A limited release rye whiskey finished in toasted oak barrels

Penelope Bourbon's second annual release of its Toasted Rye Whiskey

By Georgina Torbet Updated July 11, 2024

Penelope

An award-winning rye whiskey series is coming back, with a new release by Indiana-based brand Penelope Bourbon. The brand is known for its series of straight bourbon whiskies, and its previous release in the Toasted series, Penelope Toasted Rye Whiskey, was a top scorer at spirits competitions. The release won double gold at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, scoring highly with the judges there.

“After what we achieved with last year’s release, we are really excited for our second installment,” said Michael Paladini, founder of Penelope Bourbon. “Our first Toasted Rye scored 99 points at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and we’re confident this release will be equally well received.”

The new release is a similarly rye-focused spirit, with a 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash, and it has flavors of butterscotch and vanilla with toasted marshmallow, tobacco, and fruit.

Once a whiskey has been distilled, it is put into barrels to be aged — and in the case of bourbon, that involves using new American oak barrels. Traditionally, these barrels are charred by being heated quickly and for just a short time. But to finish this whiskey, it is put into barrels that have been toasted rather than charred, by exposing them to lower heats for a longer time. This toasting process affects the flavor of the final spirit, but it is also hard to predict. So the Toasted series will feature a variety of different chars for different flavors in each release.

“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. “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.”

Topics

Liquor, Beer, Wine & Drinks

Georgina Torbet

Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…

Food & Drink

Toast the arrival of fall with these whiskey cocktails from Knob Creek

Try the Red All Over and the Orchard to make use of your rye whiskey and bourbon

knob creek fall cocktails knobcreek red all over

With the arrival of September looming on the horizon, it's time to shift gears into fall mode. Crunchy leaves, ubiquitous pumpkin spice, and best of all, whiskey cocktails. While we certainly won't argue if you enjoy drinking whiskey all year round, there's something very pleasing about a warming, spicy whiskey cocktail as the weather begins to turn.

The popular whiskey brand Knob Creek -- makers of some of our favorite classic bourbon -- has some recipes lined up for fall which look just the ticket for toasting the new season. The Red All Over sends off the summer with its use of cucumber, strawberries, and basil to add to rye, while the Orchard welcomes in the falls with its combination of bourbon and maple syrup.
Knob Creek Red All Over

Food & Drink

Redemption Whiskey takes on French winemaking methods for this special release

It uses the Sur Lie method, making use of the distillate remains called the lees

redemption sur lee rye 819573531 redemptionsurleeonbarrel png

Redemption Whiskey is one of the brands that consistently makes our lists for best rye whiskies, thanks to its spicy sweet character and classic flavor profile. But as well as the popular regular rye expression, the brand also puts out more experimental releases in its Specialty Series. Now, it is introducing the Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey, inspired by French winemaking processes.

Named after a form of French wine aging, the Sur Lee whiskey begins with Redemption's regular rye mash bill, but it departs from tradition by making use of the remains left after distilling, called the lees. This is added back into the distillate to add more flavor and character, and requires the barrels to be turned during the aging process to let the two interact. Once aged, the whiskey is then non-chill filtered to remove any residue which maintaining flavors.

Food & Drink

Help create a new whiskey with a crowd-sourced mash bill at this Kentucky distillery

Casey Jones Distillery is opening its doors as part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

mash bill tour casey jones maker 7 1

As interest in craft spirits and traditional distilling methods has exploded, lots of distilleries have opened their doors to the public to show off the details of how they make their products -- most notably, perhaps, on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a tour of bourbon distilleries which attracts millions of visitors each year. Now, one of the distilleries on the trail is adding a special experience to its tour, as Casey Jones Distillery invites visitors to try their hand at creating their own mash bill.

The mash bill, which is the combination of grains used in the distilling process, is the first part of what makes a whisky distinctive. At the Mash Maker's Experience, guests will work together to choose the grains from corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley that will then be used as distillate in a very small handcrafted batch. Once the spirit has been aged, it will go on sale as part of the distillery's regular output.