Click the button below to be notified when this product is back in stock.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Penelope Bourbon has built its reputation on creative, precisely engineered barrel finishing, and the Architect Series is where that ambition shows most clearly. Founded in 2018 by Michael Paladini and Danny Polise, the New Jersey-based bottler sources its base bourbon from MGP in Indiana, then partners with Tonnellerie Radoux — a renowned French cooperage — to finish select batches with custom oak staves, using proprietary OakScan technology to dial in precise, targeted flavor development rather than leaving cask finishing to chance. Architect "Crème Brûlée" is built specifically to chase the flavor of the dessert itself: vanilla custard, caramelized sugar, and toasty bakery notes, engineered directly through that custom stave finishing process.
One bottle per customer, please.
The most recent batches carry a 110-proof bottling strength (55% ABV), aged four to five years, built on MGP's high-rye mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley — a notable shift from the four-grain recipe used in some earlier Architect releases. This is genuinely limited whiskey; one independent reviewer specifically noted that a batch he tracked down "was not on the shelves... but was in the back," confirming just how quickly these releases tend to move. Penelope's own tasting notes describe "sweet candied cream and floral" character with hints of crème brûlée, developing "creamy sweetness" that transitions into "herbal, floral and cream" through the body, closing on "rich vanilla that leaves a long lingering finish with some heat."
Independent reviews land in genuinely different places worth knowing about honestly. Tortured Bourbon's tasting found "the nose bursts with vanilla custard, caramel, brown sugar, and creamy sweetness," developing on the palate into "buttery vanilla cream, brûléed sugar, oak spice, cinnamon, and toasted marshmallow," closing "silky and sweet, with lingering bakery and oak notes" — their conclusion: "if you're a fan of dessert-inspired bourbons or curious about how French oak staves transform a four-grain MGP base, the Penelope Architect Crème Brûlée is worth hunting down." Bourbon Bossman's review was more measured, finding "solid notes of vanilla, brown sugar, and rye spice throughout," but noting honestly: "I guess I was hoping for a lasting finish, and I was expecting something a little sweeter with a grand name such as this" — the finish landing "short to medium" rather than the long, decadent close the dessert-inspired name might promise. Either way, this remains a genuinely interesting example of precision cask engineering applied to a specific, ambitious flavor target.
Penelope Bourbon was founded in 2018 by Michael Paladini and Danny Polise, based in New Jersey, built around a philosophy of transparency, small-batch blending, and creative barrel finishing. The company sources its base bourbon from MGP in Indiana, and has built its Architect Series specifically around collaboration with Tonnellerie Radoux, a respected French cooperage, using their proprietary OakScan technology to select and finish barrels with custom oak staves engineered for precise, targeted flavor outcomes.
Architect "Crème Brûlée" is finished with custom-selected French oak staves specifically chosen to draw out vanilla custard, caramelized sugar, and toasted oak character. Recent batches are built on MGP's high-rye mash bill — 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley — a departure from the four-grain recipe (74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, 3% malted barley) used in some earlier Architect releases. The whiskey is aged four to five years and bottled at 110 proof (55% ABV), non-chill filtered, as a limited, fairly small release that tends to sell through quickly in the markets where it's distributed.
No numerical critic score is confirmed for this product at this time.
Tortured Bourbon (extended independent review):
"The Crème Brûlée edition is designed to emphasize vanilla, caramelized sugar, and toasty bakery notes. According to bourbon fans online, the nose bursts with vanilla custard, caramel, brown sugar, and creamy sweetness. The palate adds buttery vanilla cream, brûléed sugar, oak spice, cinnamon, and toasted marshmallow. The finish is silky and sweet, with lingering bakery and oak notes. If you're a fan of dessert-inspired bourbons or curious about how French oak staves transform a four-grain MGP base, the Penelope Architect Crème Brûlée is worth hunting down."
Bourbon Bossman (extended independent review):
"Overall, this is a very good pour with solid notes of vanilla, brown sugar, and rye spice throughout; hence the name 'Crème Brûlée.' Nonetheless, I guess I was hoping for a lasting finish, and I was expecting something a little sweeter with a grand name such as this. Nose: Vanilla Custard, Rye Spice, Caramel, and Brown Sugar. Palate: Vanilla Cream, Brown Sugar, Oak, Rye Spice, and Slight Marshmallow. Finish: Short to Medium with Notes of Sweet Vanilla and Rye Spice."
The Whiskey Jar (extended independent review):
"When I first tried Penelope bourbon, I was not a huge fan, but merely thought it was ok. But after they got bought out by MGP and thereby had access to some amazing barrels of whiskey, I was really impressed."
Penelope Bourbon (official tasting notes):
"Sweet candied cream and floral with hints of crème brûlée. Creamy sweetness transitions from the forward notes and into the body, herbal, floral and cream. Rich vanilla that leaves a long lingering finish with some heat."
Nose
Sweet candied cream and floral notes lead, with hints of crème brûlée, joined by vanilla custard, caramel, and brown sugar.
Palate
Creamy sweetness carries through the body, developing herbal and floral notes alongside buttery vanilla cream, brûléed sugar, oak spice, and toasted marshmallow. Rye spice adds warmth throughout.
Finish
Rich vanilla with some heat, closing warm with sweet vanilla and rye spice; independent tastings vary on length, ranging from short-to-medium to genuinely long and lingering with bakery and oak notes.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Straight Bourbon Whiskey — French Oak Stave Finished, Limited Release |
| ABV / Proof | 55% ABV / 110 Proof (recent batches; earlier batches at 52% ABV) |
| Age | 4-5 years (varies by batch) |
| Mash Bill | 75% Corn / 21% Rye / 4% Malted Barley (recent batches); earlier batches used a 4-grain recipe |
| Source | MGP — Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
| Bottler | Penelope Bourbon — New Jersey |
| Founded | 2018, by Michael Paladini & Danny Polise |
| Finishing | Custom French oak staves, Tonnellerie Radoux, OakScan technology |
| Series | Architect Series |
| Availability | Limited release |
| Style / Identity | A dessert-inspired bourbon engineered specifically for vanilla, caramel, and toasted bakery character |
| Aromas & Flavors | Vanilla custard, caramelized sugar, brown sugar, toasted oak, buttery cream, toasted marshmallow, rye spice |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Best enjoyed neat, in a Glencairn glass, to fully appreciate the dessert-inspired character built into the finishing process.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
Your cart is empty
Start shopping
