| Whiskey | Penelope Founders Reserve 13 Year [Estate Collection] |
| Distillery | Sourced from “Bardstown’s Best” which is most likely referencing Heaven Hill |
| Region | Bardstown, Kentucky |
| Type | Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 121.4 Proof / 60.7% ABV |
| Aging | Aged 13 Years |
| Filtration | Non-Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $200 |
| Release Year | 2025 |
Penelope Founders Reserve - 13 Year Tasting Notes
Appearance: Dark Red Amber
Nose: Rich caramel, heavy oak, vanilla, cinnamon, dark fruits, black cherry, anise, hints of citrus, apple, baking spice, clove, leather, tobacco, rye grain, malt, graham cracker notes
Palate: Rich bold caramel, lots of toasted oak, vanilla, warm oaky tannic spice, cinnamon spice, black pepper, rye spice, leather, tobacco, dark fruits, black cherry, plum
Finish: Rich finish with a bit of heat on it – leaves you with a heavy caramel sweetness, black fruits, and lingering oaky tannic spice and black pepper on the tail end
Is Penelope Founders Reserve an Approachable Whiskey?
Penelope Founders Reserve 13 Year has quite a bit of heat on it being 121.4 Proof.
It certainly is not a whiskey for beginners because it is quite hot, but also because it is $200 per bottle.
This is likely one that I would reserve for a special night with friends who you know love high-proof cask strength whiskeys.
Is Penelope Founders Reserve Complex?
Penelope Founders Reserve has a few layers of complexity and depth of flavor, certainly more than most of the other Penelope bottles I’ve tasted.
It starts out with big and bold classic bourbon flavors like heavy caramel, rich vanilla, and a lot of charred toasted oak.
This is great because many of the other bottles from Penelope don’t offer nearly as rich a bourbon profile as this bottle does.
In addition to those flavors, you get another layer of flavor that is full of cinnamon spice, black pepper, rye spice, leather, and tobacco.
I’m a huge fan of this earthy and oaky flavor profile and I definitely wasn’t expecting this bottle to offer them at this level.
And finally, you have your layer of fruit flavors which include dark fruit notes like black cherry, plum, and hints of raspberry but also light fruit notes like citrus and apple.
The finish is fairly heavy with a nice oaky tannic spice that dries out your mouth which is quite enjoyable.
It’s not a particularly oily and long-lasting finish, but it is quite nice.
What are Penelope Founders Reserve’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Penelope Founders Reserve’s strongest attribute is that it’s almost certainly Heaven Hill distillate so think of mash bills similar to your regular Heaven Hill, Parker Heritage, and Elijah Craig bottles which are all the same mash bill.
Granted, the bottle doesn’t say this directly, but it has:
- The same mash bill
- The bottle says it is sourced from “Bardstown’s Best”
- After tasting it, I am fairly certain that it is Heaven Hill
Is Penelope Founders Reserve a go-to whiskey?
Since this bottle is $200, the kind of takes it out of my “go-to” whiskey category, but even if it were cheaper, it likely isn’t one that I would drink on a regular basis.
It’s extremely rich and savory so it’s not something that I need more than one pour of at a time.
This is a bottle that I would reserve for special occasions and to share with my fellow cask-strength friends.
Is Penelope Founders Reserve priced accurately to its quality?
I was trying to determine whether this bottle was the worth the price tag and I was having some trouble deciding.
$200 is very expensive even for Penelope.
In general, I find Penelope to overcharge for their whiskey by $20-30 but this is the first bottle that I have tasted from them where the quality was just leaps and bounds better than most of their others.
It is easily my favorite bottle from Penelope (even above my Penelope Toasted Marshmallow – which I absolutely loved).
But is it worth the $200 price tag?
I only knew one way to find out…
I decided to side-by-side compare with one of my favorite cask strength Heaven Hill bottles… Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch C923.
They both are aged 13 years, they’re both cask strength, and they both have Heaven Hill 78% Corn, 12% Rye, 10% Malted Barley mash bill.
So after tasting them side-by-side, I was quite surprised at how well this Penelope held up to one of my favorite cask strength bottles!
But overall, I think I still like the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch C923 more (which cost $75 MSRP).
So when it comes to determining whether this Penelope bottle is worth the $200 price tag, I think it is a bit pricey.
I’d be happier if this bottle were $150.
Granted, Batch C923 is my Elijah Craig Barrel Proof they have released so it’s comparing the very best of Elijah Craig vs Penelope’s new product, but still.
So overall, I think Penelope is a little overpriced, but this is one of the best bottles you can get from Penelope and it’s great to see them sourcing high-quality whiskey for their Estate Collection bottles.
Conclusion for Penelope Founders Reserve - 13 Year [Estate Collection]
Overall, this is an excellent bottle from Penelope.
I feel like they’re launching their “Estate Collection” as their high-end bottles similar to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.
It is quite delicious and if you have the money to spend on it, I don’t think anyone will be disappointed with their purchase.
That being said, I’m always a bit confused about the Penelope lineup because it seems to have a ton of inconsistency and I never know what I’m going to get in each bottle they release.
A few are really good like the Penelope Toasted Marshmallow, Penelope Project X Cognac and Oloroso Sherry Finish, and Penelope Cigar Blend, but the rest I’m not a huge fan of and think are overpriced by about $20-30.
I will continue to roll the dice on any bottles I can get from them to help bring you reviews on each, but it really does just feel like a 30% chance I’m going to get a winner each time.
I will say that if they continue releasing bottles like this Founders Reserve, they’ll be getting a lot more credibility as a brand because this bottle just elevated their entire lineup to me.
If you see this one on the shelf and have the money to spend, pick it up and you probably won’t be disappointed.
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