Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey Review

I’ve been wanting to try Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey for a while now.  Unfortunately, it’s not sold in the New Orleans area.  Thankfully, the folks at Ro-Bro Marketing & PR sent me a small sample.

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This rye whiskey is bottled in the same very attractive bottle as Angel’s Envy Bourbon.   The folks at Angel’s Envy are playing with finishing the whiskies in different barrels.  Where their bourbon is finished in port casks, this rye whiskey is aged at least 6 years then finished in Caribbean rum barrels that used to hold French cognac.  At the moment, they don’t distill their own whiskey so it’s all sourced.

Angel’s Envy Rye is 95% rye bottled at 100 proof.  You wouldn’t know it though.  I didn’t get any strong alcohol vapor from the glass that I do from another 95% rye – Bulleit Rye.  This one is dominated by sweetness, earthiness, and spice… in that order, both in it’s aromas and taste.   The sweetness comes from the rum.  I’ve never tasted a rye whiskey this sweet.  I know there’s rye in there though.  At 95% rye (and 5% barley), the earthiness comes through just fine, but the spiciness is toned down tremendously.  The finish on this is quick and sweet.

A bottle of Angel’s Envy Rye will run you about $70.  This is available in smaller quantities than their seemingly readily-available bourbon.  If you’re into rye whiskey, I’d suggest you give this a try.  It’s an interesting take on that type of whiskey.  This isn’t a traditional rye whiskey.  It’s great, but it’s different.  Now, if you’ve never tasted a rye whiskey, don’t let this be your gateway rye.

Sweet stuff.

8/10

Sazerac 18 Year Old Rye Whiskey (2013) Review

As part of their annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Buffalo Trace releases two rye whiskies:  Thomas Handy Sazerac, a barrel strength version of their regular Sazerac release and Sazerac 18 Year Old.  Both George T Stagg and Sazerac 18 are considered by many the best of the collection.

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Normally a review of this whiskey happens in the fall when this is released, but  I happened to run across a bottle of this recently… and I’m sure glad I did.  This was distilled in the spring of 1985.  When it matured at 18 years, they stopped the aging process by storing the whiskey in stainless steel vats.  This process isn’t uncommon.  Sazerac 18 is also considerably rarer than George T Stagg – 27 barrels versus 157 barrels.  That’s a large variance.  I hear some stores only get 1-2 bottles each fall.

Enough jabbering – how is it?  In a word, refined.  I smell some toffee, a little citrus (orange peel)  and rye earthiness.  When I taste it, this 90 proof Sazerac 18 comes in sweet (fruit & honey) and coats your mouth.  Heck, I even get a tiny hint of chocolate here.  Now, don’t go expecting a Hershey Bar.  The rye spice builds up and tickles the tongue.  There’s also a little oak, but just enough to balance it.  The finish is sweet and slowly fades away.  There is nothing harsh about this whiskey.

Make no mistake, this is one outstanding whiskey.  It’s price tag is about $70, but you’ll probably find it marked up in stores. Is it worth the price? That depends on your budget and how much you enjoy rye whiskey. I’ll easily purchase another bottle IF I run across it again.

One of my new favorite whiskies.

9.5/10

The Bourbon Boom

Bourbon is as American as blues and jazz.  It’s been here since the beginning of this nation and seems to be more popular than ever.  So much in fact that bourbon producers are starting to struggle to keep this American Whiskey on your store shelves.  One of the largest bourbon distillers, Buffalo Trace, recently put out a statement addressing their inventory shortage, saying “…there is no way to predict when supply will catch up with demand.”

I recently produced a piece for News with a Twist – a newscast on WGNO-TV in New Orleans.  It touches on the bourbon boom, bourbon in general, and a unique story that ties bourbon to New Orleans.  You can watch it below.
Video courtesy of WGNO-TV.