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Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon
(Credit: Angel’s Envy)
Louisville Distilling Company today announced the limited-edition release of a second installment of its critically acclaimed Angel’s Envy Cask Strength.
Named the “best spirit in the world” by Paul Pacult in the June 2013 edition of Spirit Journal, Cask Strength shared top honors with a 25-year-old single malt whisky that sells for nearly twice the price. The Expression will be available this October in select markets including: CA, FL, IL, KY, MA, NY, TN and TX. Due to the scarcity of barrels necessary for the enhanced finishing process, Angel’s Envy will only release 350 total 9-liter cases. The inaugural release in 2012, which was available only in Kentucky and Nashville, Tenn., sold out in weeks.
As with Angel’s Envy, the super-premium bourbon of uncompromising character and quality, Louisville Distilling Company gave Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson complete creative freedom to achieve a specific taste profile for Cask Strength. Using locally sourced grains and Kentucky limestone water, Lincoln aged this Expression to the perfect level of richness and maturity (up to eight years) in the few American white oak barrels that made the cut. He then chose to blend those barrels into a single batch and age the bourbon in hand-selected port casks (up to three years) until he tasted a previously undiscovered sweet spot.
“Cask Strength is rare and rich bourbon worth savoring,” said Wes Henderson, Chief Operating Officer, Angel’s Envy. “The first release sold out in weeks so we’re thrilled to make it more widely available this year.”
In his 2012 review of Cask Strength, Paul Pacult awarded the brand five stars (as he did with the bourbon port cask finish) – his highest recommendation – and noted, “this masterpiece deserves a sixth rating star.”
Pacult continues in his review saying, “the port pipe aspect comes shining through right from the get-go on this supple, caramel-laden and pipe tobacco-like opening aroma. Concludes long, roasted, meaty, winey, bakery shop bittersweet and fudge-like. This is the American whiskey equivalent of the mythical Black Bowmore 1964 Sherry Oak Islay Single Malt.”
The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle, which may vary by market, is $149. A remarkably complex bourbon at 123-proof and 61.5% alcohol by volume, Cask Strength is best enjoyed with just a bit of water to release the flavor nuances (see tasting notes below).
Angel’s Envy will host exclusive bottle signing events from November 2013 through March 2014 for those that purchase Cask Strength. An insert on each bottle shares a URL with more information about the events.
In addition to Cask Strength, Angel’s Envy also offers an award-winning Bourbon Port Cask Finish in more than 20 U.S. States and in China. The bourbon is distilled for an unparalleled smoothness, aged for 4-6 years in American white oak barrels and finished in hand-selected port casks for an incremental 3-6 months. The Company also recently launched a very limited release of Angel’s Envy Rye (select markets), which uses 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The whiskey, which has received rave reviews, is aged for at least six years in new American, charred oak barrels and then finished in hand-selected Caribbean rum casks (which began as small French cognac barrels) for up to 18 months.
Earlier this year, Louisville Distilling Company broke ground on a new state-of-the-art distillery and brand experience center for Angel’s Envy in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The Company expects the facility to be up and running in 2014.
