Compare
Penelope Rio vs Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series
Penelope Rio and Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a blender-built, classically built bottling versus a new-wave, classically built craft style.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Penelope Rio | Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Four-Grain Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) | 98.9 proof (49.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$80 – $100 | ~$55 – $70 ~$28 less |
| Availability | Limited | Widely available easier to find |
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Penelope Rio
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Penelope Rio Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 9/7 sweetness: Penelope Rio 9 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 7 out of 10
oak 4/6 oak: Penelope Rio 4 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 6 out of 10
spice 6/5 spice: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 5 out of 10
fruit 6/6 fruit: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Penelope Rio 5 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Penelope Rio 3 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The clearest split is how sweet each one drinks.
- Penelope Rio: Penelope's four-grain blend finished in honey barrels and then amburana wood. It tastes like a cinnamon roll: honey, gingerbread and sweet baking spice.
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series: A blend of Bardstown's own young distillate with older sourced Kentucky whiskey, which is exactly what the name describes. Polished and fruit-leaning, and a clear demonstration that the blending is the skill on show.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll.
- Go with Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series if you want a well-built modern blend that shows what careful blending does rather than what age alone does at a lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio); neat, rocks (Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series).