Penelope Toasted Showdown – Rye vs Bourbon: Char 1 vs Char 4

Written By Tortured Bourbon

Penelope Toasted Bourbon and Rye

The ultimate toasted barrel face-off: one elegant rye, one bold bourbon, and two completely different char levels walk into a rickhouse…

If you’ve ever stared at a whiskey shelf and debated between “subtle elegance” and “flavor bomb”, you already know the struggle we’re about to toast—literally. In this week’s Pour Decisions Wednesday episode, your resident bourbon gladiators, Heather and B, are bringing the 🔥 with a showdown between two toasted expressions from Penelope Bourbon.

One’s a Toasted Rye finished in a char level 1 barrel—delicate, crisp, and herbal.

The other’s a Toasted Bourbon finished in a char level 4 barrel—bold, rich, and unapologetically oaky.

And together? They’re a masterclass in how grain + char = chaos (and occasionally magic).

🥃 What’s the Deal With Penelope Bourbon?

Founded in 2018 and named after the founder’s daughter, Penelope Bourbon has become one of the hottest independent brands in American whiskey. While they source most of their distillate from MGP in Indiana, what sets them apart is what they do with it—especially when it comes to barrel finishing.

Their Toasted Series takes their core rye and bourbon expressions and gives them a second life in toasted barrels—custom-built, slowly heated oak barrels designed to bring out rich vanillin, caramelized sugars, and a flavor profile that screams dessert in a glass.

But not all toast is created equal—and neither are all barrels. That’s where char levels come in.

🔬 Toasting vs. Charring: What’s the Difference?

Toasting = slow heat.

Charring = direct flame.

A toasted barrel is like caramelizing onions—slow and transformative. A charred barrel? That’s a high-heat sear that cracks open the wood’s structure, releasing sugars and creating deep, smoky notes. When you layer both into a finishing program, it becomes a playground of flavor.

Penelope plays with different char levels in their toasted releases. For this showdown, they brought out two very different barrels:

🪵 Char Level 1

  • A light char. Quick exposure to flame.

  • Brings out floral notes, delicate oak, light toast, and soft sweetness.

  • Think cinnamon toast, graham crackers, and marshmallows.

🔥 Char Level 4

  • The infamous “alligator char.”

  • Deep, long flame exposure cracks the barrel’s surface.

  • Produces heavy caramel, smoky vanilla, dark chocolate, and bold oak.

🥃 Meet the Contenders

Penelope Toasted Rye – Char Level 1

  • Mash Bill: High rye (MGP-based)

  • Toasted Finish: Light charred oak barrel

  • Nose: Floral honey, cinnamon stick, graham cracker

  • Palate: Marshmallow fluff, citrus zest, soft rye spice

  • Finish: Clean, minty, toasted and light

This is refined, layered, and whisper-soft with a dessert-like finish. A perfect bottle for rye lovers who want complexity without a punch to the palate.

Penelope Toasted Bourbon – Char Level 4

  • Mash Bill: Four grain (corn, wheat, rye, malted barley)

  • Toasted Finish: Alligator charred oak barrel

  • Nose: Caramel, baking spice, toasted sugar, oak

  • Palate: Burnt toffee, cocoa powder, roasted nuts, dark vanilla

  • Finish: Long, oaky, bold molasses and spice

This pour is dense and luxurious—like drinking bourbon fudge while someone lights a campfire nearby. It’s not subtle, but it’s not trying to be.

🎙️ The Episode: Heather vs B (aka Science vs Fire)

As always, our hosts bring the full Tortured Bourbon energy:

B compares the char 4 bourbon to headlining a metal concert.

Heather lovingly refers to the char 1 rye as a “flavor ballerina with a flamethrower in her purse.”

Together, they argue, taste, debate, and eventually rate each bottle using the Tortured Bourbon Scale:

  1. Piddlin’

  2. Bless Your Heart

  3. That Dog Will Hunt

  4. Hush Your Mouth

  5. Cock of the Walk

Only one gets the extra pour.

🧠 What Did We Learn?

  • Char level dramatically affects flavor. A char 1 barrel draws out sweetness and spice with restraint. Char 4 brings deep caramelization and oak.

  • Grain bill matters. Rye shines when left crisp and bright. Bourbon thrives when you torch the room.

  • Penelope is more than a pretty bottle. They’re dialing in experimental finishes that actually deliver layered, memorable pours.

This episode isn’t just tasting—it’s a bourbon workshop. A flavor lab. A toasted brawl that teaches you why you can’t judge a bottle just by proof or brand.

🗨️ Final Pour

Heather and B don’t agree on much, but both walked away impressed by what Penelope is doing here. Whether you’re Team Toasted Rye or Team Toasted Bourbon, there’s no denying that barrel finishing—when done right—can take sourced whiskey to the next level.

So the next time you see char level on a label? Pay attention. It might just toast your expectations in the best way.

📺 Watch the Episode

👉 Watch the full tasting on YouTube

📲 Join the Bourbon Shenanigans

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🔎 Tags & SEO Goodness

#PenelopeToastedReview #ToastedBarrelWhiskey #CharLevel1VsCharLevel4 #PenelopeToastedRye #PenelopeToastedBourbon #BestToastedBourbon #MGPWhiskey #TorturedBourbon #PourDecisionsWednesday #BarrelFinishingExplained #HighProofWhiskey #FlavorScience #ToastedVsCharred #RyeVsBourbon

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