The Bourbon Review: Angel's Envy Port Finished Bourbon Review

I’ve had these tasting notes kicking around in my notebook for quite a while now, approximately 4 years to be precise (I know, my tardiness never ceases to amaze me either). As you’d expect this bottle is long gone now but I thought I may as well put words on the web and give you my thoughts. However, as it’s readily available in my now native Florida I will eventually return to it with a YouTube review and I’ll be interested to see if my conclusions have changed any.

Founded by the father & son team of Lincoln and Wes Henderson, the first Angel’s Envy whiskies appeared in 2011 and I believe were one of the first to use secondary finishing in their bourbon production. Once I’d learned of a bourbon finished in rye casks my curiosity was piqued and the first time I tried it was courtesy of being gifted a bottle by a friend visiting the Ireland from California. 

I was quite taken by its unusual finish, which even by Scotch and Irish whisky terms was an unusual secondary maturation in mainstream whisky production. Back then, in 2012 I believe that I got my first bottle of Angel’s Envy, I was only aware of Bushmills 16 year old single malt as a core product that used port casks as a maturation cask. I’m sure there were others, especially in Scotland, but as a whole port was not a preferred cask type.

After my initial excitement died down I did go on to feel that Angel’s Envy was a little….well dull. It has a high rye mashbill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10 malted barley and is supposedly aged for around 6 years before a finish of 3 - 6 months in the port casks. So i was expecting a little more bite and a bit more presence which sadly was missing.

Undeterred I did buy a second bottle but for the life of me I can’t remember where. At any rate here in Florida I can pick this up for $39. A quick check on the juggernauts of online retail in the UK, those being Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange, Angel’s Envy is priced at £55 & £65 respectively. YIKES!

Let’s Taste.

Angel’s Envy Port Finished Bourbon 43.3% abv 

Mash Bill: 72% corn – 18% rye – 10% barley

Nose: Very gentle – vanilla, stewed berries, toasted oak, peanuts, cinnamon and floral corn spirit notes.

Palate: Mouth feel is quite thin. Pretty fruity upfront – apple strudel, vanilla cream, new leather and a raisiny sweetness. Cinnamon lozenges and a hint of oak.

Finish: Short – fades really rather quickly with light berry notes and baking spice.

Score: 4 out of 10

Overall: This really doesn’t do much for me. Surprisingly, even though it’s technically a high rye bourbon it really doesn’t offer much in the way of spice or presence. There is a limited development in both the nose and palate offering a simple experience that can be accessed at much lower prices here in the US. The UK prices mentioned above would mean I would pass on this entirely and look elsewhere like a Wild Turkey 101 or Eagle Rare 10 which can be picked up very reasonably back home.

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