Penelope Bourbon released the collection in the US in May 2026. The three expressions are called Hole 1, Hole 2 and Hole 3, and the name is not just theming for the sake of it. Penelope’s founders, Michael Paladini and Danny Polise, sketched the brand out over a round of golf in 2018, so a golf-course concept is closer to an origin story than a marketing gimmick.
Here are the key facts up front. All three are straight bourbon whiskey, aged six years, bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV), and non-chill filtered. Suggested retail is $59.99 per 750ml bottle. Distribution is limited quantities at select US retailers nationwide.
What Architects of Golf actually is: one bourbon, three stave finishes
The idea behind the collection is deliberately narrow, and that is what makes it interesting. Rather than blending three different bourbons, Penelope took the same base whiskey and finished it with American oak staves applied at different intensities and over different lengths of time.
Hole 1 gets the lightest touch. Hole 2 sits in the middle. Hole 3 is the most intense. The point of the set is to taste the effect of the wood in isolation, moving from gentle to bold across the three glasses, with everything else held constant.
Danny Polise, Penelope’s master blender, has described each hole as a distinct batch built to explore how different stave profiles change the same spirit. In practice, this is a finishing experiment dressed up as a golf round, and for anyone who likes to understand where flavour comes from, that is a more useful format than three unrelated bottles would be.
All three share the same high-rye mashbill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley. That 36% rye is worth noting. It is well above the rye content in a standard bourbon, so expect a spicier, more structured backbone before the oak even enters the picture.
Who is Penelope Bourbon, and where does the whiskey come from
Penelope Bourbon started in 2018 and grew quickly enough to become an acquisition target. In 2023, MGP bought the brand through its Luxco arm in a deal reported at up to $200 million in total value, and Penelope now sits inside that group.
That ownership matters for one reason: sourcing. Penelope has built its reputation on blending and finishing rather than on running its own stills, and its whiskey has historically come from MGP’s distillery in Indiana, Ross and Squibb. Penelope has not officially stated the distillery of origin for Architects of Golf, but given the brand’s track record and its current ownership, an MGP Indiana source is the reasonable assumption rather than a confirmed fact.
None of that is a knock. Penelope has won serious hardware, including a Double Gold and Best in Class finalist placement for its Toasted bourbon at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The brand’s strength has always been what it does with the barrel after distillation, which is exactly what Architects of Golf is built around.
Penelope Architects of Golf tasting notes
Note: these notes are supplied by Penelope. The Daily Whisky has not yet tasted the collection, so treat them as the distillery’s own description rather than an independent verdict.
| Hole 1 | Hole 2 | Hole 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stave intensity | Lightest | Medium | Most intense |
| Age | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years |
| Proof / ABV | 94 / 47% | 94 / 47% | 94 / 47% |
| Mashbill | 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malt | Same | Same |
| Nose | Gentle vanilla, light toasted oak | Toasted oak, balanced vanilla | Vanilla, rich toasted oak |
| Palate | Subtle baking spice, balanced warmth | Deeper spice, more depth | Assertive spice, fuller and weightier |
| Finish | Soft fruit, smooth and easygoing | Fruit hints, longer and more complex | Balanced fruit, bold and concentrated |
| For whom | The easy first pour | The middle ground | The oak-forward drinker |
Hole 1 — Penelope Architects of Golf
Nose: gentle vanilla, light toasted oak Palate: subtle baking spice, balanced warmth Finish: soft fruit, smooth and easygoing ABV: 47% (94 proof) | Finish: American oak staves, light | Price: $59.99
Hole 2 — Penelope Architects of Golf
Nose: toasted oak, balanced vanilla Palate: deeper spice, added depth Finish: hints of fruit, longer and more complexABV: 47% (94 proof) | Finish: American oak staves, medium | Price: $59.99
Hole 3 — Penelope Architects of Golf
Nose: vanilla, rich toasted oak Palate: assertive spice, fuller and weightier Finish: balanced fruit, bold and concentrated ABV: 47% (94 proof) | Finish: American oak staves, heavy | Price: $59.99
Price and availability
Each bottle carries a suggested retail price of $59.99 for 750ml, which puts the full three-bottle set at around $180. All three arrived at select US retailers in limited quantities from late May 2026.
The catch for international readers is that this is a US release with no announced European or UK distribution. If you are outside the States, tracking these down means a US-based retailer that ships internationally, a bottle-splitting group, or a friend travelling home from the US. There is no Danish or wider EU listing at the time of writing.
Penelope also tied a Classic Club Sports Sweepstakes to the launch, offering trips to golf and tennis tournaments, which tells you exactly which audience the brand is aiming at here.
Our take: a smart format at a fair price, if you can get all three
Architects of Golf is a good idea executed cleanly. Selling one bourbon at three stave intensities turns a finishing gimmick into something genuinely educational, and $59.99 a bottle is a fair ask for a 6-year, non-chill filtered, high-rye bourbon in the current US market.
The honest caveat is that the format only fully pays off if you drink all three side by side. Bought individually, Hole 2 on its own is just a bourbon. Bought as a set, the trio becomes a controlled tasting of what oak does to spirit, which is the whole point and the reason to care.
Who it is for: bourbon drinkers who like understanding cause and effect in a glass, and anyone who enjoys a flight-style tasting at home. Who it is not for: peat and sherry-cask Scotch drinkers looking for something dramatic, and international buyers who do not want to chase a US-only release. We will update this piece with independent notes if we get the collection in front of us.
Frequently asked questions
What is Penelope Architects of Golf? Penelope Architects of Golf is a limited-edition trio of straight bourbon whiskeys released in the US in May 2026. It features three expressions, Hole 1, Hole 2 and Hole 3, all built from the same six-year-old bourbon but finished on American oak staves at three increasing intensities.
What is the difference between Hole 1, Hole 2 and Hole 3? The base whiskey is identical in all three. The difference is the American oak stave finish. Hole 1 gets the lightest treatment for a gentle, vanilla-led profile, Hole 2 sits in the middle with deeper spice, and Hole 3 is the most intense, with rich toasted oak and assertive spice.
How much does Penelope Architects of Golf cost? Each 750ml bottle has a suggested retail price of $59.99, so the complete three-bottle set costs roughly $180. Actual shelf prices vary by retailer, and limited allocation may push some prices higher on the secondary market.
Where can I buy Penelope Architects of Golf? The collection launched in limited quantities at select US retailers nationwide from late May 2026. There is no announced UK or European distribution, so buyers outside the US will need a US retailer that ships internationally or a bottle-split group.
What is the mashbill and proof of Architects of Golf? All three bottles are bottled at 94 proof, which is 47% ABV, and are non-chill filtered. The high-rye mashbill is 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley, and each expression is aged six years before the stave finish.
What is Penelope Bourbon known for? Founded in 2018 and now owned by MGP through its Luxco arm, Penelope is known for blended and finished straight bourbons rather than its own distillation. Its Toasted expression won Double Gold and a Best in Class finalist spot at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
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