Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels (2020 Edition)

Was lucky enough to do a side by side comparison of the 2019 and 2020 releases, both tasted neat in a glencairn. The nose of the 2019 was fairly flat especially in comparison to the 2020. The darker fruits were there but I really had to search for them, I kept coming back to the glass thinking I was missing something but to be honest I think it was just lacking. I did however at one point get a creme brûlée note. The 2020 however was a very fruit forward nose, the wine finish really showed itself and it was very inviting, no contest between the two. The palates were surprisingly different for me compared to what I was expecting, I thought they would be more similar than they were. Despite the obvious heat due to the ABV, the 2019 was quite a bit spicier than the 2020. The 2020 just seemed more complex. It started out dry and tannic but then the citrus fruit notes started taking over and balanced it out very nicely. When it came the finish, I got the slightest touch of smoke on the 2019 but for the most part it was a continuation of the palate. I didn’t get any noticeable different notes on the finish of the 2020. Both were mostly just a fairly long extension of the palates. Overall I think the the 2019 is a great pour by itself but my rating may have been brought down a bit because of the side by side with the 2020. Everyone has their own tastes and opinions but to me, the 2020 was the better pour here! I would give the 2019 a rating of 4 and the 2020 a 4.5.

I decided to withhold my review of this till some time passed and I got through at least half the bottle. I am very satisfied for making this decision. Close to opening, the strength of the heat subdued the lovely intricacies within. 8 months post the potential of this beautiful liquid has been fully realized. To me at least. Let's start with the potent yet involved nose. Out of the bottle I got so much leather I thought I was smelling a designer coat. Baking spices and red fruit took a back seat. After adding 4 drops the leather backed off a bit and allowed more aromas to emerge. I got sweetened grains/nuts, said spices, cherries, oak, and vanilla. The tasting notes granted me a wonderful and complex experience. Minus the H2O I got mostly char and cherry. Post drops it opened it up in a similar fashion as I witnessed with the sniff test. Additional notes of what reminded me of chocolate candy came through along with a touch of orange peel. The oily mouthcoating I felt was quite nice. It made the long, slightly dry, finish possible. I always loved the regular and rye versions of AE, but this took it to an elevated level. I understand now the costly price and fancy box it came in. A fine example of why there's segregation amongst these many spirit choices we encounter out there.

Nose- dark cherry, oak, chocolate faintly, redwood, dark plums Taste- Amazingly dense flavors. Cedar and oak, mingle with dark salted caramel, deep dark cherries, dark chocolate, baking spices and over 10 minutes in the glass the flavors develop more and more. Some apricot and pretzels later on. Lots of hug and warmth. Almost hard to get the individual notes, not because they are muted, it's the opposite, but because they are so loud and dense. It's pretty incredible. A few drops of water brought the cherry out and sweetened it down but I preferred the impact straight. Finish- lasts so loooong. Measured in minutes. Spice, caramel and almost cake batter, sweet lingering with a lot of wood, cherries and cedar are still there but now hints of mint tingle too. This was exceptional for my tastes.

I don’t know a ton about whiskey. I’m more of a beer guy. But have been getting into whiskey more the past couple of years. A friend recommended AE to me and I found this port finished version. I love port so I thought, this can’t be bad. It wasn’t. Super drinkable neat. Not too aggressive. Sweet on the nose. Now I’m just going to start making stuff up so I’ll stop. Great whiskey though would recommend and DEFINITELY buy again.

Bottle 4484, 120.4 proof Red copper color Nose of fig, cinnamon, slight port Slightly sweet with corn and raisin upfront, some peanut. Then vanilla and honey, baking spices, long finish that is dry and peppery with some sweet port coming in. Very well balanced. After a few moments, slight orange zest to finish it off.

I found this to be a thicker, richer version of the standard Angel’s Envy. It was a bit closed off at first, but opened up with time in the glass. Port, oak, cinnamon, molasses, leather, light caramel and vanilla all mingle together. The high proof added heft, but was certainly not overpowering, very drinkable neat.