Angel’s Envy has done quite well for itself by using ruby port casks over the years. Its trademark Port Cask bourbon, which launched in 2011, features a 6-month finish in ruby port barrels. It’s widely accepted as being the first-ever cask-finished bourbon—laying the foundation for a practice that’s now widespread in the U.S. There’s also the high-scoring Cask Strength version of Port Cask, a ruby port-finished annual release that’s one of the distillery’s most popular whiskeys and recently made an appearance on our Top 20 Whiskies of 2024 list. This year’s cask strength iteration, Batch C13, shakes things up by adding tawny port casks into the mix alongside the typical ruby port barrels.
The new batch comprises three base bourbons, each accounting for about a third of the overall blend. Two of those components were distilled by Angel’s Envy in 2016 and 2018. The third is a blend of distillates from 2012–2015 that were sourced before the distillery came online in 2016. In terms of finishing, tawny port plays a supporting role—with some 27% of the blend spending 6 months in tawny port barrels. The remaining 73% is finished in ruby port barrels for 6 months to 3 years. The final product was bottled at 59.4% ABV, just a touch higher than 2023’s edition which came in at 59.1%.
The concept of using tawny port casks came about immediately after last year’s batches were released. The usual ruby port cask bourbon—which later went on be named our No. 12 Whisky of 2024—came alongside a cask strength rye, a first for Angel’s Envy, which master distiller Owen Martin was particularly proud of. “I think [the rye] is one of the best things I ever made,” he said. “Knowing it was going to make a splash, and knowing we weren’t going to do it year over year, we didn’t want there to be a vacuum that followed it.” Aiming to fill that void, Martin went back to the drawing board with the intention of making some changes to Cask Strength Port Cask’s recipe. “It was probably the right time to evolve it,” he says, noting that the goal was to pivot the expression in a new direction that would make it stand out without completely reinventing it.
Martin took inspiration from one of his favorite Angel’s Envy expressions: Cellar Collection Chapter 2, a tawny port cask-finished special release from February 2020. Rather than replace the ruby port casks entirely, he decided to blend the two casks together. From the outset, the idea was for this year’s batch to be sweeter and more bourbon-centric than 2023’s version. The idea was to use the tawny port-finished components as a balancing agent, which could rein in and smooth out some of the more dominant oak flavors found in the ruby cask-finished components.
That was accomplished by selecting the youngest whiskeys in the blend—which he said were far less oaky than some of the older stocks—to be finished in the tawny port barrels. In addition, Martin intentionally filled the tawny port casks in January and emptied them in June, which gave him a full 6 month-long finish while avoiding a summer heat wave that would’ve ramped up oak notes in the whiskey.
This release also marks the first time Angel’s Envy has used a solera-like method to produce a whiskey. Each time Martin assembles a new batch, he intentionally produces more than is needed for the release—setting aside that extra whiskey to be used in a future project. Around 20% of Batch C13’s overall blend is the same liquid used to make last year’s Cask Strength Port Cask bourbon. Going forward, the plan is to hold back an undisclosed portion of each year’s expression for use in the next year’s blend.
While that process sounds like a solera on paper, Martin is quick to point out that it technically isn’t a true solera system. Rather than utilize the barrel pyramids or foeder vats found in traditional soleras, Angel’s Envy returns the whiskeys to their original barrels for an extended marrying period.
Just over 23,000 bottles of Batch C13 were produced, and each one carries a recommended retail price of $230. It’s currently available for purchase at the distillery, but it’s slated to hit shelves at retailers nationwide starting next month.
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Port Cask Bourbon Batch C13, Reviewed
Score: 92
ABV: 59.4%
Price: $230
The nose is aromatic and gentle despite the proof, with scents of vanilla fudge, salted caramel, cotton candy, and dried strawberries, balanced by oak, cedar closet, and earthiness. The big palate offers more vanilla, plus red berry, baked cherries, espresso, and a generous dash of pepper spice. The fruit and sweetness stand up to the heat nicely. The finish is mid-length, with similar flavors and a fair amount of oak influence.—David Fleming
