Angel's Envy Bourbon
The bottle originally attracted me to giving this bourbon a try. Angel's Envy recently just opened a brand new distillery in Louisville, KY. The company used aspects of marketing and a unique appealing finish in port wine barrels to garner attention.
Age: Non-Age Stated. It's believed to be roughly about 6 years in the american oak barrels with another 3-6 months in French Oak ruby port casks.
Proof: 86.6
Distillery: Angel's Envy Distillery
Mashbill: No Information
Price: $45
Aroma:
As soon as you smell this bourbon, you are immediately hit with sweet smells. The influence of the port wine finish is definitely present. Big expressions of fruits - plum, cherry, and orange. After letting it sit for a few minutes, the port wine aspects become even more pronounced, but lead way to typical bourbon smells of vanilla and oak. Unless I take an incredibly big huff through my nose, there are no hints of alcohol on the nose. It's a very pleasant experience, definitely has smells which can be enjoyed by beginners and veterans alike.
Score: 32/33
Taste:
The smell led me to believe that I'd be dealing with almost a sweet red wine like taste, which isn't what I'm looking from out of my bourbon at all. To be honest, I'm not a wine guy, just not my cup of tea. The smells didn't translate 100% over to the taste which is exciting news. Notes of fruits are apparent on the tongue, especially cherry, citrus, and berry. The sweet notes from the port wine are also present but only show up in small amounts. The combination leads to a rewarding experience, though the typical bourbon notes of vanilla, oak, and caramel are faint, at best. These are my three favorite aspects of a bourbon, so though the experience is definitely unique and enjoyable, it takes away from my usual enjoyment from drinking a bourbon.
Score: 29/33
Finish:
I like my finish on the medium to long side; a longer finish with complexity is a completely different experience. It allows for the bourbon to continue to change and give different aspects of itself forward, it's what I hope for with every bourbon. I'd say this was on the shorter to medium side. It has a medium mouth feel, nice little oil on the tongue. Notes of fruits like pear and apple are combined with the sweet notes left from the port wine finish. There is not much complexity to the finish, but very little burn and consistency to the finish, which I have respect for.
Score: 30/34
Overall:
At $45 it's a great investment. You can't go wrong with a veteran looking for a little bit of a different taste profile or a beginner who needs a softer taste profile with more sweet notes as they are not comfortable with higher proof bourbon. Not to mention, the bottle is pretty cool and if you cut it high above the wings it works as a nifty little vase for your significant other.
FINAL SCORE: 91/100
