Distilled By: Sourced for Angel’s Envy
Location: Louisville, KY
Parent Company: Louisville Distilling Co. (Bacardi Ltd since 2015)
Class: KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
Proof: 86.6 (43.3% ABV)
Age: NAS (believed to be 4-6 years old)
Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey finished in port wine casks is a blend of 8 to 12 barrels per batch. There is no age statement, but, according to the distillery, it is aged for up to 6 years. After the bourbon is done aging in its original barrel, ruby port wine casks are used to finish the bourbon for an additional 3 to 6 months depending on the taste. The barrels used for finishing are 60-gallon ruby port barrels made of French oak. They are imported directly from Portugal. The name Angel’s Envy comes from the story line that, though they lose about 5% of the spirit in the barrel each year to evaporation or “the Angel’s Share,” what’s left behind is what’s worthy of envy.
BSG REVIEW:
Color: Goldenrod
Nose: Cherry, brown sugar, black pepper, oak
Palate: Cherry, baking spices, brown sugar, slightly astringent
Finish: Medium length, cherry/plum, licorice, dry
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of port wine. That being said, there were some enjoyable notes that came out of this whiskey for me. The nose started with a nice pop of cherry and brown sugar that then faded into black pepper and oak. The taste kept that cherry note on the front of the palate, but switched to brown sugar and baking spices as it crossed over the middle of the tongue. The flavors just hung out in the mid palate for me while leaving a bit of astringency immediately after it went down. The finish was a medium length that kept hints of cherry and also a plum fruitiness. The kicker for me was the black licorice note in the end while it dried up the palate rather quickly. Black licorice is one of my least favorite notes and will always skew my opinion of the whiskey to the negative side. Because of this, I cannot keep my score for this one in the 80’s and will have to let it slip just under the mark.
BSG Score: 79/100
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