Penelope Bourbon Estate Collection 2026 Private Select 10 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml

The Estate Collection is Penelope’s premium line, introduced in October 2024 and now in its third year. It showcases older, more carefully selected barrels than the brand’s standard releases, “shaped by time, elevated by mastery, and driven by the courage to go beyond convention.” The 2026 slate includes a 13-year-old Founder’s Reserve, two 10-year-old Single Barrels, a straight rye, and this Private Select, a blend of 10-year-old straight bourbons.

The Penelope Bourbon is limited to one bottle per customer.

The Private Select is a blend of straight bourbons distilled in Indiana and Kentucky, aged 10 years in new, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, with a four-grain mash bill of 74% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley, and 1% wheat, a relatively rye-heavy version of Penelope’s four-grain style. It’s bottled at 102.2 proof (51.1% ABV). Unlike many of Penelope’s other releases, it isn’t finished in secondary barrels or staves: this is the bourbon itself, with its decade of age doing the work. The barrels and blend can change from year to year, even though the age statement stays the same.

The official notes describe an aroma of “rich caramel, cinnamon, and red fruits,” a body of “caramel, brown sugar, cherry, and baking spice,” and a finish of “vanilla honey bun, oak spice and light smoke.” A reviewer at Whiskeyfellow noted that for a 10-year-old, higher-proof bourbon, the color was a surprisingly soft, “deep orange amber,” and that at 102.2 proof it “went down a bit too easily. It was flavorful without alcohol burn,” concluding that it is “delightful and well worth the price of admission.” Reviewers of the previous (2025) edition called the Private Select “refined and accessible,” highlighting “a familiar yet delightful Penelope four-grain style flavor profile,” without trying “to be flashy or reinvent the company’s standard flavor profile.” It’s a traditional, easy-sipping, caramel-and-cherry bourbon with real age and proof behind it, a good one for customers who want a 10-year-old without a finishing gimmick.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Penelope Bourbon Estate Collection 2026 Private Select is produced by Penelope Bourbon of St. Louis, Missouri, a blend of straight bourbons distilled in Indiana (MGP) and Kentucky, aged 10 years in new, 53-gallon charred oak barrels. The mash bill is 74% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley, and 1% wheat. No secondary finishing. Bottled at 51.1% ABV / 102.2 proof, 750ml. Limited annual release.

Critics Reviews

Whiskeyfellow (October 2026):
“At 102.2°, the 2026 Private Select Bourbon went down a bit too easily. It was flavorful without alcohol burn... The verdict is that Penelope 10 Year Private Select Bourbon is delightful and well worth the price of admission.”

Breaking Bourbon (2025 edition, house-style context):
“A decade of aging yields a refined and accessible bourbon, offering a familiar yet delightful Penelope four-grain style flavor profile.”

Penelope (official tasting notes):
“Aroma: Rich caramel, cinnamon, and red fruits. Body: Caramel, brown sugar, cherry, and baking spice. Finish: Vanilla honey bun, oak spice and light smoke.”

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep orange amber. Rich caramel, cinnamon, and red fruits.

Palate
Caramel, brown sugar, cherry, and baking spice, soft and flavorful without burn.

Finish
Vanilla honey bun, oak spice, and a touch of light smoke.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Smoked brisket and barbecue
• Pecan pie and cinnamon desserts
• Aged cheddar
• Dark chocolate

Serving Note

Enjoy neat first, then with a few drops of water or a large cube.