Most ready to pour drink cocktails in a bottle are built on neutral spirit and sugar. Penelope’s are not. The brand’s Ready to Pour range is four Old Fashioneds made on a base of straight bourbon and rye whiskey, which is a meaningfully different proposition to the sweet, low-strength stuff that usually fills the category.
There are four in the line: Peach, Black Walnut, Apple Cinnamon and Blackberry Old Fashioned. Each one is a finished cocktail you keep in the bottle and pour over ice, no mixing, no measuring, no bitters bottle required. They sit at 38 to 40% ABV depending on the flavour, which is closer to a proper mixed drink than to a spritz.
Here are the facts up front. All four are 750ml, priced at a suggested $29.99 each, and built from straight bourbon and rye whiskey with different bitters and a sweetener that changes per expression. They are sold through Penelope’s own shop and select US retailers. Blackberry is the newest of the four and is currently listed as a pre-sale.
Why a whiskey blog is covering a bottled cocktail
Fair question. Thedailywhisky is a whisky site, and ready-to-drink is not our usual territory. The reason these are worth a look is the base spirit of whiskey and we love ready to drink bottles.
An Old Fashioned is the most whiskey-forward cocktail there is. It is spirit, sugar, bitters and nothing else, so the quality of the whiskey underneath is exposed rather than hidden. Penelope building these on straight bourbon and rye, rather than on a flavourless base, means the drink actually tastes of the spirit it started from. That is the whole point of an Old Fashioned, and it is the thing most bottled versions get wrong.
If you host, or you want a decent whiskey cocktail without owning six bottles and a jigger, this is a sensible category. And at $29.99 for a 750ml bottle that pours several drinks, the maths is friendlier than a single cocktail in most bars.
Who is Penelope Bourbon
Penelope started in 2018 when two friends, Michael Paladini and Danny Polise, sketched the idea out over a round of golf. The brand grew fast enough to become an acquisition target, and in 2023 MGP bought it through its Luxco arm in a deal reported at up to $200 million. Penelope now sits inside that group.
The brand’s reputation is built on blending and finishing rather than on running its own stills, and its whiskey has historically been sourced from MGP’s distillery in Indiana. Its ready-to-pour cocktails have picked up their own hardware, with the Peach and Black Walnut Old Fashioneds both earning Platinum medals at the 2025 ASCOT Awards.
If you saw our piece on the brand’s Penelope Architects of Golf bourbon trio, this is the same house, aiming the same golf-and-good-company story at a more casual, warm-weather occasion.
The four Penelope Old Fashioneds compared
Note: these tasting notes are supplied by Penelope. The Daily Whisky has not tasted the range, so treat them as the producer’s own description rather than an independent verdict.
| Peach | Black Walnut | Apple Cinnamon | Blackberry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Bourbon + rye | Bourbon + rye | Bourbon + rye | Bourbon + rye |
| Bitters | Peach | Black walnut | Apple cinnamon | Orange |
| Sweetener | 100% pure maple syrup | Vanilla demerara | Simple syrup | Blackberry simple syrup |
| ABV / Proof | 40% / 80 | 38% / 76 | 40% / 80 | 38% / 76 |
| Character | Stone fruit, warm spice | Nutty, dessert-like | Baked apple, autumnal | Dark berry, fresh |
| Best for | Late summer evenings | Cold months, after dinner | Autumn and the holidays | Warm weather, easy drinking |
Peach Old Fashioned tasting notes
Nose: dark cherry, vanilla, stone fruit, orange peel
Palate: vanilla, allspice, rich peach, fig
Finish: viscous caramel syrup, candied ginger spice
ABV: 40% (80 proof) | Base: straight bourbon and rye, peach bitters, maple syrup | Price:$29.99
Black Walnut Old Fashioned tasting notes
Nose: warm vanilla, maple, allspice, cocoa
Palate: brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla
Finish: toffee, hints of nut, caramel
ABV: 38% (76 proof) | Base: straight bourbon and rye, black walnut bitters, vanilla demerara | Price: $29.99
Apple Cinnamon Old Fashioned tasting notes
Nose: apple pie, warm holiday cider
Palate: fruit sweetness, rich caramel, oak, spice
Finish: cinnamon rolls, vanilla glaze, churro, tree fruit
ABV: 40% (80 proof) | Base: straight bourbon and rye, apple cinnamon bitters, simple syrup | Price: $29.99
Blackberry Old Fashioned tasting notes
Nose: juicy blackberry, ripe fruit, lemon
Palate: vanilla, oak, light citrus, berry
Finish: aromatic spice, deep plum, fruit sweetness
ABV: 38% (76 proof) | Base: straight bourbon and rye, orange bitters, blackberry simple syrup | Price:$29.99
Price and availability
Each 750ml bottle carries a suggested retail price of $29.99, which is where these make their strongest case. That is roughly the cost of two Old Fashioneds in a decent bar, and a bottle pours far more than two.
The catch for anyone reading outside the US is the same one that applies to most of Penelope’s range: this is a US release with no announced European or UK distribution. Buying from Europe means a US retailer that ships spirits internationally, which is not always simple with pre-mixed alcohol, or a suitcase on the way home. There is no EU listing at the time of writing. Blackberry is currently on pre-sale through Penelope’s own shop, with the other three available now.
Our take: the rare bottled cocktail worth a whiskey drinker’s attention
We have not tasted these, so this is not a verdict on flavour. But the concept is right. A bottled Old Fashioned built on straight bourbon and rye, rather than on neutral spirit, is the version of this category that actually makes sense for someone who cares about whiskey.
Who these are for: hosts, anyone who wants a genuine whiskey cocktail with zero effort, and drinkers who like the Old Fashioned template but not the ritual. Black Walnut and Apple Cinnamon read as cold-weather, after-dinner pours, while Peach and Blackberry are the summer options. Who they are not for: purists who only drink spirit neat, and anyone outside the US who does not fancy the shipping hassle. If we lived stateside, all four would already be in the fridge. We will update with independent notes if the range ever reaches this side of the Atlantic.
Frequently asked questions
What are Penelope Ready-to-Pour cocktails? Penelope Ready-to-Pour is a range of four bottled Old Fashioned cocktails made on a base of straight bourbon and rye whiskey. The four flavours are Peach, Black Walnut, Apple Cinnamon and Blackberry. Each is a finished cocktail you pour over ice, with no mixing or additional ingredients required.
What is the difference between the four Penelope Old Fashioneds? All four share a straight bourbon and rye base but differ in bitters and sweetener. Peach uses peach bitters and maple syrup, Black Walnut uses black walnut bitters and vanilla demerara, Apple Cinnamon uses apple cinnamon bitters and simple syrup, and Blackberry uses orange bitters and blackberry simple syrup.
How much do Penelope Ready-to-Pour cocktails cost? Each 750ml bottle has a suggested retail price of $29.99. Because a single bottle pours several drinks, the per-cocktail cost works out well below a comparable Old Fashioned in most bars. Actual shelf prices vary by US retailer.
Where can I buy Penelope Ready-to-Pour cocktails? They are sold through Penelope’s own online shop and select US retailers. Blackberry is currently on pre-sale. There is no announced UK or European distribution, so buyers outside the US would need a retailer that ships pre-mixed spirits internationally.
What whiskey is in Penelope Ready-to-Pour cocktails? Unlike most bottled cocktails, which use neutral spirit, Penelope builds these on straight bourbon and rye whiskey. That real whiskey base is why the drinks carry genuine oak, vanilla and spice rather than tasting purely of sugar and flavouring.
What is the ABV of Penelope Ready-to-Pour cocktails? It varies by flavour. Peach and Apple Cinnamon are bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof), while Black Walnut and Blackberry are 38% ABV (76 proof). That is notably stronger than most ready-to-drink cocktails, placing them closer to a proper mixed drink.
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