Looks like it’s “Three Reviews For The Price Of One” Day…
Today’s review features Angel’s Envy Bourbon which is the creation of Lincoln Henderson, former master distiller at Brown-Forman (he played a major role in the creation of Woodford Reserve). Here is a bit more information from the distillery about this Bourbon:
Our bourbon starts with the native Kentucky climate and soil in which our corn and rye are grown, and a pristine limestone watershed rich in calcium and magnesium. These local ingredients are distilled and aged for four to six years in American white oak barrels. Because we want to create a genuinely unique spirit, we age it for three to six additional months in hand-selected port casks to create an exceptionally smooth and nuanced bourbon.
About three weeks ago, I distributed four 4 ounce bottles of this Bourbon. Three of these bottles went to The Rok, The Wookie, and Limpd, and the fourth bottle was sent to Sean Foushee (follow him on Twitter), a fellow whiskey aficionado from Texas, as part of a whiskey trade that we arranged via Instagram. A few days ago, he posted his review on Instagram, and he has graciously agreed to let me include his notes as part of our review.
Unfortunately, The Rok and The Wookie have been tied up with work, so they were unable to provide their tasting notes at this time. I’m sure they’ll eventually chime in with their opinions of this whiskey.
Without further ado, here are our impressions of Angel’s Envy Bourbon…
Limpd’s Tasting Notes:
- Aroma: Sweet honey and buttered rum with a faint hint of alcohol.
- Taste: Sweet, then spicy with a peppery, cinnamon kick (like the first bite into a stick of Big Red), and then a smooth finish. Adding water mutes the full bodied spiciness and cinnamon notes, and significantly reduces the flavor and smoothness. I found that with water, the Angel’s Envy was rendered a little meh.
- Aroma: Good bit of alcohol vapors that tingle your nose. Once I worked past it, I get allspice, brown sugar, eucalyptus, and mint. One night, I even picked up a hint of Frank’s Black Cherry Wishniak soda. Perhaps that was the Port Wine finish talking.
- Taste: Very light mouthfeel, i.e. a bit thin and watery. All of the flavors concentrated on the middle of my tongue. Good bit of cinnamon type heat backed with brown sugar sweetness. Long, warm, cinnamon spice fueled finish.
I found the Angel’s Envy to be very easy drinking (dare I call this a Table Bourbon, as opposed to a Table Wine?). I definitely enjoyed it, but because of several very positive reviews that I’ve read over the past year, I was expecting so much more. If I had to compare it to another bourbon, I would say that it reminds me of Woodford Reserve (Lincoln Henderson strikes again!), but with a bit more sweetness. As other reviewers have said, I’d love to try this at a higher ABV. Adding water to it at this strength totally kills the taste. Overall, a very nice bourbon, but not something that I would go out of my way for.
Sean Foushee’s (@WhiskyMarks on Twitter) Tasting Notes as posted on Instagram:
- Aroma: Sweet, candy apples and bananas with a touch of vanilla and a hint of red licorice. It reminds me of those hard fruit candies I used to get during Halloween.
- Taste: Grapes, juicy raisins with a bit of maple. The Port is certainly asserting itself here, and it’s beaten back a lot of the traditional Bourbon flavors into a delightful submission. This is one smooth, sweet tasting whisky. The mouthfeel is light as most of the work is done towards the middle-back of the palate, but it leaves a delightful reminder of what to expect with the next sip. A medium finish, slight bit of spice and toffee with a wonderful tartness that finishes smooth.
Wow, very nice, no sting or biting aftertaste, just a beautiful warm glow that coats the back of the throat, like caramel coating a red apple, leaving you wanting more. Conclusion, this is an excellent Bourbon, the time spent finishing this recipe in Port casks was well spent and lent a balance to a traditional corn heavy bourbon that evolved the overall presentation into a beautiful combination of sweet flavors. This isn’t a desert-style whisky, but it’s be hard to pass up a dram after dinner.
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So there you have it! Three reviews for the price of one. Have you had Angel’s Envy? Let us know your thoughts about this whiskey in the comments below.
Thank you to Louisville Distilling Company and Aaron of Ro-Bro Marketing & Public Relations for providing us with this very generous sample.
