Angel’s Envy Releases First-Ever Cask Strength Rye

 

Angel’s Envy is releasing its first-ever cask strength rye whiskey.

The whiskey—limited edition Angel’s Envy 2023 Cask Strength Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Sauternes and Toasted Oak Barrels—was announced on Thursday, along with the 12th cask strength bourbon, Angel’s Envy 2023 Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels. Both will be available on December 1.

These are the very first releases from Owen Martin, master distiller, who joined the brand last fall. Martin hand-selected the barrels that have become the cask strength rye whiskey after reviewing the inventory of Angel’s Envy when he came on board last fall.

“The distillery has plenty of incredible liquid maturing, but those two batches of Rye really stuck out to me in particular,” Martin says. “My team and I knew they were special, but as we played with blending—we found that they complemented and elevated each other even further.”

Martin says he couldn’t imagine cutting the blend down “once it was created and so Cask Strength Rye was born.”

“The Cask Strength Rye is really special for me as it is the first time Angel’s Envy is releasing a limited-edition rye whiskey at natural barrel proof,” Martin says.

Martin says just ask Angel’s Envy puts an innovative spin on it with port cask finishing, he wanted to add a new and delicious twist to the rye. “Tasting the two lots of rye- the Sauternes-finished and toasted oak-finished - stood out to me as particularly exceptional beyond any other rye whiskey that had been laid down,” he says.

“I believe that you should always lead with your best possible whiskey, and since Angel’s Envy has never released a cask strength rye before, it made the most sense to use the most unique whiskey rather than the more familiar rum barrel finish,” he adds. “The cask strength rye also presented an exciting opportunity to blend two unique finishes together, creating a truly one-of-a-kind release.”

The Sauternes casks imparted a honeyed fruit character that could serve as a solid base to build the blend, Martin says. “It brought big floral and stone fruit notes to the base rye, while not taking anything away from the spicey, herbal rye itself,” he says. “Orange marmalade was one of the core flavors our tasting panel kept coming back to.”

To add more depth, as well as an oak backbone to the rye, they used two types of toasted oak barrels—French and American—to round the rye out.

The American oak layered notes of crème brulée, cream soda, and some leather over the Sauternes-finished base, which reinforced the dessert-like notes with a more caramelized character. The French oak was “really intense and tannin-forward.” “However, as it married with the other ryes over the course of several months, it acted as we’d expected—with the tannins mellowing and rounding into a lovely baking spice profile, which provided the bridge between the other finishing components and the base rye whiskey spice itself,” Martin says.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Rye, which is 114.4-proof and 57.2% ABV, has a suggested retail price of $269.99, and the Cask Strength Bourbon, which is 118.2-proof and 59.1% ABV, has a suggested retail price of $229.99. For more information, visit here.