Vanilla cream | Sparkling grape juice | Orange marmalade | Light effervescence | Brown sugar

Caramel candy | Grape jelly | Wood spice | Sugar-coated raisin | Well integrated

Baking spices | Caramel | Brown sugar | Lingering grape flavor | Sweet

Penelope’s Cooper Series includes some of the company’s more exploratory whiskeys, with releases such as Rose Cask Finish, Tokaji Cask Finish, Valencia, Rio, Havana, and Riviera. Madagascar is the latest release in the series and is a straight bourbon finished in Cognac casks.

Consistent with past Penelope releases, Madagascar has one trait that truly defines Penelope Bourbon and remains material to the brand’s success: It’s a crowd-pleaser. The Cognac-finished bourbon neither leans too hard into its finish or its base bourbon, nor is it over-proofed or under-proofed, and neither overly familiar nor overly unusual. Instead, it’s a well-balanced pour that speaks to the masses with a flavor profile that echoes its name. Though the last three Cooper Series releases all featured double finishes, there was some hope Penelope would take this release a step further and lean more into the Madagascar name. Madagascar produces about 80% of the world's vanilla supply, and vanilla and Cognac-finished bourbon seems like a missed opportunity.

Regardless, Madagascar remains consistent from start to finish, with threads of brown sugar, grape, and candy-sweet notes throughout. A light effervescence on the nose carries effectively into the well-integrated palate, with a notable lingering grape flavor on the finish. Building off Penelope’s 4-grain blend and coming in at $80, Madagascar is a well-integrated finished whiskey that delivers a crowd-pleasing flavor profile.