Raspberry | Apricot | Strawberry | Floral

Honeysuckle | Peach | Apricot | Red currant | Caramel | Brown sugar

Light raspberry | Baking spices | Vanilla custard | Hint of seasoned oak

Penelope Riviera is the next iteration in the Cooper Series, which focuses on cask finishing. Riviera takes a page from the theming found in the company’s Rio and Havana Cooper Series releases with their vibrant, travel-inspired aesthetic; Rio for the carnival-like energy of Brazil. Havana for Cuba's colorful nightlife, and now, Rivera for the French wine-making country. However, where Rio and Havana are both straight bourbons with double finishes, Riviera first begins as a blend of light whiskey and straight bourbon, which is then finished in rosé casks that were sourced from Spain. This draws similarities to another expression in their Cooper Series, Rosé Cask Finish, which is a bourbon finished in rose casks as opposed to a bourbon and light whiskey blend.  

Combining light whiskey and bourbon is rarely highlighted, as light whiskey is typically used behind the scenes to add volume and soften texture in certain blends. In this case, Penelope is featuring it along with the rosé wine cask finish, added to what is (presumably) a majority bourbon base. Those who are experienced with light whiskey are familiar with the bright, sweet, often fruity flavors it tends to lean into.

For Riviera, the light whiskey component seems to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting, establishing a sweet, fruity base. The sip offers apricot and a floral tone on the nose, which give way to honeysuckle, peach, apricot, caramel, and brown sugar on the palate. Baking spices, vanilla, and a hint of seasoned oak cap it off.

The rosé finish, on the other hand, comes across as very light throughout the sip, and it’s lighter than I had hoped. Hints of raspberry and strawberry on the nose, red currant on the palate, and more raspberry on the finish are most likely driven by the rosé casks. While Penelope knocked their original rosé cask finish release out of the park with its more concentrated finish, the scope is very different for this Riviera release, but given Rio and Havana’s vibrancy, I expected more in line with those releases. Cooper Series Riviera Batch 1 is a crowd-pleaser, though, and is sure to be met with a warm reception, thanks to its sweet base with light splashes of red fruits throughout.