Tasting Notes: Angel’s Envy Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

This post sponsored by the Glencairn Whisky Glass

I have always been a fan of the Angel’s Envy Bourbons. Wes Henderson and his father, the late Lincoln Henderson, have an understanding that wine finished Bourbons need a light touch. The wine needs to compliment the Bourbon and not overpower it. This product has an excellent balance. The sherry is there but the Bourbon flavors come through with only a hint of the fruitiness and maybe a hint of almond, from the sherry. I am sorry that this may be the only time they do this whiskey. It is a good one.

The story is that they forgot that these barrels were aging in the warehouse and they aged it longer than they had planned. I take such marketing statements with a grain of salt but I can believe this one. There is a little more tannic dryness in the whiskey than I would expect out of Angel’s Envy. I am not a big fan of a lot of tannins in my Bourbon normally, but in this case, it dissipates some as it sits in the glass and works to balance some of the sweeter flavors in the product. When you try this whiskey, I suggest you let it sit in the glass for about ten minutes after the initial taste. It is a good Bourbon but, with some time in the glass, it becomes a better drink in my opinion.

Angel’s Envy Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish

Proof: 100

Age: No Age Statement

Nose: Caramel and fruit – raisins and berries, with lots of oak – it reminds me of being in a rack house full of aging Bourbon. There is a little almond and leather aromas hiding in the background.

Taste: Caramel and fruit – berries and dates with a little toasted almond. There is some white pepper spice and oak after the initial sweetness. Tasted with a dried cranberry brings the fruit forward and it becomes a bit of ripe apple with the berries. The pepper is reduced and the oak comes forward. Tasted with a pecan and some citrus notes come out and the spice notes are sweeter baking spices.

Finish: Long and dry with oak and spice but the fruit flavors linger in the background. The cranberry shortened the finish with more oak and less spice, but the fruitiness still lingers in the background. The pecan made the finish very dry with lots of oak and baking spice.

I have decided to pair this with a Davidoff Chef’s Edition 2018 with its umami forward smoke of mushrooms, tobacco and cedar spice. The Finished Bourbon brought out some sweeter notes in the smoke with some vanilla and sweet spice. The smoke made the Finished Bourbon very creamy with vanilla and berries being the forward flavors. It is a good pairing.