ChiTuckyBourbonBrothers
The “Chitucky Bourbon Brothers” podcast, hosted by Mike Nielsen and Tony Meyers, serves as a delightful exploration of bourbon and whiskey culture, offering insightful reviews and discussions about various bourbons and whiskeys. The hosts share their passion for sipping “brown water,” a colloquial term for bourbon and whiskey, and aim to blend music with their love for these beverages, creating an engaging auditory experience for listeners. The podcast not only provides detailed reviews of different bourbons and whiskeys but also promotes a relaxed atmosphere where enthusiasts can enjoy the nuances of their favorite drinks alongside music that complements the experience.
ChiTuckyBourbonBrothers
Episode 110 - Penelope Toasted Barrel Strength
Dive into a rich tapestry of nostalgia and flavor as we explore the beloved sitcom The Cosby Show alongside a tasting of Penelope Toasted Barrel Strength four grained bourbon. Join us as we reminisce about our favorite characters. In this episode, we welcome Chris to delve into the intricacies of our chosen whiskey, revealing the unique production methods that define Penelope Bourbon. From its meticulous blending of various grains to the innovative barrel toasting process, every sip unveils a new layer of flavor that can be appreciated by enthusiasts and novices alike. Chris's pairings, some spicy honey and some banter about our favorite 90's shows by using their catchy theme songs keep this episode flowing.
With tantalizing tasting notes, lively discussions, and a sprinkle of laughter, this episode promises a fulfilling experience whether you’re a dedicated whiskey drinker or a fan of classic television. Subscribe today and join our community of whiskey enthusiasts and nostalgic viewers, and don’t forget to share your thoughts and memories with us!
Shai Tuki Berber Brothers here. Shy Tucky Bourbon Brothers here. You have no idea, not even a close idea, as to how into the Cosby Show.
Speaker 2:I was I mean it's just like old school jazz.
Speaker 1:I know we're not allowed to talk about it anymore, though because, oh God. Bill Cosby ended up drugging a bunch of women and doing bad things. Fucking Bill, thanks a lot.
Speaker 2:He's ruining who were your favorite on the 200, 200 episodes of the cosby show over, like I don't know, eight, ten years crazy huh, no comparison to bill, but we have a guest today.
Speaker 1:Does he look like bill? No, nothing like him. Quaalude johnny. Quaalude johnny.
Speaker 2:How are you christ?
Speaker 1:Oh, so good to have you, man who was your favorite on the Cosby show. Tony, you go first.
Speaker 2:Oh, definitely, bill, I mean come on.
Speaker 1:How can it not be, mr Huxtable, theo, huxtable, hilarious.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the son was funny With his basketball. He was so bad at it.
Speaker 1:So bad. He was so bad at sports and pretty dumb and they played that up so well. Chris, uh, your favorite, which now has to be a female because we've named the two males in the show late edition, rudy, late rudy, like when rudy grew up, sir oh yeah, that's like that's the end of the year sandra lisa bonet. I can't remember her name. Or was it just lisa? I can't remember. I'm screwing, I have no idea. I said I know so much about it.
Speaker 2:I was gonna say this is your show.
Speaker 1:I loved it so much. Anyway, shy, tucky bourbon brothers, we have chris here with us today and we're tasting some whiskey, and it is the show must go on penelope. I'm gonna ask tony about what happened to penelope, because they sold, and who they sold to and for how much. But or search, search, chris. Do you know anything about penelope? Uh, I know a little bit about penelope. It was sold in 2018, I believe so recently.
Speaker 1:Well, I guess that's not seven hundred and eight million dollars, I believe, also, and they sold to mgp, right, yeah, but one of you guys speak up, or forever chris was looking into this earlier. Wasn't there a deal?
Speaker 2:It was like they got $108 million and then, by the end of 2025, they get another, they double that if they sell a certain amount of it, there's certain performance escalators. It's kind of like a contract for your, for your you know, for any of your athletes that if they hit certain you know certain performance levels, then they get more money but this was about nothing other than timing oh, they came out with this.
Speaker 1:They bought juice from uh mgp. They then put it in their own bottle named something great pretty bottles, and then they just rolled out a lot of different four grains, and what we're tasting today is the toasted we are, and the toasted series is a newer one. Tony, when did you pick this up?
Speaker 2:I picked this one up. Actually, I've had this for a couple of years. I picked this up at the end of 2023. I think when I was home over, like a holiday break or something. Okay.
Speaker 1:So toasted mean. It usually means they char the barrels more. I'll get into the char levels, but they talk about this being a heavy toast. It says that right on the label. It says a char five which, when I looked up the char levels, it says there's only four and I'll get back to that in a second. But that with the word heavy, um toast says to me that this is going to have a lot of char and a lot of toast to it, not to mention it's 112 proof and it's a blend of uh, it's another, it's more or less a five year.
Speaker 1:Real quick. I'll be quick about it because we've gone through it before. Four levels of charring a barrel which changes the flavor on every level every second more or less that it's charred. First level very mild. They char the barrel for 15 seconds. Level two they char it for 30 seconds, literally putting a flame on the wood on the inside of the barrel. It's kind of cool. It's very cool If you barrel the stage kind of cool.
Speaker 2:It's very cool if you think you know whiskey and all things. Whiskey is cool. No, literally like they have like a flamethrower and they stick these barrels and they literally like burn the inside up.
Speaker 1:It's actually kind of cool some people might not think bill cosby's cool and some people might not think that was cool. Level 3 35 seconds. Level 4 is called the alligator char, which is 55 seconds. So this is either that or more, because they call it a level 5 which in the world of whiskey supposedly doesn't exist so it's obviously more than four, so that means it's it's.
Speaker 2:The barrels are pretty crispy on the inside long story short.
Speaker 1:We're tasting the penelope toasted barrel strength bottle and it is. It looks like it's a binnie's pick.
Speaker 2:It is, yeah, which is kind of cool yeah, you know, I think that the other Penelope we have is a Galenstein pick or something, I don't know. There's a whole bunch of different stuff, but yeah, all these places do it.
Speaker 1:Chris Donnelly, here with some information. Penelope bourbon Five char, five or higher, which is a heavy toast, adding rich vanilla, roasted marshmallow and spice flavor. Thanks, chris. Lots of rules here at this and I break them every time and I like to swear a lot. So who gives a fuck? All right, tony, give us some stats.
Speaker 2:All right, so it's a blend. This blend, the mash bill's included in the blend. It's a 21% rye bourbon, 99% core bourbon, 45% wheat bourbon all mixed together. They don't give us the exact amounts of each one or the ages, that's why it's a four to five-year juice. I was told that it ends up being a 74% corn, 21% rye, 5% barley, which doesn't make 100% sense because they don't say there's any wheat in there. So this is kind of some of these websites you look at. I think people make up this 74-21-5 thing because I do know it's a four grain. It says it on the bottle.
Speaker 1:All right. So it's a four grain. We know what those four grains are. We know now that it's a heavy char. We know the proof. We've gone through everything else. Can we smell it and taste it now?
Speaker 2:Sure Is it time, yet I think we should.
Speaker 1:Yeah, chris do you like whiskey With Coke? I have a perfect answer You're going to love this one, then. Perfect answer You're going to love this one then.
Speaker 2:Some of our listeners will agree and some of them will not. Is it Coke or Diet Coke or Coke?
Speaker 1:Zero. You're a Coke Zero. We drink it every which way.
Speaker 2:Smells sweeter than I thought it would. Honey, what do you got A little bit of lemon, maybe the end.
Speaker 1:Uh, I like the honey because it's a sweetness, but it's not. Um, some jump out like real fruity sweetness and I do like your little, uh, your little lemon citrus there, a little lemon there at the end and tons of vanilla oh, I mean, it's tons of, it's a creamy uh, creamy banana split maybe. Yeah, you don't, you know, you don't. Uh, you don't really smell the char, which is surprising for them using words like heavy, exactly, I'm not getting a whole lot.
Speaker 1:And going off the charts with the amount of char. But usually when you go off the charts with stuff you really screw up a whiskey. Yeah, you're trying to really kind of break the mold, but let's taste it. Cheers, cheers, chris, tony, cheers Chris, cheers so much cheersing.
Speaker 2:Yes, thick, thick mouthfeel.
Speaker 1:It's coming at it, tony, keep going. I like it Thick, thick. Am I wrong? Tell me if I say something that you don't think.
Speaker 2:No, no, spice, a little bit of heat at the front, but then it goes away. But not too much heat.
Speaker 1:No, cinnamon, not that heavy, almost like it's like I think it's that rye.
Speaker 2:It's that rye. It's that little bit of cinnamon. It's that little bit of like cinnamon red hot you got at the beginning do you like a char on your uh, on your meat?
Speaker 1:I love a char on a steak.
Speaker 2:I do a pittsburgh, they call it yeah, but the pittsburgh is weird because it's super raw on the inside. That's right.
Speaker 1:I can't I don't like it that raw, so I do a medium with a pittsburgh. I I test them if they will do that for me and a lot of most of the time they do, and it tastes great.
Speaker 2:No, that was my yes. I would tell you that I like more of like a pink, but I love to have the char on there. You don't want to overcook it because then it turns into a hard.
Speaker 1:Chris, are you drinking this with a whiskey or are you pairing this with something? Maybe I'm pairing this with my charcuterie board tonight Meats and cheeses, and fruits too, and a pickle and a pickle.
Speaker 2:Mustard, I've never.
Speaker 1:Hot honey sauce.
Speaker 2:Oh, I like the hot honey. We like the hot honey. I'm really glad I have A little drizzle. Tony, take notes. Is there a preparation out of?
Speaker 1:him. Holy shit, it's like I prepped him for that.
Speaker 2:Can I come over and have some of that charcuterie?
Speaker 1:Tony and Chris. I got a sip of whiskey.
Speaker 2:I'll take care of the sip, but I don't know about the charcuterie part. I don't really get that very often.
Speaker 1:I got a honey guy, so oh, I bet you do. We do have a Whiskey Club member who sells honey and hot honey and spiced honey and sriracha honey, and you can pick it up at Whole Foods.
Speaker 2:We don't usually label or name drop, but look for sriracha honey and it's probably one of the only brands on the Whole Foods shelf. Yeah, I don't know the exact brand, but I know there's a Sriracha. He's got like a hot honey, there's like a natural, but he's got a spiced honey and then they got a little bit of what's the name of it. It's all local grown.
Speaker 1:Doesn't this taste like a spiced honey? You nailed it with the honey and or the vanilla, and like a good spice.
Speaker 2:All right, and or the vanilla, and, yeah, and like a good spice. All right, you can name. Local hive is the name of the company. Local hive is the name of the company, but sriracha is their, uh, yeah, one of their better, one of the better ones, I think. That one, I think the hot honey is pretty good, especially if you want to put it on some, uh, on some chicken wings and it's good like raw good for you honey.
Speaker 1:It's not like full of chemicals and stuff. So, yeah, I think it's like the reason I mix with honey they put in a jar. Yeah, I think their.
Speaker 2:Their theory is that it's um, there's only so many hours away when they pack it, so everything is um, everything is is local, right. So I think they have different regions. I don't. I think if you look at the back of their regular, but you know what. We can get the guy on here and he can talk all about it for as much as we would like to know, but I just know what I overhear.
Speaker 1:It's another Mike.
Speaker 2:We should have Mike on the podcast and I typically, just like when I like it, I'll talk about it no-transcript he's a great new member and he brings over hot honey for us oh sample packs. Everybody just get home with a little treat, loves it. It's like treats.
Speaker 1:Um, do we want to get into, uh, the poker match I I won recently, so we have to. Well, so these two guys that I'm sitting with right here, um, I'm not going to say I'm not gonna say how I won.
Speaker 1:What I'm gonna talk about is how I have kind of predicted how you guys are gonna play and therefore you change your style of play and then you're playing catch-up. One is tony's a bluffer. No, so I would sit and be like but. But when I say that he therefore plays differently, chris sit next to me is a chaser, so he doesn't yet have the card, so you know when he's betting he's chasing.
Speaker 1:So if you come over the top and go big, you know you're going to knock him out. And when I start calling him chaser, all the time he stays longer. Well, he changes his style of play, and when you change his style of play, it's harder to win, because you're now playing with a different strategy.
Speaker 2:I like to think I'm not sure about this. Phil Hellmuth, Mr Mike over here, I think that he wins one and all of a sudden he's over here giving advice.
Speaker 1:Wins one. I want to be Jack Binion. Can you call me him please?
Speaker 2:I'm going to buy you a broke-down, fake World Series bracelet, please.
Speaker 1:I was just going to say that Could you imagine going into a work appointment and being like did you see Mike's jewelry?
Speaker 2:It's like oh, that's his World Series of Poker bracelet. I want one from the first year of the World Series of Poker, because before it was too gaudy that you'll never wear it.
Speaker 1:Oh, they're so slinky. They look like medical bracelets.
Speaker 2:They do. The new ones are like Super Bowl rings, though they're completely crazy blinged out.
Speaker 1:You still watch it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I watch it every once in a while. There's like a poker channel now. If you flip through channels, you can watch it.
Speaker 1:You would think, with all this winning I've been doing, I was watching the poker channel.
Speaker 2:It's all different now, though. I mean, if you listen to the old guys that play poker, they don't like to play now because it's almost it's like a survival of the fittest, and the younger people can last 12, 14 hour days, numerous days in a row, to make this work. The guys in the World Series of Poker, they just wait for their hands. If it's not a top 10 hand, they don't play it.
Speaker 1:Either way, if you're getting to that level, you're doing a lot of things right and luck is definitely on your side. You've got to have a good day.
Speaker 2:Good week Before we tip rating.
Speaker 1:Let's get back to the sip rating. I do want to talk about the merch we have, because we have sweatshirts and hats.
Speaker 2:Now I'm looking at both of you guys with some hats. Yeah, sip hats, they're pretty legit.
Speaker 1:We're going to put them on Instagram so people can be wearing them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I like those hats the embroidery I thought was a solid move that might have been worth the extra few bucks.
Speaker 1:Very good design.
Speaker 2:So I like this.
Speaker 1:Penelope toasted so much that I got. I kind of drank it all and I gotta pour a little bit more for our uh, do you?
Speaker 2:do you want to dump some into?
Speaker 1:some coke for chris, hey. So here's what I do want to do is I want to have chris start with, because he's such a such a great listener that I know he's gonna nail the sip rating and we won't. We'll wait for his number, but his SIP rating Ready, set go, chris Pressure.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I remember this.
Speaker 1:I was like P is not pressure.
Speaker 2:No, no, p is not for pressure.
Speaker 1:Shareable, I think, is a two and a half you need to be.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's no numbers. You're either shareable or not. We got him all nervous.
Speaker 1:It's shareable for you.
Speaker 2:Yes, chris is a little nervous, it's shareable especially around the fire, around the fire okay, maybe with some s'mores, some marshmallows, s'mores.
Speaker 1:Okay, what's the influence like for you? Know anything about penelope? Or they have like a big deal to you in your world. I know nothing about them, okay, okay, but it's a pretty bottle right.
Speaker 2:And then price. I don't even know if we ever said the price, but the price of this is $69.99. We didn't say the price, so yeah. So price I don't know if the price would help your rating or not.
Speaker 1:It's a little high. It's a little high. A little high at $70? Yeah, you want it like $10, $20 less 45, 50 range oh okay, okay, all right.
Speaker 2:So for me, shareable, sure. I think that if somebody was asking about it I'd love to give it to them. I think it's actually a pretty good foregrain Influence to me. I'm a big MGP fan but I don't really care. Like the story of Penelope is nothing special to me. To me, this is just MGP juice that they've blended and they've got a good blend. And then price honestly I I hate to say this, but 70 bucks, 60 to 70 bucks, is kind of the going rate for halfway decent bourbon nowadays you don't have to be, you don't have to hate to say any of that, because I think you're spot on with all of them.
Speaker 1:I will say shareable is at a higher level, and why they do so well is people that don't know whiskey necessarily yet, um, but they have a good product in the bottle. We're talking about you, chris.
Speaker 2:You look at this and it's like yeah, I want to.
Speaker 1:You know you present this to someone. Hey, let's have a little sip together. It's a good looking bottle, so shareable has got high marks for me. Influence. I do love MGP and their product as well. I hear their stock price is way down. I think everybody's talking a lot. Just think of what's been? Going on. I was just making another point about them.
Speaker 2:I always like to look at what's been going on in bourbon in the last month or so. I haven't really noticed anything. The couple things that stick out to me are that new Jack Daniels 14. They're making a really big deal about it because I think it's the first time in like over a hundred years that there's a 14 year old Jack Daniels. Like they just not made one and released one.
Speaker 1:It's just time ever.
Speaker 2:No, there's one like literally a hundred years ago, like, if you look at it, there is a 14 from a long, long time ago. But uh, I think that's interesting, I think that Can I get back to my influence and price. I thought you said you matched mine, all right, keep talking and I agree with you on the price.
Speaker 1:Keep going.
Speaker 2:Thanks for interrupting. Did you guys watch the Saturday Night Live 50th? Yes, and it was very good Did you guys see the Maker's Mark ad I did. Yes, and it was very good I actually was like oh my God, I haven't seen a Maker's Mark ad in forever. I was with you, you were with me. Yes, and I couldn't believe it. I guess their new ad. I actually made a comment about it. I was like I don't know if I've ever seen a long Maker's Mark ad Was.
Speaker 1:Tony pretty worked up about the whole. Thing.
Speaker 2:That might be the.
Speaker 1:State of the Union with bourbon these days, though, right.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know, I mean the bourbon right now. These days, bourbon's definitely. People like to throw around words like glut and this, and that I don't believe in any of that right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they spent the last 10 years, making way more than they ever did before. So glut, yes, true fact, but that's all it means. People are still buying a lot of it.
Speaker 2:It's still the prices. The amount of money being paid for bourbon at all different levels is crazy still.
Speaker 1:You know what's a good sign of that too? When you're out with friends, if you cocktail, if you drink, I still have men and women ordering Manhattans and old fashions not yet martinis again, or gin, gimlets or other stuff. So when people are still going out and paying $16, $18, $20 for an old-fashioned cocktail, they're obviously still really into fucking whiskey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just think there's too many options now. That's probably the better way to put that.
Speaker 1:All right, let's give you a. We already know Chris's. We did the sip rating we wanted to do.
Speaker 2:Are you doing a two and a half standing?
Speaker 1:I like this two and a half standing All right.
Speaker 2:I'm going a hair higher than that. I think this is going to be like a two and seven eighths to me, just under a three I'm going flat three.
Speaker 1:I think this is the best penelope I've ever tasted. I think that, uh, some of their stuff is pretty kind of boring. Um, I like the not too high but pretty high proof I, and I love what they did with the char. You can really char something that it tastes like to a level of disgusting Like you are, you know, licking a burnt charred barrel. And this is not just black and grossness, this is like this is good they did.
Speaker 2:I don't know how long they keep it in the charred barrel, but they did a good job on the flavor of this.
Speaker 1:That's why I brought up a steak. You over char a steak or any piece of meat Disgusting, yeah, but I feel like we've had a few different chars.
Speaker 2:I feel like we've had a few different of these toasted. Most of these toasted things are higher charge. I feel like you've got to do a good job or you're going to get burned out pretty quick on it Very drinkable For sure. I'm going to go out with some more TV greatest themes. Do you want to guess? We do a couple different ones.
Speaker 1:I just want, chris, do you have any?
Speaker 2:I do not. We are going out on the Simpsons. No, that's just, you said the Simpsons, so that was an easy one to just say the Simpsons. Oh my God, you had that ready. No, I just clicked a button, that's ready.
Speaker 1:That's pretty ready.
Speaker 2:I didn't think you would have that ready. Friends Friends is huge. Friends is probably the number one show of the 90s. Honestly, that 70s show is a good one. I love it. That was actually probably my favorite show that came out of there that was the one.
Speaker 1:They always sat in the basement right yeah, yeah. Seinfeld was 90s duh.
Speaker 2:One of my favorites this is what we're going out on no no, no, we're going to go out on one that you have to guess. I'm going to call this the most prepared podcast. If we invite Chris, he's super prepared.
Speaker 1:You, with all, I mean multiple, we're going to go on one that you have to guess. You're going to have to go on one of our favorites.
Speaker 2:I'm going to call this the most prepared podcast ever.
Speaker 1:We invite Chris he's super prepared you with multiple different songs. I can barely get two out of you. Look at this. What are we going up?
Speaker 2:That's 80s. I have it here, but that's 80s actually I think that's 90s pal? I don't think so pal. I got a pal out of him.
Speaker 1:I know I got a pal. Oh, you know another one that all the women, all the women love.
Speaker 2:This is one that all the women uh, uh, uh.
Speaker 1:They made two movies over it. I know where the women. They talk about their shoes all the time and it's called sex in the city sex in the city all right sexy in the city.
Speaker 2:Huh, no just sex in the city, and they also got the fresh prince of bel-air, but everybody knows that one. So we're not going to do that. Let's go out with what you were harassing me about earlier. And I do kind of remember this. I remember the show, but not the song.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad you chose this.
Speaker 2:I don't remember the song, but I remember the show.
Speaker 1:Just let it play for a second the A-Team. Don't remember the song, but I remember the show. Just let it play for a second the a team. Oh, oh, baywatch, that was another one. Doogie hauser is what this is. Yeah, I also just the cosby show and doogie man, can you? I mean both wonderful, wonderful shows wonderful, I could watch every episode all over again. But again, we're now not allowed to do anything with bill cosby anymore.
Speaker 2:If you like him, you're like unfortunately.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're a big jerk, shy tucky bourbon brothers. We take care of the whiskey so you can focus on with whom you share it. So good to have chris here and you know, tony, your preparedness off the charts I was just playing with.
Speaker 2:I hope you guys like.
Speaker 1:Doogie Howser, doogie Howser, md, md. Good to be with you guys.
Speaker 2:See ya, cheers.
