Honey | Burnt wood | Cinnamon potpourri | Cedar | Burnt orange rind | Dark fruit

Greek baklava | Orange | Charred marshmallow | Sweet & savory

Graham cracker | Cinnamon stick | Cream soda | Roasted malt

It’s been a year since Peneople unleashed Rio onto the bourbon scene and took two finishes that everyone thought they knew and combined them to spectacular results. The company wasn’t expecting such a strong response to their new experimental finished bourbon and, unfortunately, didn’t produce enough volume to satisfy the rabid demand for it. There was a batch 2 (23-902), but it was relegated mostly to the Texas market and did little to quell demand. As a result, there has been a lot of anticipation riding on batch 3 (24-901), and the natural question arose: would Penelope try and do a carbon copy of batch 1 (23-901), or would they tweak it in meaningful ways?

Amburana, by its very nature, is always going to be a polarizing finish, but what was more interesting was the wide range of opinions about the honey side of Rio batch 1. Some thought the honey was too pronounced, making for a sickly sweet sip, while others stated the complete opposite, saying the Amburana was so strong the honey got completely overshadowed. It will be interesting to see if the same divide of opinions will happen with the latest batch.

The one thing that is clear about batch 3 is the decrease in finishing time in the first-used Amburana barrels (down to 1-1/2 weeks from 2-1/2 weeks) definitely has a noticeable impact on the sip’s overall intensity. Where batch 1 was more of a jolt to your senses, batch 3 is much more refined and all around a more balanced sip.

Given that the base components are generally the same as batch 1, albeit for a tweak in the mashbill and less finishing time, many of the flavors carry over. The nose in batch 3 has more of a honey and burnt aspect to it. The palate is less Cinnamon Toast Crunch and more Greek baklava with a delicious blend of potent honey, walnuts, and filo dough. The finish is largely the same with graham cracker, cinnamon stick, cream soda, and roasted malt, but with less of an Amburana aftertaste that seemed to never dissipate with batch 1.

It’s clear with Rio batch 3, Penelope found a better balance and middle ground between the honey and Amburana finishes. It’s still sweet with a more pronounced honey note upfront, yet still features Amburana’s trademark flavors, but it’s all taken down a notch. As a result, it drinks surprisingly smoother and less hot despite being the same proof as batch 1. Some may miss the potency and brute force of the original release, but batch 3 is the better sipper and comes across as more polished, better balanced, and more refined. With 30,000 bottles making their way to stores nationwide, there will be more to go around this time, but even that might not be enough given the fervor over this release. Thankfully those who do get their hands on a bottle will be rewarded with a batch that is even better than before.