Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Review (2019)

By Andrew Graham

Rating: A

Angel’s Envy is one of those distillers that just makes consistently great whiskeys. To me, the Angel’s Envy rye is one of the best ryes around, and I loved the 2018 cask strength expression.

So I jumped at the opportunity to sample the 2019 cask strength, which hit stores on Nov. 1, and to compare it to last year’s cask strength, a bottle of which I had been hoarding away.

First, the details on this particular expression. Angel’s Envy makes bourbon finished in Portuguese port wine casks. Each year, Wes Henderson, Chief Innovation Officer and Co-founder of Angel’s Envy, and his colleagues identify a small portion of barrels from their rickhouse that they believe are exceptional. They look for different characteristics from one year to the next so that the cask strength expressions don’t become redundant. Certain of those “best of the best” barrels eventually become the cask strength expression, which is bottled and released once per year.

While you’re probably going to smell and taste port — it is, after all, Angel’s Envy — the cask-strength expressions have changed pretty dramatically in taste and flavor from year to year since the program was introduced in 2013. It’s also grown in yield, and today, bottles are quite sought-after. This year, just over 14,000 bottles of the 122.4-proof special release are available in the United States, compared to last year’s yield of 12,000 bottles.

I found that the 2019 expression is more balanced than last year’s cask strength release. To me, the port finish of both expressions produces a delicious combination of cherry jam, mild vanilla, and earl grey tea, but the 2019 expression has more jammy, honeyed scents on the nose, while the 2018 release offers notes of pepper and baking spice.

Flavor-wise, the 2018 release is just as juicy, but those jammy, red-fruit flavors hit earlier on the palate and cede on the finish. The 2019 release is more consistent, and perhaps less of a ride, from the nose to the finish.

The Whiskey

Color: Golden amber.

Nose: Rich vanilla, with mellow almond extract and honey notes. Faint scents of cherry, and hints of oak and bread.

Flavor: It positively gushes with jammy, oaky flavors, with honey and plumb. The flavor combinations are intense, powerful, and well-balanced. Adding a drop of water opened it up more. It is a privilege to drink.

Finish: I experienced a brief, warming finish that was reminiscent of tea and browned toast.

The Price
The suggested retail price is $200, and, like last year’s cask strength release, I would expect it to become scarce quickly and cost more on both the secondary market and retail websites.