Review: Penelope Bourbon Cigar Sessions: Chapter 2

Note: This review of Penelope Bourbon Cigar Sessions: Chapter 2 reflects the personal opinions of Editor Kyle Swartz. This bottle was sent to him as a media sample.

Details

This is the second installment in Penelope Bourbon’s annual Cigar Sessions series, made in collaboration with cigar brand Alec Bradley. The whiskey was developed by Penelope’s blending team and Alec Bradley’s cigar blenders, with the goal of pairing it with medium- to full-bodied cigars. Cigar Sessions: Chapter 2 comes bottled at 117.4 proof and aged for six years. The mash bill consists of 69% corn, 19% rye and 12% malt. The suggested retail price of is $79.99 per 750-ml. bottle.

Nose

Butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, boozy heat as you’d expect from cask strength, and a note of buttered popcorn. Invitingly sweet.

Palate

More of the same, with butterscotch and caramel standing out, along with brown spice, milk chocolate and medium tannins. This is smooth and easy drinking, with the booziness from the nose not as present on the palate.

Finish

Sweet char, dark candied fruit, decent length, medium Kentucky hug.

Upshot

This was designed to match with cigars, but sadly I was not able to smoke one while sampling this bottle, as I was inside watching the baseball playoffs begin poorly for my beloved Boston Red Sox. That said, I’ve smoked a stick or two in my lifetime, and understand the pairing process. You want bold flavors, higher proof, spice and/or tannins. In other words, it’s hard to go wrong with any whiskey over 110 proof in terms of matching with cigars. Penelope Bourbon Cigar Sessions: Chapter 2 certainly fits that bill. This release has enough spice and ethanol backbone to hold up against medium- to full-bodied cigars, as the company advertises. I’d probably lean more towards medium-bodied sticks with this, as this is more sweet than boozy. Regardless, this is a well-made product at a fine price that is worth picking up for anyone who enjoys Penelope bourbon or smoking cigars — or preferably both.

Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics. Reach him at kswartz@epgacceleration.com. Read his recent reviews, Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch and Remus Repeal Reserve Series X Bourbon.

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