Penelope Estate Collection Private Select 10 Year Bourbon 750ML

Penelope Estate Collection Private Select 10 Year Bourbon 750ML is a non-chill filtered, barrel-proof straight bourbon aged ten years and bottled at 106.8 proof (53.4% ABV). This hand-selected release earned Gold medals at both the 2025 ASCOT Awards and 2025 SIP Awards, validating its standing as one of the more serious offerings in the Penelope lineup.

Quick Facts: ABV: 53.4% (106.8 proof)  |  Origin: Lawrenceburg, Indiana  |  Age: 10 Years  |  Distillery: Ross & Squibb (MGP)

Production & Heritage

Penelope Bourbon sources its whiskey from the Ross & Squibb Distillery — formerly and still widely known as MGP — in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, one of the most prolific bourbon and rye production facilities in the country. The Private Select 10 Year expression uses a mashbill of 74% corn, 20% rye, 1% wheat, and 5% malted barley. What separates this bottling from standard Penelope releases is the barrel curation process: each lot is drawn from a tightly edited selection of decade-aged barrels, left uncut at barrel proof, and bottled without chill filtration to preserve the full spectrum of oils, texture, and flavor developed over ten years in charred oak.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Rich caramel greets you first, followed by warm cinnamon, red fruits — think dried cherry and stewed plum — and a base of dark brown sugar. A second pass reveals a subtle roasted oak quality beneath the sweetness.

Taste: The entry is dense with caramel and brown sugar, quickly layering into cherry sweetness and assertive baking spices driven by that 20% rye backbone. At mid-palate, light oak smoke emerges alongside hints of toasted grain, giving the bourbon a structured, almost chewy body that carries well at full proof.

Finish: Long and warming, settling into vanilla honey bun sweetness with persistent oak spice. A faint whisper of smoke lingers at the very end, rewarding patience between sips.

How to Drink Penelope Private Select 10 Year

At 106.8 proof, this bourbon rewards a slow, deliberate neat pour — let it sit in the glass for five minutes before nosing, and consider a few drops of water to unlock the mid-palate fruit character without diluting the texture. It also stands up well in spirit-forward cocktails:

• Old Fashioned — The high proof and brown sugar sweetness cut cleanly through bitters and a sugar cube without losing identity.
• Boulevardier — Cherry and baking spice from the bourbon complement sweet vermouth and Campari with surprising harmony.
• Kentucky Mule — The rye-forward spice and oak smoke provide a more complex base than standard bourbon in this ginger-forward serve.

Best For

• Gifting a bourbon collector who values barrel-proof, age-stated releases
• Building a side-by-side tasting of Indiana-distilled bourbons at various age statements
• Celebrating a milestone with a bold, full-proof sipper that rewards slow drinking
• Adding a high-proof anchor to a home bar's whiskey shelf

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Penelope Private Select 10 Year taste like? It leads with rich caramel and brown sugar, develops into cherry sweetness and rye-driven baking spice, and finishes long with vanilla honey bun notes and a thread of oak smoke. The non-chill filtered, barrel-proof bottling gives it a notably thick, oily mouthfeel.

How does Penelope Private Select 10 Year compare to Russell's Reserve 10 Year? Both are ten-year-old bourbons, but Penelope Private Select is bottled at a significantly higher 106.8 proof versus Russell's Reserve at 90 proof, delivering considerably more intensity and texture. Russell's Reserve uses a different mashbill distilled at Wild Turkey in Kentucky, resulting in a lighter, more approachable pour at a lower price point.

Is Penelope Private Select 10 Year good for sipping neat? Yes — its barrel-proof strength and decade of aging produce a layered, complex bourbon that is built for neat sipping, though a few drops of water can help open the fruit and spice notes further.

Where is Penelope Private Select 10 Year made? It is distilled at the Ross & Squibb Distillery (widely known as MGP) in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, a facility responsible for producing bourbon and rye whiskey for dozens of American brands.

What foods pair well with Penelope Private Select 10 Year? Smoked brisket or pulled pork matches the bourbon's oak smoke and proof; dark chocolate truffles echo its caramel and brown sugar core; pecan pie mirrors the toasted grain and vanilla sweetness; aged cheddar or Gruyère stands up to the spice and intensity; and crème brûlée highlights the honey bun finish.

What sizes does Penelope Private Select 10 Year come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Penelope Private Select 10 Year worth the price? It positions as a premium expression within the Penelope range, and its combination of a ten-year age statement, barrel-proof bottling, non-chill filtration, and double Gold medal recognition in 2025 places it competitively against other curated single-barrel and small-batch releases in its tier.

Why Penelope Private Select 10 Year?

In a market saturated with sourced Indiana bourbon, the Private Select 10 Year distinguishes itself through rigorous barrel selection and a commitment to bottling without dilution or filtration — letting a full decade of oak interaction speak for itself at 106.8 proof. The 2025 Gold medals from both ASCOT and SIP Awards reinforce that the quality is not just marketing narrative. The four-grain mashbill, with its unusual 1% wheat alongside a muscular 20% rye, produces a flavor profile that straddles the line between spice-driven and dessert-sweet in a way few competitors manage. For drinkers who want age, proof, and transparency in a single bottle, this release delivers on all three counts.