| Whiskey | Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask |
| Distillery | Sourced from MGP |
| Region | Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
| Type | Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 74% Corn, 16% Wheat, 7% Rye, 3% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 112 Proof / 56% ABV |
| Aging | 3.5 to 5 years in new American oak barrels – finishing time is unspecified |
| Filtration | Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $70 |
| Release Year | 2025 |
What is Penelope Project X?
Penelope Project X is a series where Penelope experiments with bold and unusual finishing techniques to help layer additional flavors on top of their traditional four-grain base mash bill.
While a Pedro Ximénez Sherry isn’t quite a “unique” finish on whiskey (used often in Scotches), it is more rare in bourbon so this is a good start to their Penelope Project X series.
Also included in this initial release is a Oloroso Sherry Cask, Cognac Cask, as well as an Oloroso and Cognac Cask Finish.
Many of the Penelope Project X bottles are store picks which means that a liquor store, whiskey club, or private group decided to choose one specific barrel from Penelope to label as their chosen barrel.
My pick is from Fine Wine and Good Spirits Liquor Store in Pennsylvania.
There are some limited-release versions of these bottles that were distributed by Penelope and are not a store pick.
If you see a bottle at your local liquor store, it will show on the label “Selected By” which will tell you which store or group selected that particular barrel.
Regardless, these are fun new experiments from Penelope and I’m sure they’re going to have some pretty interesting combinations coming to this series in the future.
For this review, I am tasting the Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask Finish.
So let’s get into it!
Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Caramel
Nose: Caramel, cinnamon, baking spice, vanilla, rye spice, dark fruit, fig, toasted oak, wheat
Palate: Rich dark fruits, raisin, fig, black cherry, rye spice, caramel, molasses, toasted oak, wheat grain, malt, chocolate notes, powdered sugar, clove, nutmeg
Finish: Medium finish with a nice oily mouthfeel – leaves you with rich dark fruits and an almost dessert flavor in your mouth
Is Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask an Approachable Whiskey?
Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask is a nice whiskey that you could serve as a dessert drink at a dinner party.
While it does have a relatively high proof point at 108, the flavors it offers deliver beyond the proof.
It certainly won’t be a drink for everybody and I would serve this to more experienced whiskey drinkers who will be able to handle the heat.
Is Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask Complex?
Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask has a few layers of complexity to dive into.
It starts with your traditional Penelope flavor profile that imparts flavors from their four-grain mash bill of corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley.
You certainly get all of those flavors in this whiskey, but the PX Sherry Cask Finish really layers on a powerful dark fruit, molasses, and almost chocolate nutmeg flavor profile.
It has a nice finish that is quite rich and has a nice mouthfeel.
What are Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask’s strongest attribute is that this is a bottle from the new Penelope Project X experimental series where they will be experimenting with unique and fun finishes on bourbon.
It’s more common to see a Scotch Whisky finished in Pedro Ximénez (PX) Sherry but it’s not common to see with bourbons.
I’m excited to see what other experiments Penelope will release as they get more and more adventurous with their finishes.
Is Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask a go-to whiskey?
The Penelope Project X series is a limited-release so it is relatively difficult to find and there won’t be a whole ton of bottles.
Despite that, I don’t think this bottle would be a go-to for me.
While I can appreciate all the flavors in the pour, it’s just not the flavor profile I would drink on a regular basis.
Is Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask priced accurately to its quality?
At the $70 price point, it’s quite nice to find a bourbon finished in Pedro Ximénez Casks.
I’ve had plenty of Scotches that are finished in PX casks, but it’s pretty rare to find the finish on a bourbon.
In addition, Penelope’s four-grain mash bill already has so many flavors that this whiskey is one you can sip on over and over again still find new flavors.
I would say that this bottle is worth the $70 price tag, but I probably would not want to pay more than that.
Penelope got the pricing right on this one.
Conclusion for Penelope Project X - PX Sherry Cask
Overall, Penelope Project X – PX Sherry Cask delivers on what it says it will – an experimental series with unique finishes.
It’s exciting to see what finishes they will come out with next and I hope they offer some odd and unique pairings for this series.
I do, however, wonder if this is just a branding tactic because I was under the impressions that Penelope Rio, Penelope Valencia, Penelope Rosé Cask, etc were all experimental finishes as well.
My guess is that since this is mostly a series where people choose store picks, it’s a way for them to experiment in smaller quantity until they find finishes that they can make into an official Penelope release.
Either way, I’m fine with them experimenting when we get cool finished whiskeys at the $70 price point.
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