker than I would have expected with a nice mouthfeel and no burn whatsoever. You really have to chew to find the rosé and wine notes, taking a small sip or letting it just roll off the tongue will result in you missing it entirely. I get it mostly on the front quarter of my tongue. The good news is that this is so forgiving that you'll not have any difficulty with big mouthfuls. Other than rosé I get a decent amount of aged oak wood which is pretty nice, a bit more mellowed vs that in the unfinished version.
💦Finish: Short, more of a throat warmth. Whatever you got on the tongue just kinda continues into the finish where it gently drops off the curve.
🏆 Overall: 5.75/10 - Pretty Good - I think this bottle converts pretty well on its premise but I'm not entirely convinced the flavors are all together complementary. The rosé is understated which is good, but does clash a little with the traditional bourbon flavors in play. This is a bottle with high upside if you happen to resonate with it, and I think few will be offended by it either.
Edit: After a few of these, you'll swear you are just drinking straight Rosé, so mission accomplished I guess. Still sticking with my original scoring.
💵Would buy again? Penelope's French wine cask finish is interesting but I think there are other options I prefer more in the price range.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously
🙈Blind Tastings:
- 8/12/25 - Chattanooga 91 > Four Roses Small Batch > Penelope Rosé Cask (This bottle)