Penelope Launches Its 1st Kentucky Straight Bourbon & Straight Rye

Penelope Bourbon is expanding its portfolio with the launch of its Classic Series, introducing two foundational expressions designed for everyday drinking occasions: Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey.

While most whiskey brands begin with traditional core expressions and expand into experimental releases, Penelope took the opposite approach. Over the past eight years, the brand built a devoted following through innovative blends, finishes, and limited releases, establishing itself as one of the industry's most influential modern whiskey brands. Now, Penelope is turning its attention to the classics, marking a major milestone for the fast-growing whiskey brand.

How It's Made: Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is carefully crafted with a mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye,v and 12% barley malt to deliver a versatile profile that is both approachable for everyday enjoyment and refined enough for whiskey aficionados.

On the Nose, it opens with aromatics of butterscotch, vanilla bean , candied orange, and toasted sugar. The palate is smooth and layered with notes of brown sugar, honeyed corn, cinnamon, and creamy mint, and finishes with warm and lingering sweetness of carameland dark chocolate with warm spice. Notably, this release also marks a meaningful milestone for the brand, representing the first time Penelope has worked at scale with distillate from Kentucky.

Complementing the bourbon, Penelope Straight Rye features a refined, approachable spice profile with layered complexity. Distilled in Indiana with a mashbill of 93% rye and 7% malted barley, it opens with bright aromatics of spearmint and citrus zest, a body of rye spice and caramelized sugar, and a lingering, balanced finish, delivering character without overpowering the palate.

“These expressions have been in development for a while,”said Danny Polise, Founder/MasterBlender. “Using Kentucky distillate for the bourbon, like we've done in past blends, felt like a natural step as we worked to create something we genuinely liked. We kept dialing in the blends until they felt right, especially with the Straight Rye release.

Availability: Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($42.99) and Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey ($34.99) will be available in select markets starting this month, with nationwide availability to follow.