Angel’s Envy Tawny Port Cask Bourbon Review

By Andrew Graham

Grade: A-

Angel’s Envy has now released the second bourbon in its Cellar Collection, and this one’s an eyebrow-raiser. It’s a 10 year old bourbon—the oldest bourbon the distiller has ever made available for sale—finished for 10 months in tawny Port wine barrels. The first Cellar Collection release was their Oloroso Sherry cask finished bourbon.

I got my hands on a sample in advance of the February 8 release, and it certainly lives up to what I have come to expect from Angel’s Envy. It is nuanced and boundary-pushing and, overall, a truly dynamic dram. When compared to the last special release that Angel’s Envy put out, the 2019 barrel strength expression, I found the tawny port-finished bourbon to be not as consistent and balanced from nose to finish — or, said in a more positive way, more daring and unpredictable. I would wager that is a feature, not a bug, in this release.

The flagship Angel’s Envy expression spends time in port barrels, too—specifically, in 60-gallon ruby port barrels made from French oak—so it’s worth mentioning what tawny port is because that’s central to this expression.

The Bourbon
Typically, a tawny port spends all its time aging in wood, and is bottled and released first in no age statement, and then in 10 year increments. So, with these tawny port barrels, the wood has had at least a decade to mingle with the wine, and it’s going to have an entirely different effect as a finishing vessel for whiskey than a vintage or ruby port barrel that held port for a much shorter amount of time. (h/t to Michael Adler of Italian Wine Merchants for getting me up to speed with the different types of ports.)

The impact that the tawny port finish has on this spirit is not too much for me, but it’s probably approaching that line and it’s fair to think that it crosses it for some people. But anyone who doesn’t care for port-finished whiskeys probably isn’t drinking Angel’s Envy in the first place. I found the port finish has a more profound effect on this bourbon than the other Angel’s Envy expressions I’ve had in the past, and the richness that the whiskey has from being aged 10 years instead of the distiller’s flagship bourbon, which is aged for up to six, keeps this from being an absolute port bomb.

This expression is bottled at 55.8% ABV and uses Angel’s Envy’s traditional mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye and 10% malted barley.

Color: Polished mahogany

Nose: The nose is an impressive perfume of red fruit, deep oak, and creme brûlée. And this does not really hit the nose like it’s a 55.8% ABV bourbon. It is softer and much more inviting than one might expect.

Flavor: There’s a lot going on here — rushes of floral notes immediately, and a lot of juicy red fruit. I tasted cinnamon prominently, as well as pepper and rich vanilla. The spice notes struck me as a phenomenal addition to the palate.

Finish: The finish of this expression took me into another territory. I experienced plum, dates, and a bitter nuttiness (think walnuts, acorns, chestnuts) on the finish.

The Price
The suggested retail price is $250, and if you find it at that, do whatever it is that you do to celebrate. There are 5,400 bottles of this expression, available at retailers in KY, CA, FL, IL, NY and TN, as well as at the distillery in downtown Louisville.