Angel's Envy Cask Strength Review

Angel's Envy Cask Strength (Merry Christmas!)

This year's Angel's Envy Cask Strength distribution was limited to 1,500 bottles according to the official Angel's Envy site. This version of the bourbon has had plenty of praise heaped upon it, so when I happened to be in a store on the day it arrived, I figured it was worth the gamble (albeit an expensive gamble $150 + tax). I was a bit hesitant to give this a go considering I'm not a huge fan of their standard bourbon offering, but the Angel's Envy Rye made me give this brand another look. It comes in one of the coolest packages I have seen for a whiskey under $200... this was both enticing and discouraging. Enticing because the wood casing is decidedly impressive and discouraging because I'm typically wary of overly-elaborate packaging (I'd prefer to buy the steak, not the sizzle). No more rambling... on to the notes.

Angel's Envy Cask Strength 2013 - Tasting Notes

Angel's Envy Cask Strength descriptions,
tasting notes, and an invitation to a
special event accompany the bottle.
A very nice presentation

Nose: Initially sweet with some vanilla and alcohol from the high proof. Give it a minute and this guy settles in. The Port finish is present as there is a presence of sweet, red wine with toffee and chocolate. Some good complexity here as I'm also picking up spice and very faint wood. After revisiting I even get a hint of red licorice (think Twizzlers strawberry twists). Let this one sit for a bit and you'll be rewarded.

Palate: Chocolate, vanilla, and sweet candy (something I can't quite put my finger on, but in a good way) come in at the front, followed by a noticeable presence of oak. A little bit of burn, but not as much as you'd expect from something over 120 proof.

Finish: Plenty of heat and spice on the finish, though a little water will help tame the heat if it's not your thing. The spicy heat lingers for a good 60 seconds and is followed by some of the port and sweet flavors from the nose and palate.

Proof: 123 (61.5% ABV)
Price: $150


Well, mixed emotions here. On the surface the tasting notes above make for a great pour, but the price point is much more difficult to swallow. I have trouble spending this much on any bottle in general and while I think it's very good, I likely wouldn't buy it again at this price. The casing is pretty cool, but I'm buying the steak for how it tastes, not the plate it's served on. However, if the pricing was around $100 I might pull the trigger annually and I likely would have graded this in the low 9s, rather than mid-8s. With all of that being said, if you are a fan of their bourbon, you should give the Angel's Envy Cask Strength a try as I found it much more enjoyable than the standard offering.

Angel's Envy Cask Strength Rating: 8.4/10

Review: Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon

You'll have a hard time finding a better priced single-barrel whiskey with or without an age statement. The fact that Eagle Rare (produced by Buffalo trace) continues to offer a readily available single-barrel product with a 10-year age statement is pretty impressive. Unfortunately the bottle doesn't offer any information regarding which barrel or warehouse the product came from. So if you find a bottle you love and want to get as many as you can from that barrel or area of the warehouse you're out of luck.

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon - Tasting Notes

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon

Nose: A little sweet and musty. Initially a lot of smoke and leather but as it opens up there is a strong presence of orange that makes this quite enjoyable.

Palate: First sip comes across very sweet and oily, highlighting the orange on the palate. A couple more sips show some depth though - oak, leather, even a hint of pine. Many reviews call out cocoa or caramel but I am not getting much of this (could be barrel variation, could be my awful palate). I remember previous sips of this being very leather & smoke forward, so this pour has been quite a pleasant surprise and change of pace.

Finish: Fairly sweet and fruity, with light spice and oak underneath. The finish lingers for a good minute or two.

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Price: ~$30


Honestly, I was prepared to rank Eagle Rare in the high-7 to low-8 range based on previous pours. Not sure if my palate has changed or giving the bottle a bit of air has made a difference but I really found today's pour quite enjoyable. What previously seemed too heavy on oak and leather suddenly has a much better balance of flavors. As a result Eagle Rare might become a regular on the shelf if today's tasting proves to be the norm.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Bourbon Rating: 8.6/10

Review: Angel's Envy Rye

Angel's Envy Rye Whiskey

Angel's Envy Rye is a relatively new and somewhat limited offering. It comes to us from the Henderson family who launched the Angel's Envy brand. Similar to their bourbon offering, the AE Rye takes what would likely be a relatively standard whiskey and gives it a unique finish. In this case, they have taken a 6 year rye (95% rye, 5% malted barley) and finish it for up to 18 months in Caribbean rum casks. Their website can be found here and it offers a good amount of information on the product as well as the brand.

Angel's Envy Rye - Tasting Notes

Nose: If you didn't know this was finished in rum casks before, the nose leaves little doubt. Powerful maple syrup smell that is only amplified when the glass is empty. Looking a little deeper the nose offers some coconut and very faint hints of spice behind that.


Palate: Slightly sweet on entry but the 95% rye mashbill is what shines. The rum presence doesn't disappear, but it plays the role of the Miami Sound Machine to the rye's Gloria Estefan.

Finish: Slight spice, but not much burn. The cinnamon spice of the rye lingers while a slight presence of the rum finish returns. A relatively short, but enjoyable finish.

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Price: $70

I was first introduced to this at a whiskey tasting in Metro Detroit. My enjoyment of the pour quickly had a wet blanket thrown over it as I found out it isn't available in-state (which is a recurring theme in Michigan). Luckily I had a couple out-of-state trips around the corner where I was lucky enough to track down a bottle. Overall this a really tasty and unique sipper. I'd like to see the price come down a bit but the whiskey market prices don't appear to be slowing down any time soon. This one is definitely worth trying and is a great change of pace if you've got a sweet-tooth.

Angel's Envy Rye Rating: 8.7/10