If you watch the show you already know I have not been kind to Penelope. I’ve given them a hard time across multiple reviews and I’ve meant every word of it. But today is a different conversation.

Seven years old. 110 proof. 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, 4 percent malted barley. That rye number is not small and you’re going to feel it.

Little bit of story time. Had some friends come into town and wanted to try something different. Figured I’d give Penelope another shot. Picked one up for $89.99, which is a little steep, but you know how it is when people are visiting. You spend a couple extra bucks. We had a great time with it and I found it to be fantastic. Went back for a backup and managed to track one down for $67.99. The girl at the store checked the back for me when the floor was empty. Two back there. I got one. Somebody else got lucky with the other.

Nice pop on the open. No smoke on the fresh crack. Always a cool little detail, doesn’t mean anything.

The nose is exactly what it says on the label. This thing smells like marshmallows. Big brown sugar note right up front, a little graham underneath, and that powdery chalkiness you get from the outside of a fresh marshmallow before it ever sees a flame. Beautiful baking spice woven through all of it. VOC is present, vanilla forward, with sweet oak sitting quietly in the background. One of the more inviting noses I’ve had in a while and I don’t say that lightly.

The palate delivers on everything the nose promises. That confectionary sugar and powdered marshmallow carries right over into the sip. Baking spice, brown sugar, and then that toasted quality that makes this bottle what it is. It tastes like roasting a marshmallow over a campfire. That’s the most accurate thing I can tell you. The rye gives it just enough backbone to keep it from being one dimensional, a little cinnamon spice and pepper woven through the sweetness that keeps every sip interesting.

The finish is medium to long, a little dry, and the 110 proof shows up here more than anywhere else in the glass. Warm, a little spiced, and that charred marshmallow note just lingers. It’s a satisfying close to a genuinely great pour.

On price. I paid $89.99 the first time around and I would do it again without hesitating. The backup at $67.99 felt like a win. If you find it anywhere in that range pick it up. Under $90 for this bottle is a fair ask.

For everyone who has given me grief about how hard I’ve been on Penelope over the years. Fine. This one earned it. Whether it gets me back in the door on their other stuff I genuinely don’t know yet. But this bottle has earned its spot on the shelf and this might just be the gateway.

Go find one.