Angel’s Envy Rye
Angel’s Envy is one of those brands that can be rightly called craft but can also claim a long, illustrious bourbon/whiskey heritage. Started by Lincoln Henderson and now run by his son (Wes) and grandson (Kyle) following Lincoln’s passing in 2013, Angel’s Envy prides itself on the finishing process - taking a bourbon (or rye) and finishing it in other casks, be they port, rum, sherry, or something we bourbon laity haven’t thought of yet. Lincoln Henderson was a long-time leader at Brown-Forman, with a hand in creating Woodford Reserve and Gentleman Jack just to name a few. But as part of a massive company, one can imagine the difficulty in saying “hey, let’s try this”.
When Angel’s Envy was founded in 2006, Lincoln took the finishing process - long a staple of Scotch - and brought it to America, where it was almost completely absent. Angel’s Envy’s core product, their ~6-year-old bourbon finished in port casks - was one of the first major releases of finished bourbon.
The rum-finished rye - 6-year-old 95/5 rye whiskey finished for up to 18 months in used rum casks - adapts that mindset to America’s native spirit (sorry, bourbon - rye was here first). The rum casks are high-quality, having first been Maison Ferrand Cognac casks and then used by Plantation Rum in Barbados. As a result, this is one of the sweeter ryes you’ll come across. It’s got plenty of spice, herbaceous pop, and body to remind you it is a rye at heart, but the double sweetness of Cognac and rum with a pretty long finishing period (most finishing, even today, is less than a year in the US) gives candied fruits, butterscotch, and richness. Bonus: it comes in one of the more eye-catching bottles you’ll find.
Angel’s Envy Rye: Specs
Classification: Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks
Origin: MGP and Angel’s Envy (blended distillate - their own distillery opened in 2016 and they are slowly transitioning over)
Mashbill: 95% Rye, 5% Malted Barley
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Age: 7.5 Years Old
Location: IN/KY
Angel’s Envy Rye Price: $90
Angel’s Envy Rye Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Maple syrup. Medium rims and medium syrupy legs.
Nose: Butterscotch - tons of rummy sweetness. Touch of tropical fruits. Rye is in the background, but won’t be forgotten.
Palate: Rum and stewed tropical fruits - very sweet, maple syrup dark sugar notes. A mild proof heat tempered by sweetness. The maple in particular lasts and lasts. Rye comes out much more after the first sip, with some rye woodiness and a light mint flavor. Ultimately, though, the maple is the star. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and coating, almost sticky but not quite.
Finish: Long - maple syrup for days.
Overall: Deliciously rummy and sweet, and an easy sipper. Rye purists, shout all you want about how this isn’t representative of what a rye should be (whatever that means) - this is more about the finishing, and on that Angel’s Envy continues to impress.
Final Rating: 7.1
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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