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Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond vs Penelope Rio
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond and Penelope Rio sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, wheat-forward craft style versus a blender-built, classically built bottling.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond | Penelope Rio |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Four-Grain Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley |
| Age | 6 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +2 proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$45 – $60 ~$38 less | ~$80 – $100 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Penelope Rio
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond Penelope Rio
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 3/6 spice: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
sweetness 7/9 sweetness: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10, Penelope Rio 9 out of 10
oak 5/4 oak: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 4 out of 10
nuttiness 4/3 nuttiness: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10, Penelope Rio 3 out of 10
fruit 6/6 fruit: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond: A sweet-mash, bonded wheated bourbon from a distillery founded by two fermentation scientists, and the technical care shows in how clean it tastes. One of the strongest craft arguments on the shelf.
- 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.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, sweet-mash wheater from a modern distillery doing genuinely careful work at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio).