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.
Categories: Angel's Envy, Booze Review
AMKrouse
The Alemonger
G-LO
limpd
The Wookie
The ROK
Sarah -BeautifulTangibleThings
The Astounding Prism
It's just the booze dancing... 
Excellent review. I completely concur, G-LO. I find it nice easy table bourbon with a little extra vinous element from the brief port finish. I need more flavor density and ‘pow’ to be impressed. Angel’s Envy is nice, and does nothing wrong – but doesn’t justify its high price in my opinion.
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Thanks for the comment Josh! Glad to hear that I’m not the only one that isn’t head over heels in love with this bourbon. I wanted to love it. I really really did. But I never got that WOW! feeling from it. I will give them this… the packaging is superb! The name, kinda cheesy.
Cheers!
G-LO
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I found Angel’s Envy to be kind of tepid, especially for the astronomically high prices they’re charging. I’d suggest trying Big Bottom Port Finish, but wait for the three year old version. From what I hear, the previous two year old was pretty lackluster.
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Never heard of that one. Thanks for the tip and the comment!
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Have to agree with your review, this tastes like Woodford Reserve aged in port pipes (which it very well might be), and I think it would benefit from a bump in ABV. At 50% this would really be something. I thought I read somewhere that they had a higher proof or perhaps barrel strength version in the works. I can also second the Big Bottom Port Cask Finish recommendation, though I did have the two year and thought it was rather good.
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That was my thought. While this was pleasant enough, I was looking for a little more oomph.
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I suppose, that since I am linked as the post that led to the ultimate disappointment ;), that I should leave my two cents. I still love this bourbon! I love the simplicity of the flavor profile, and the sweetness which is cut very close to the abv% I will admit, but still not cloying or candy-like. It rolls down the throat in a beautiful way. I am still a little new to the game, so I guess I’ll chock it up to that as far as the above reactions, or simply to taste, but I was excited to see that you all tried it, and glad to have differing opinions up against my own. Even if you are all wrong >:)
Slainte,
Chuck
http://www.whiskeyworldtour.com
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Ahhh…. don’t take it personally Chuck! You like what you like. You weren’t the only one to give this rave reviews. And besides, there was nothing at all wrong with the Angel’s Envy, it just lacked the oomph that I look for in a Bourbon. I would happily accept a bottle as a gift, and I would most certainly enjoy every drop, but I doubt that I would buy a bottle with my own money anytime soon.
And thanks for the reblog! Much appreciated.
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Reblogged this on Words Have Teeth and commented:
THey felt a little different about the Offerings from Lincoln Henderson, but they tend to be a little better with this stuff, so take both accounts into… well… account.
Cheers to the Booze Dancing Crew!
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Well said. In the end, it comes down to drinking what you like.
Cheers back’atcha!
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This is very good smooth bourbon. I agree that it is a little pricey at $45, but I really like the finish
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i just recieved a bottle as a gift. Cant wait to try it. I am a Woodford fan, so im hoping that this will not let me down,
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Maybe I’m too into smooth, but I am so glad I found this bourbon before I aged any more, because I’m drinking this FOREVER. Perhaps my penchant for taste over octane might be the reason for my love. (Small female alert!) I’ve never had a bourbon without paying the price in my throat, and this one just glides down. As a friend of mind who normally doesn’t even drink bourbon, but was strongly encouraged (forced?) to at least try it, said, “It’s a good breakfast bourbon.” So of course I had to test that theory. And by God it was.*
* Agreed, a good table bourbon. Flask good, too.
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Yo B!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a smooth whisky. If we all liked the same stuff, then there would only be one variety of whisky on the shelf. I think I like the Breakfast Bourbon comment better than the Table Bourbon one. It’s much lighter than what I usually drink.
Thanks for the comment!
Cheers!
G-LO
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I’m a huge Woodford fan…and I cannot make the connection. To me Woodford has much more oak.
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It was an underlying flavor thing that really reminded me of Woodford. I really like Woodford too.
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I agree. I don’t see the connection with Woodford. Also my impression of the Angel’s Envy is consistent with most of the comments above: it is elegant, smooth, a bit over priced, best where it can stand on its own. While I will not buy it again, if received as a gift I would be delighted.
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