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Penelope Rio vs Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year
Penelope Rio and Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a blender-built, classically built bottling versus a sourced, rye-forward blend.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Penelope Rio | Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Four-Grain Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley | 68% corn, 28% rye, 4% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 10 years |
| Proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) +7 proof | 91.2 proof (45.6% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$80 – $100 | ~$45 – $55 ~$40 less |
| Availability | Limited | Widely available easier to find |
- Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 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.
Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Penelope Rio Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 9/5 sweetness: Penelope Rio 9 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 5 out of 10
oak 4/8 oak: Penelope Rio 4 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 8 out of 10
spice 6/7 spice: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 6/5 fruit: Penelope Rio 6 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 5 out of 10
heat 5/4 heat: Penelope Rio 5 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/2 nuttiness: Penelope Rio 3 out of 10, Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year 2 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.
- Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year: The older version of Bulleit's high-rye bourbon. Ten years add a lot of oak and leather to the usual rye spice, and the finish turns dry and woody.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll with slightly more proof behind it.
- Go with Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year if you want an oak-forward, ten-year high-rye bourbon at a gentle proof at a significantly lower price point and without hunting for it.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio); neat, rocks (Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year).