Penelope Cigar Sessions

⚑ Placeholder review — tasting notes to be updated after the pour.

The Story

Penelope's Cigar Sessions is a genuinely unusual concept for a bourbon-adjacent brand: a whiskey designed specifically to be drunk alongside a stick. The blend itself is a three-way combination of 6-year straight bourbon, 100% American single malt, and American light whiskey — an uncommon mashup that gives this release a mash bill of 72% corn, 15% rye, and 13% malt, bottled at 101 proof. The idea is that the sweetness and body of the bourbon foundation holds up to the aromatic complexity of a cigar, while the single malt and light whiskey components add approachability and length without drowning out the smoke.

Whether you believe in intentional food (or smoke) pairing as a concept or not, it's hard to argue with the ambition. This is Penelope stretching its legs beyond the blended-straight-bourbon lane they've occupied since launch, and the result is something worth paying attention to — even if you're drinking it without a cigar in the other hand.

Nose, Palate & Finish

The Verdict