What can be better than a premium bourbon in oak barrels? How about bourbon finished in port barrels? Angel’s Envy fits that bill. A small batch artisan bourbon is the latest creation of Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson, oft referred to as a living legend, having been a part of such renowned brands as Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniels. This pioneer recently came out of retirement to work with the Louisville Distilling Company who gave him complete creative freedom to create this latest bourbon. He began his creation by using locally sourced, non-GMO grains, Kentucky limestone water and hand-chosen port barrels from Portugal.
Henderson’s expressions are guided by his hand and allowed to develop naturally which is intended to create nuances from year to year, resulting in a warm spirit without any edginess and ephemeral hints of port wine and resulting in a rich, amber hue. The Expression is aged 4-6 years in American white oak barrels, finished in the port barrels for an incremental 3-6 months.
“Angel’s Envy is a lot of things,” says Lincoln Henderson, Master Distiller, Angel’s Envy. “It’s my life’s work. It’s a whiskey of incomparable smoothness. It takes into account over 200 years of bourbon heritage and mingles it with over 400 years of port wine heritage. And it’s something I’m going to let develop each year so every batch will be a natural expression of the distiller’s craft.”
The bottle is as iconic as the bourbon inside. Made from perfume-grade glass in Italy and ceramic stamped with their iconic wings, the bottle is hand-filled, corked and crated in Louisville, Kentucky.
The bourbon gets its name from what is known as the Angel’s share, the percentage of bourbon that a distillery believes they owe to the angels. But, Lincoln sat the angels down and got them to agree that they could take a larger share if they agreed to leave behind something even better. The result is Angel’s Envy.
The first thing I noticed about the bourbon was the lovely bottle. Once opened the smell pulled me in. Hints of maple syrup and a light scent of clove were so enticing. The taste was smooth, sweet and had a hint of fruit. I savored and sipped my glass down to the last drop. Much lighter than other bourbons I have tried and that was a great selling point for me. Bourbon, to me, can be a little too heavy — masculine almost. This came across as a much lighter version…ethereal even!
While Envy is noted as one of the seven deadly sins, if the angels have it — shouldn’t you as well? Be sure to give it a try and let us know what you think.
Angel’s Envy is currently available in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC and Wisconsin.
The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle, which may vary by market, is $44.99. Angel’s Envy is 86.6 proof and 43.3% alcohol by volume. Please visit Angel’s Envy and check out their Facebook and Twitter for more information.