Tasting Notes and Characteristics:

Warm, sweet, and gently spiced, Penelope Havana Bourbon brings a rich American bourbon character with inviting notes of caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, baking spice, and a subtle dark-sugar depth. Produced in the United States and bottled at 46.50% ABV, this whiskey fits beautifully into the bourbon category, where a corn-forward mash bill and oak barrel aging help shape its rounded sweetness and smooth structure. It pairs especially well with Pork, where its caramelized spice complements smoky or roasted flavors, and Dark Chocolate, which brings out deeper cocoa, oak, and brown sugar tones in the glass.

Producer Information: Penelope Bourbon

Penelope Bourbon was founded in 2018 in Roselle, New Jersey, by childhood friends Mike Paladini and Danny Polise, with the brand named after Paladini’s daughter. Built around American straight bourbon rather than a legacy distillery estate, Penelope sources and blends whiskey from Indiana’s MGP distillery, then shapes its identity through careful barrel selection, four-grain mash bills, and approachable yet layered profiles that balance corn sweetness with rye spice, wheat softness, and malt structure. Its production style centers on blending discipline, barrel finishing, and consistency across small batches, helping it stand out in the modern sourced-bourbon category while maintaining a clear New Jersey-founded perspective. Beyond its core bourbon expressions, Penelope also produces toasted barrel releases, barrel strength bottlings, private select single barrels, and limited-finish whiskeys such as Architect, Rosé Cask Finish, and Valencia, each extending the house style through texture, proof, or cask influence.