Angel’s Envy is an American whiskey brand that hit the market a couple of years back with its port cask-finished bourbon and rum cask-finished rye whiskey. Those two products make up their standard portfolio. Every fall, they release a cask strength version of their port cask-finished bourbon. It inevitably varies year to year, with some years seeing a bigger influence from those wine barrels.
This year’s release comes bottled at 124.6 proof, and runs about $180 a bottle. Last year’s bottling was nice, but I felt it could have used a touch more flavor from those port casks. How does this year’s stack up?
From the nose it’s evident the secondary maturation in port casks hold a stronger influence than the 2015 release. Dark berries, brown sugar and vanilla aromas are the most prominent notes, with a hint of dried orange zest. Taste-wise, those fruity plum and berry port wine flavors complement traditional bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel. I also pick up some ginger, sweet corn and some dark amber maple syrup. The finish is long and bittersweet with a slight touch of heat.
The new Angel’s Envy Cask Strength is great, and corrects what I thought was wrong with last year’s batch. It is exactly what I think a cask strength, port barrel-finished bourbon should be. 9/10
Thanks to Angel’s Envy for the sample. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.