Remus Repeal Reserve Rye, 2026

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Remus Repeal Reserve Straight Rye Whiskey, 111 proof, sits on a weathered wooden deck railing with green and yellow autumn foliage in the background.

Time for another Remus Repeal Post! Ross & Squibb was nice enough to release a second Remus Repeal Reserve this year, so why not a second post to celebrate? So what is Remus Repeal Reserve Rye? Well, let's let the producer have their say on that:

This year, Remus is also celebrating the repeal of Prohibition with the introduction of Remus Repeal Reserve Rye Whiskey. This limited-edition straight rye, a first for the brand, is comprised of 2015 and 2016 reserves of Remus' signature 95% rye mash bill, bottled at 111 proof. Remus Repeal Reserve Rye Whiskey will be available at select retailers nationwide beginning this September, while supplies last, for a suggested retail price of $79.99.

Well, that pretty much covers it, doesn't it? I am really looking forward to this one. Not only are the MGP-style 95% rye whiskeys some of my favorite ryes on the market, but well-aged ones have always been some of the best of the best. This is a blend of somewhere between 9- and 11-year-old ryes (depending on when they were dumped), and in my opinion, that is just the perfect range for it. That's just past experience, though. Let's see how this one tastes.

Remus Repeal Reserve Rye

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 55.5% ABV. This is a blend of 60% of their 95% rye whiskey from 2015 and 40% of their 95% rye whiskey from 2016.

Nose: Leather, oak, brown sugar, campfire smoke, vanilla, and mixed nuts.

Mouth: Cinnamon, cedar, honey, anise, toffee, herbal dill, leather, and oak.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of toffee, anise, dill, honey, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand drawn heart denoting that I love the product.

Thoughts: This is downright fantastic. It's made by amazing blenders with access to even more amazing stocks to pull from. I love it. The oak, the leather, the herbal notes, the sweetness. It's just perfect. No notes. Love it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Remus Repeal Reserve Series X, 2026

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Remus Repeal Reserve Series X straight bourbon whiskey, 107 proof, sits on a weathered wooden deck railing with sunlit green and yellow foliage in the background.

Hello, my friends! Tonight we have a product that is always a joy to cover. Because I don’t know about you, but I like knowing that what I’m about to put in my mouth is something good. I hate needing to do that little hesitation before the first nosing or sip. Which is why this is one of those annual releases that I particularly love covering. It's always good, and if it manages to surprise me, it's usually because it's even better than I expected.

So what does Series X of Remus Repeal Reserve bring to us tonight? Are there any surprises? Good or bad? Well, the first surprise is that they've been putting these out for 10 years now!! I don't even know how that's possible. I swear to goodness, I turned 50 and everything all of a sudden turned upside down.

I was also surprised to notice in the press release that, much like another former Seagram's distillery, Ross & Squibb is now using the internal recipe codes in their press releases (for example, LBSV is the 36% rye bourbon, LESV is the 21% rye bourbon, and LISV is a 49% rye bourbon with a mash bill of 51% corn, 39% rye, and 10% malted rye). That is interesting to a geek like me. Of course, this has probably been known for a while. I am a bit slow to recognize things at times.

The last surprise is just what is in this one. As usual, this is a blended bourbon created the Ross & Squibb stocks. This one is made from 17% LISV from 2017, 35% LBSV from 2016, 19% LBSV from 2014, 15% LESV from 2016, and 14% LESV from 2008. It's got old bourbon and really old bourbon in the blend. The 750 mL bottle is bottled at 107 proof and started its nationwide rollout in September for a suggested retail price of $79.99.

Let's see how it tastes.

Remus Repeal Reserve Series X

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 53.5% ABV. A blend of the following bourbons: 17% – 2017 49% rye bourbon, 35% – 2016 36% rye bourbon, 19% – 2014 36% rye bourbon, 15% – 2016 21% rye bourbon, and 14% – 2008 21% rye bourbon.

Nose: Caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, mixed berry cobbler, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, oak, red fruit, vanilla, and caramel.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of cinnamon, floral vanilla, coconut, red fruit, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand drawn smiley face that denotes I like this product.

Thoughts: This is delicious. I'm really enjoying the spiciness of the mouth paired with the depth of the finish. It's sweet without being cloying and spicy without being overpowering. Once again, the blenders at Ross & Squibb are showing they are among the best in the business. I really like this.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon

I’d like to thank Redemption Whiskey and their PR partners for providing this with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon, aged 6 years and bottled at 100 proof, sitting on a wooden deck railing against a sunlit green background.

Hello friends! I am sorry about last week. I still had vacation brain and was completely unable to focus enough to even do a tasting, much less write. Which really is a shame. That meant I needed to wait an entire extra week in order to let you know about a new release from Redemption.

Because, as you might have guessed, I’ve been sitting on this one (and others) since before vacation. I’ve got quite the mess of samples lined up. October should be fun.

So what is this new bourbon from Redemption? It is a single barrel, bottled-in-bond bourbon. Already sounds pretty good. I do love me a Bonded bourbon. It was sourced from the usual suspects in Indiana using their 36% rye mash bill (my favorite from them). And to top it off, it’s six years old. And seeing as my favorite age range is from six to eight years old, it almost seems like they made this one just for me.

So what does the producer have to say about it?

The release marks Redemption’s first bottled-in-bond expression and the first release in the brand’s relaunched Higher Marques Collection, its ultra-premium tier of elevated expressions. Selected by Master Blender Alan Kennedy, each barrel is chosen for character, structure and balance, then bottled non-chill filtered by Redemption Barrel Selections in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon is available now at a suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle. Let’s see if the flavor is as good as the stats are.

Redemption Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 50% ABV. 6 years old. Mash Bill: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley. Barrel number: 100.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, cherry, bubble gum, and oak.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, almond, cinnamon, ginger, and lots of oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and a hint of citrus and ginger.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face that denotes I like this product.

Thoughts: That initial nose reminds me of the good, solid bourbons that got me into bourbon in the first place. Sweet, some fruit, and oak. The mouth brings more spice in the form of ginger and cinnamon, along with even more oak. The finish brings a hint of citrus and ginger that almost reminds me of a cola. This is delicious. I really like this one.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Straight Rye

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey bottle standing on a weathered wooden deck railing, with the gold logo and green label prominently displayed against a softly blurred backyard background on a sunny day.

Well, I told you last time that there was another bottle stuck in with the Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon that we were going to be talking about this week, and I am a man of my word. Tonight we are looking at the other member of the Penelope Classic Series: Penelope Straight Rye.

This rye is distilled in Indiana from a mash bill of 93% rye and 7% malted barley. I know, that subtle change from the 95%-5% rye that MGP is famous for had me wondering if there was a typo in the press release too. But the website backs it up. Unless, of course, they are both wrong. But at that point there isn’t much we can do about it. So we take their word at face value and move on. The whiskey is bottled at 92 proof and is available in select markets starting in June, with a nationwide rollout to follow. The suggested retail price is $34.99.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Penelope Straight Rye

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $34.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.33

Details: 46% ABV. Mash bill: 93% rye, 7% malted barley.

Nose: Caramel, spearmint, cedar, and baking spice.

Mouth: Nice mouthfeel with notes of cinnamon, spearmint, and cedar.

Finish: Warm, sweet, and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of floral honey, cinnamon, and cedar.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denotes that I like this product.

Thoughts: This is a fantastic rye. The flavor profile reminds me a lot of a good Canadian Club release, where the spicy rye flavors are balanced with sweet and floral notes. The mouthfeel is amazing, especially for a product with no corn in the mash. We tried neat on more than one occasion and in both a Manhattan and a Sazerac. All were delicious and it worked very well in both cocktails. And the price is downright reasonable. I really like this one!

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a Penelope Straight Bourbon bottle on a rain-soaked wooden deck railing, with the gold logo and blue label prominently displayed against a softly blurred rainy background.

3.8 inches! That’s how much rain we’ve gotten in the past 12 hours here in the Twin Cities metro area. And unless it happened overnight, it wasn’t like it was a catastrophic downpour. Just a lot of steady, heavy rain. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Needless to say, I am stuck inside today. Which is why you are getting this bonus post today.

Today we are looking at a new release from Penelope Bourbon. Most of the things we’ve looked at from Penelope are interesting blends of mash bills, interesting barrel finishes, or, on occasion, a ready-to-drink cocktail. However, we’ve never looked at a Kentucky straight bourbon from them. And mostly that’s because they haven’t actually offered one until now. Being part of the MGP family, most of their whiskey uses the juice distilled right there in Indiana. So this is the first time they’ve worked with Kentucky distillate "at scale," as they say in the press release.

The bourbon was created from a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. It is bottled at 92 proof. The suggested retail price is $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle. It is available now in select markets but will be available nationwide later.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 46% ABV. Mash bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley.

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, oak, almond, vanilla, caramel, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Notes of almond, allspice, bubblegum, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denoting that I like the product.

Thoughts: Due to a miscommunication between my wife and me, we have been enjoying the heck out of this since we accidentally got a bottle a month or more ago. Yep, it got stuck in with the bottle of the Blackberry Old Fashioned that we reviewed back in early June and wasn’t intended for me at that time at all (though neither was the Blackberry Old Fashioned, so I lucked out twice). Instead, I received a lovely package a bit later containing a second bottle (the one in the photo above) and another bottle that we will be reviewing next week.

But back to the bourbon we are actually talking about. It’s just a great “every day" bourbon. Very pleasant, reasonably priced, nothing fancy (in the best way possible), and an enjoyable sip. Not so fancy that you need to devote your attention to it instead of the people around you, but good enough that you will enjoy the heck out of it. I really like it. If you are looking for just a solid bourbon to have on hand, you could do much worse than Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon

I’d like to thank Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this bottle with no strings attached.

Hello, friends! It’s a lovely rainy day here in Minnesota’s Twin Cities metro area, and I couldn’t be happier! You see, I have a very large outdoor job ahead of me. I need to finish my front flower beds. But today the rain decided to come in early enough that I didn’t have to do any of it. And that makes me happy. My back is still pissed off after moving all the rocks, putting the new edging in, and laying down about half the landscape fabric. It could use the day off.

Instead, I get the opportunity to write about another of the samples that have been piling up in my office. Which is not a bad problem to have, let me tell you. Tonight’s bourbon is from Ross & Squibb and is the sequel to their Remus Babe Ruth Reserve from previous years. This year they are honoring Lou Gehrig, another dominant baseball player from the early 20th century. Because he died of ALS (often known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Remus Bourbon is also adding a couple of charitable elements to the launch.

Accompanying the launch, Remus Bourbon will donate $9,665, one dollar for each of Gehrig’s career plate appearances, to the Live Like Lou Foundation, an organization dedicated to funding research and supporting families affected by ALS. The brand will also extend the initiative to consumers through a social media campaign, donating an additional dollar for every like and comment on Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve launch content shared via Instagram (@remusbourbon), up to $2,130 in honor of Gehrig’s iconic consecutive games played streak.

But back to the bourbon. This is a blend of four MGP bourbons. The first is a bourbon distilled in 2016 with 44% rye in the mash bill (14% of the blend). Seventy percent is a bourbon distilled in 2017 with 49% rye in the mash bill. And at 8% each are a pair of bourbons distilled in 2019, one with a mash bill containing 99% corn and another with their 36% rye mash bill. The final blend is bottled at 109 proof and carries a suggested retail price of $129.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $129.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.67

Details: 54.5% ABV. Blend of four mash bills: 14% - 44% rye bourbon distilled in 2016, 70% - 49% rye bourbon distilled in 2017, 8% - 99% corn bourbon distilled in 2019, and 8% - 36% rye bourbon distilled in 2019.

Nose: Nutmeg, caramel, mint, and oak.

Mouth: Sweet and spicy with a nice mouthfeel. Notes of caramel, mint, cedar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of caramel, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oak.

IMAGE: a hand-drawn smiley face that denotes I like the product.

Thoughts: This is such a delicious bourbon. It's hitting all the notes I want in a bourbon: sweet, spicy, good oak, and a wonderful mouthfeel. I really, really like it. It's going on the special shelf so I don't go through it too fast. If you are one who likes to keep the bottles (like my wife) the bottle is very pretty as well.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3

I’d like to thank Penelope Bourbon and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a bottle of Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3 bourbon on a weathered wooden deck railing. The label features a stylized golf hole design and notes the bourbon is aged six years and finished with American oak staves.

Good evening, friends! It’s a holiday weekend coming up, and some of you will be out on the golf course as you celebrate your time off. As such, I thought it was thematically appropriate to feature tonight’s bourbon in anticipation of the upcoming holiday.

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of Penelope whiskeys for about as long as they have been available. There is some top-notch blending going on there. And using MGP stocks as the basis of the blend doesn’t hurt either. In this case, they are featuring the impact of stave finishing on the blend. As the story goes, they came up with the idea for Penelope on the golf course, so they decided to honor that with the naming of this limited-edition series of three bourbons: Hole 1, Hole 2, and Hole 3. The expressions are all bottled at 94 proof, and the suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

The bottle I received was Hole 3. So let’s dig in, shall we?

Penelope Architects of Golf, Hole 3

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $59.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 47% ABV. 6 years old.

Nose: Vanilla, bubble gum, mint, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, mint, caramel, maple, and oak.

Finish: Medium length. Gentle at first, then blossoms after a moment. Notes of almond, cinnamon, chocolate, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the product.

Thoughts: Soft in the mouth. It reminds me a bit of Maker's in terms of mouthfeel. Although it starts off a bit gentle, the spice builds as you sip it. Good flavors of baking spices, mint, and sweet oak-influenced notes of caramel, chocolate, and maple. Overall, I like this one a lot.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned

I’d like to thanks the folks at Penelope Bourbon and their PR team for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned ready-to-pour cocktail beside a rocks glass filled with the drink over ice and garnished with fresh mint. Photographed outdoors on a wooden deck in warm afternoon sunlight.

Hello my friends! It is time for a bonus post. I was planning to do this yesterday. I always do bonus posts on Friday, but I just plum forgot.

Tonight’s subject is actually something I didn’t plan to review. It was sent along to me by mistake as I had already turned down the sample thinking that you folks might find it a bit outside the norm for the focus of the site. But when it landed on my doorstep, I figured what the heck? I mean I’m not going to force y’all to read this, you are grown adults and can make that decision on your own.

So what is it? Well, it is a premade, bottled, cocktail. You open it up and pour it over ice. And while I know that an Old Fashioned is basically the easiest cocktail to make outside of two ounces of whiskey in a glass, they put a nice spin on it by adding blackberry to the mix. But before we get into the review, let’s let the producer talk about this one since they were nice enough to go through the effort of writing the press release. And since it is Saturday and I want to get back to relaxing.

Crafted for easy enjoyment, from backyard gatherings to relaxed evenings with friends, Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned features a blend of straight bourbon and rye whiskey, orange bitters, and blackberry simple syrup for a vibrant, fruit-forward take on the classic cocktail.

So let’ss ee how this tastes.

Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail cost is $29.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.00

Details: 38% SBV

Nose: Strong blackberry with a nice sweetness.

Mouth: Thick and viscous with notes of blackberry syrup, baking spice, and a floral sweetness.

Finish: Strong blackberry

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face that denoted I like the product.

Thoughts: For the tasting notes above, I initially tasted this chilled from the fridge and undiluted as that was one of the ways the bottle mentioned serving it. But because I wanted to make the photo pretty, I also made one with a large chunk of ice and a mint garnish. When neat, I found the Penelope Blackberry Old Fashioned to be way too sweet for my tastes. But take that with a grain of salt. Due to my lack of sweet tooth, I tend to use much less than the amount of sweetener that a cocktail recipe recommends. Basically I find every cocktail to be too sweet if I’m not the one making it. In this case, it almost reminded me of Grape Kool-Aid, if it were thicker and had a bit of a kick to it. Now, the pretty version over ice with a garnish was much better. The ice knocked down the sweetness and the mint sprig garnish added freshness to the nose which really enhanced the experience. Even with the added dilution, I still think it was too sweet for me but, if I went to a bar and was served something that tasted just like this, I'd be happy with it. So yeah, I like it. Now, since it is Saturday, I'm going to go enjoy the rest of this drink out on the deck.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.