Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
For Angel’s Envy, the Kentucky-based distillery very much known for its straight bourbon finished in port wine barrels, a highlight on the calendar each year is the release of a limited edition, cask strength version of its flagship product. It is an adventure they began 12 years ago, emerging for the first time earlier this year under the helm of Master Distiller Owen Martin, who joined the brand last fall.
The premise of Angel’s Envy Cask Strength, as always, is the distillery team selecting “noteworthy barrels from its rickhouses [aged five to nine years] to put through an extended finishing process in port wine barrels from Portugal.” It’s been said by them this gives the whiskey each year a unique, award winning flavor profile, which if you judge by rack of medals it has seen over the time (most recently, the 2022 edition received a Double Gold from The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a Gold from Fred Minnick’s ASCOT Awards and both a Platinum as well as Innovation Awards from the SIP Awards), one quickly understands the distillers here to be on to something.
Barrel finishing in of itself is a pretty common practice these days from distillers large and small. Given the fact Angel’s Envy was founded in 2010, this offers them a leg up in terms of experience around being among the first American whiskey producers to employ a secondary finishing process broadly across its portfolio.
While bourbon has always been at the center of Cask Strength, for 2023 Angel’s Envy introduced as well a new Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes & Toasted Oak Barrels, which is what I’m reviewing here. For this release only 5,500 bottles were made available for purchase, each containing a blending of rye whiskeys drawn from hand-selected by Martin Sauternes finishing casks and Toasted Oak finishing barrels. It is bottled at 114.4 proof and priced at $269.99.
Tasting Notes: Angel’s Envy 2023 Cask Strength Rye Whiskey
Vital Stats: blend of rye whiskeys selected from Sauternes finishing casks and Toasted Oak finishing barrels; 114.4 proof; 5,500 bottles produced; $269.99 MSRP.
Appearance: nice ambient dark orange with a hint of brown, looking like a fine wine. legs which cling to the inside of the glass seemingly forever.
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Nose: It’s like someone took butterscotch and cream and blended them together into one magnificent offering. Apricot and lavender are slightly present as well.
Palate: Spicy rye hits the moment you sip, fading into warmer notes of creamy sweet goodness tied to toffee and butterscotch. This plays nicely across the tongue from one end to the other, leaving a pleasant, long finish you hope doesn’t go away.
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