Penelope Bourbon Ready-To-Pour Blackberry Old Fashioned

 

Penelope Bourbon Ready-To-Pour Blackberry Old Fashioned

Penelope Bourbon Expands Ready-to-Pour Lineup with Blackberry Old Fashioned

Ready-to-pour cocktails have exploded in popularity over the past few years.  But most bourbon drinkers still approach them with a healthy amount of skepticism.  Why?  Because, historically, many of these RTP offerings have been unbalanced in alcohol, flavor, finish and overall appeal.  An Old Fashioned is one of the easier cocktails to learn and perfect.  And, it is also one of the easiest to get wrong!

Penelope Bourbon has released previous expressions of the RTP Old Fashioned.  The new release is the Blackberry Old Fashioned, which enters a crowded space but stands out head and shoulders above the competition.  If you want a spoiler (which we sometimes offer), we can tell you this.  This is our favorite ready-to-pour Old Fashioned offering to date - ever!  Despite such a bold claim, we hope you'll continue reading.

The Blackberry Old Fashioned from Penelope Bourbon joins previously releases of Peach Old Fashioned, Black Walnut Old Fashioned, and Apple Cinnamon Old Fashioned.  While each one is uniquely delicious and appealing to the masses, the blackberry offering is nothing short of incredible.

This RTP bottle contains blends of straight bourbon and rye whiskeys, orange bitters, and blackberry simple syrup.  That's it.  Sounds simple, right?  But how can so few ingredients create something to delicious?  

Medium amber color with fresh blackberry compote.  You don't get the overly sweet, syrupy, candied flavors like other similar products.  This tastes like mom's blackberries from the garden.  Vanilla, orange zest, carmalized sugar and hints of oak join in the medley of aromas.  The whiskey is still the solid foundation, with the sweet blackberry acting as an enhancer and not the star of the show necessarily.  The aromas carry over to the flavors, but adding in rich baking spices towards the finish.  

Is this an apertif?  Is this a dessert?  We don't think it needs to be pigeonholed into a label or category.  We tasted this on the rocks, neat and with some homemade spongy chocolate cake.  The results were all the same - pure satisfaction!  Depending on your pour, you should yield 12-15 drinks per bottle.  On a side note, this is the ideal bottle for those who don't want to take the time to muddle the fruit, zest the orange, add the syrup, stir the drink, etc..  We dare not call this a lazy man's drink.  We call it the smart man's drink!

Penelope Bourbon is a brand that builds on success while stepping outside of the norm.  They don't believe a glass ceiling - they shatter it.  This bottle is an example of that philosophy.  So keep your eyes focused on Penelope because the next incredible bottle is surely on the way!

Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned

ABV:  38.0% (76 proof)

Distillery:  Penelope Bourbon

Suggested retail price:  $29.99

Drink The Bottles score:  96/100



Location: St. Louis, MO, USA

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