MGP
Lux Row
49.5%
NAS
Penelope Madagascar is the first new release from Penelope Bourbon since parent company MGP Ingredients rebranded as Sempreon. The latest addition to the brand’s Cooper Series, Madagascar starts with a four-grain bourbon distilled at MGP’s Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, before finishing in Cognac casks. It is bottled in St. Louis, Missouri, at 99 proof.
The bourbon is distilled from a mashbill of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye and 3% malted barley. It is aged approximately four years before spending an additional three to four months in Cognac casks. The release has no age statement and is bottled at 99 proof.
Madagascar is available in 750-milliliter bottles online and at select retailers nationwide, with a suggested retail price of $79.99. It joins Havana (rum and maple syrup cask-finished), Rio (American honey and Brazilian oak cask-finished) and Riviera (Spanish rosé wine cask-finished) in the Cooper Series.
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Lovely, confectionary nose — Big vanilla bean/creme brûlée vibe, backed up by clove, cinnamon, cracked pepper, peach, orange peel and grapey cognac influence.
Moderate mouthfeel. Nice palate; the cognac layers over the distillate nicely without overwhelming it. Cornbread, walnuts, cinnamon, clove, graham cracker, blood orange, tobacco.
The finish leads with spice — cinnamon, gingerbread, brown sugar, cardamom, clove — and grape-heavy cognac, and then fades out into a dry leathery and raisiny vibe that mingles pleasantly with vanilla.
Rock solid release from Penelope. It drinks quite well at a relatively young age, and is really delicious. The bourbon and cognac mingle together for a lovely, vanilla-heavy flavor profile that has baking spice galore. The time spent in cognac has imbued it with a dry, leathery finish that makes it read older than sub-5 years.
89
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
