It has been a minute since I picked up a bottle of Penelope Estate Collection whiskey, though they have been a recurring feature on the blog lately. I previously reviewed the Penelope Estate Collection Private Reserve 9 Year Old Bourbon back in February, and more recently, I shared my thoughts on the Penelope Omega 11 Year Old Straight Bourbon. Both of those releases showed me that Penelope has seriously elevated their game since their acquisition by MGP via Luxco, which gave their founders access to some truly excellent, older barrel stock. Even some of the lower priced releases, Creme Brulee and Marshmallow Toast, have also been really good. But, for the bottle I picked up today, there are no French Oak staves involved, just really good bourbon from MGP.

When I came across this newer 2025 release of the Penelope Estate Collection 10 Year Old Single Barrel, I knew I had to give it a try. This specific release is limited to an allocation of just 2,400 three-bottle cases nationwide and carries a suggested retail price of around $90. While there are a few variations of this release floating around, my bottle features MGP’s classic high-rye mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley. It boasts a true 10-year age statement and is bottled at a very respectable 103 proof. This is an extremely limited release bourbon-only 7,200 bottles produced.

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Here is what I found when I poured a glass:

Color: The color on this is a deep, solid amber. Interestingly, at ten years old and 103 proof, I would normally expect a bourbon to be a bit darker than this. The lighter hue indicates it was likely aged in a cooler part of the warehouse, which obviously contributed to a more gentle maturation process. In my experience, high rye bourbons need gentle aging to soften the grassiness the rye often brings to the party.

Nose: The nose says very traditional high-rye bourbon to me. It opens with lots of rich caramel and vanilla, underscored by some of those classic, grassy rye notes that let you know exactly what kind of mashbill you are dealing with.

Palate: On the palate, the vanilla notes are very rich and forward. Surprisingly, that grassy rye character from the nose isn’t there; instead, the rye presents as bright citrus fruit and juicy fruit flavors. This beautiful fruit-forward transition is undoubtedly the result of the long, gentle aging this bourbon experienced. But not all of it is the rye on the fruit notes. Isoamyl acetate which is a byproduct of fermentation, is the source of the juicy fruit gum flavor, and that is largely driven by the yeast used and whether the distiller is careful to make sure this particular esther is not lost in cutting off the heads and tails during distillation. The mouthfeel is a lovely medium-full, coating the palate perfectly.

Finish: The finish really lingers on this one. The juicy fruit gum notes carry over and hang around for a while, accompanied by warm baking spices and some nice, drying oak in the background that provides an excellent balance to the sweeter fruit notes.

Overall, this is a remarkably well-aged, fruit-forward MGP bourbon that highlights what gentle warehouse aging can do to a high-rye mashbill. Penelope’s Estate Collection continues to prove that they are sourcing and blending some fantastic barrels. Given what is in this bottle and the price point, this is absolutely one to keep on your radar. This is an extremely well balanced and flavorful bourbon. I continue to be impressed with the Penelope Estate Collection releases, as they are truly top shelf bourbons at a great price point.