[Bourbon] Angel's Envy Port Cask Finish Review

Since it started getting official distribution in Korea, this bottle shows up more often now. Angel’s Envy Port Cask Finish. The concept - a bourbon getting a ruby port wine cask finish - was interesting enough that I picked one up. My read after opening it: the port finish is so forward that the bourbon underneath has to fight for space.

The basics

• 43.3% ABV / 750ml
• Mash bill: 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley
• Maturation: 4-6 years in new American oak, then 3-6 months finish in Portuguese ruby port casks
• Distillery: Louisville, Kentucky. Founded by Lincoln Henderson (the man behind Woodford Reserve) and his son after his retirement, as I understand it

The base bourbon itself is standard. The thing that defines the bottle is the port cask finish - and the problem is that the finish is too loud.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet. Really sweet. Maple syrup dominates. Behind it, raisin and dried plum layer in - all of that’s coming from the port cask. The corn-grain and charred oak you’d get off something like Wild Turkey 101 is almost completely absent. Nose it blind and you’d have to work to tell this apart from a sherry cask Scotch. At 43.3% there’s no alcohol prickle either.

Palate

Vanilla and plum sweetness hit at the same time. A dark-chocolate heavy sweetness arrives mid-palate, and overall it’s smooth. Too smooth. Spice is nearly gone, and the cinnamon or rye heat you’d expect from a bourbon is faint. None of that “ah, this is a bourbon” punch you get from something like Knob Creek 9 or Rare Breed.

The fruit sweetness of the port wine comes to the front and covers most of the bourbon character underneath. If you sit down expecting a bourbon, you’ll think “what is this?” I’ve only come back to it a few times since opening it. Not sure about this, but it might actually land better with someone who likes wine or brandy more than whisky.

Finish

Port keeps running the show into the finish. The sweet aftertaste sits in your mouth for a while, with dried fruit and a touch of oak trailing underneath. Not dry at all - sugar all the way to the end. If you were hoping for the pepper or oak tannin of a bourbon finish, this is going to disappoint.

Angel’s Envy lineup

• Port Cask Finish - today’s bottle. 43.3%, six-month ruby port cask finish
• Cask Strength - annual limited barrel proof. From 2024 onward it also uses tawny port casks
• Rye Whiskey - rye whiskey base with Caribbean rum cask finish

Love it or hate it

Honestly, this bottle is going to divide people. The ABV is low for a bourbon at 43.3%, and the port cask weight is cranked up so high that the base bourbon gets pushed to the back. If you bought it as a bourbon, you’ll likely be let down. Woodford Reserve is also low ABV at 43.2%, but at least that one keeps the bourbon character. Angel’s Envy crosses the line and becomes something close to a different category of whiskey altogether.

That said, someone coming from wine and stepping into whisky for the first time might enjoy it more than a bourbon drinker would. The bottle design is good-looking too, which makes it an easy one to pour for guests. That’s probably where mine ends up.

Overall: ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 3.4 / 5