A Brand Built on the Back Nine
Most whiskey brands trace their origins to a distillery, a family recipe, or some romantic story about a grandfather's barn. Penelope Bourbon's story starts somewhere a little different — on a golf course, somewhere in 2018, between two guys with a shared vision and probably a decent handicap between them.
That's where Michael Paladini and Danny Polise cooked up what would eventually become one of the faster-rising names in American premium whiskey. And now, years later, they're tipping their caps back to where it all started with the launch of Architects of Golf, a new limited-edition collection that connects the brand's roots to one of the oldest pastimes in the country.
The collection features three distinct expressions — Hole 1, Hole 2, and Hole 3 — and each one builds on the previous in a way that mirrors the progression of an actual round. It's a concept that sounds simple on the surface, but there's a lot going on underneath it.
Why Golf, Why Now
For anyone who has spent real time on a course, the appeal of this pairing makes immediate sense. Golf is one of those activities where the conversation flows almost as naturally as the round itself. There's a rhythm to it. You walk, you talk, you make decisions, and somewhere in the middle of all that, good ideas tend to show up uninvited.
That's exactly what happened with Penelope.
"Golf and bourbon are similar in that they both bring people together," said Michael Paladini, Founder and Vice President of Strategy at Penelope Bourbon. "Penelope started as an idea on a golf course, so we felt it was only natural to expand our Architect line into this area. Architects of Golf is a nod to the subtleties of the game and where some of our best ideas took shape. The introduction of American Oak Staves into our blends reflects how small adjustments can have a big impact on the overall product."
That line about small adjustments carrying big impact is worth sitting with. It applies to whiskey finishing just as much as it applies to shaving strokes off your game. You tweak your grip, you adjust your stance, you change the wood inside the barrel — and everything that follows is different because of it.
The Three Expressions, Broken Down
What makes the Architects of Golf collection interesting from a whiskey standpoint isn't just the golf branding. It's the actual methodology behind the bottles. Each expression uses American Oak Staves in the finishing process, but the stave profiles, the intensity, and the duration of finishing are different for each one. The result is three bottles that are clearly related but distinctly their own.
Hole 1
The opening expression is exactly what it should be — a smooth, approachable start that doesn't overwhelm you right out of the gate. The nose leads with caramel and butterscotch, backed by baking spices and nutmeg. On the palate, dark chocolate and sweet oak show up alongside roasted nuts, and the finish carries sweet oak, vanilla, subtle leather, and spice. It's a well-balanced pour that sets the tone without trying to steal the spotlight.
Think of it like a solid opening tee shot. Nothing flashy, just clean execution.
Hole 2
The second bottle turns up the complexity. The aromas open with butterscotch, baking spices, and sweet fruit, which is a slight but noticeable shift from the first. The palate gets richer here — dark chocolate and butterscotch are still present, but vanilla and French toast add layers that make this one feel more structured and more deliberate. The finish mirrors Hole 1 with sweet oak, vanilla, leather, and spice, but there's more going on in the middle that makes you want to revisit your glass.
This is where the collection starts showing its range.
Hole 3
The third expression is where the stave influence peaks. Penelope describes it as the most robust of the three, and that tracks with what's in the glass. Vanilla is prominent and forward, layered over rich toast and baking spice. The nose opens with caramel and dried red fruit, the palate moves into chocolate mousse and vanilla, and the finish closes with toasted oak, cherry, and dark chocolate. It's a concentrated, layered profile that rewards attention.
For anyone who wants to compare all three side by side, the progression is genuinely interesting to follow. Each bottle is doing something the previous one wasn't, and the stave finishing is doing real work across all three.
"Each hole represents a distinct batch," said Danny Polise, Founder and Master Blender of Penelope Bourbon. "They are designed to explore the nuances of different stave profiles and how they evolve the whiskey. It made developing the collection as fun as playing the game."
What's Behind the Bottle
Penelope Bourbon is produced at the Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, under the broader Luxco umbrella — which itself operates as the branded spirits division of MGP Ingredients. Luxco also oversees well-known names like Rebel, Ezra Brooks, Yellowstone, and Blood Oath, among others.
The brand has been collecting hardware at a steady pace. In 2025 alone, their Toasted expression earned a Best In Class finalist nod and a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Wheated took home a Double Platinum at the ASCOT Awards, and their Peach Old Fashioned and Black Walnut Old Fashioned ready-to-pour cocktails each earned Platinum medals in the same competition.
For a brand that's only been around since 2018, that's a respectable shelf of trophies.
The Launch Events and Extras
To coincide with the Architects of Golf release, Penelope put together a set of golf-inspired seasonal cocktails, including the "Pear on the Green" and "The Southern Fairway." Both are designed to complement the flavor profiles in the collection and give drinkers an option beyond a straight pour — useful for social occasions whether or not there's a course nearby.
The brand is also running the Classic Club Sports Sweepstakes alongside the launch. Nine trips for two are up for grabs, each to a premier tennis or golf tournament somewhere in the country. It fits the spirit of what the collection is trying to do — less about selling whiskey, more about creating the kind of shared experiences that tend to generate their own stories.
Availability and Price
The Architects of Golf collection — Hole 1, Hole 2, and Hole 3 — will be available at select retailers nationwide in limited quantities. Each bottle is bottled at 94 proof and carries a suggested retail price of $59.99. Given the limited-edition nature of the release, these aren't expected to stay on shelves long.
For a collection rooted in the idea that the best conversations happen when you slow down and pay attention, the bottles are appropriately priced for a serious sit-down — not a fortune, but not something you pour without thinking about it.
The Bigger Picture
What Penelope is doing with Architects of Golf is something a lot of brands attempt but fewer pull off convincingly — tying a product release directly to the culture and identity that built the brand in the first place. The golf course origin story isn't a marketing invention. It's actually where this company started. And using that as the foundation for a technically interesting, stave-finished collection gives the whole thing a coherence that's easy to appreciate.
The whiskey world is crowded right now. Shelves are full of limited editions, special finishes, and collaborations that can feel arbitrary. Architects of Golf doesn't feel arbitrary. It feels like something two guys with a genuine connection to the game would put out — because it is.
Whether someone picks it up for the whiskey, the story, or just because they're the type who appreciates when a brand actually earns its concept, Architects of Golf gives them a reason to slow down, pour a glass, and take their time with it.
That's really the whole point.
