Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bottled in Bond Bourbon

Appearance: Medium Copper-Amber Smell: The scent is rather light, especially for 100 proof. Some expected oaky-ethanol, but nothing remarkable stands out. Let's discover what the taste delivers... Taste: (First Pour Neat) The taste is quite similar to the smell. A touch of sweetness at the beginning, with a slightly thick texture. The alcohol detected on the nose results in a moderately warm sensation in the chest right away. It's quite spicy... lingering at the back of the tongue. I'm not getting much from this neat. I'm hopeful for more insights from the second pour, with added ice.... Adding ice didn't reveal much new. The warmth in the chest persists and doesn't fade after subsequent pours like most spirits. As you might expect, the "spiciness" is slightly reduced as the ice dilutes the liquid. What was that just now on that last sip? Gone. Perhaps caramel.... Finish: The finish is quite brief, leaving a tingling tongue and spicy oak tannins. Overall Impression: It's an acceptable drink. It's not complex (which is fine), but it's generally an inoffensive, straightforward bourbon. It's pleasant but forgettable. I'm content with the price I paid. A higher cost would lower my score. I seem to be the only one who feels this way; everyone else appears to adore it. Maybe it will get better with time...? Based on my initial impressions, a 3.00-star rating for being enjoyable, though uninspired. Revisited 1/11/26: I'm trying this again tonight and think I might have been a little too critical initially. This is a "good" bourbon. Raising my score to 3.25.

Nose: Sweet oak, fruit cocktail, burnt sugars Palate: Toasted oak and vanilla Finish: Short-Medium, a nice balance of spice and sweet This is a review of the original distillery-only limited release, however I can report that this is now available as a regular release and marks Angel's Envy's first venture into non-finished bourbon. What is amazing about this release is not just that it's straight bourbon but that it's simultaneously bottled-in-bond AND cask strength. It fits all the requirements for Bottled-In-Bond: one distillery, one distilling season, at least four years (in this case the liquid is just shy of six years), and 100 proof. Master Distiller Owen Martin achieved hitting 100 proof without adding water by batching together 27 low-proof barrels and two higher proof ones. The final batch hit the magic number. The result is a solid bourbon that fits what you would expect from Kentucky Bourbon. It has a nice coating mouthfeel, a finish that hits harder than you'd expect for a 100 proof, and is a solid sipper.

First pour from the recently released 750 ml bottle, which is their initial major release without a finish. Nearly imperceptible aroma, followed by a palate that is buttery, vanilla-forward, and very pure. It would benefit from a stronger oak influence and is quite understated given its high proof. One can understand why Angel's Envy chose to finish this initially, but it stands well on its own and may improve with additional tastings.

Nose: banana pudding, bread crust, brown sugar, peach cobbler. Palate: caramelized peaches, honey, caramel, oak. Finish: long, warm, oak, caramelized sugar.

Mediocre. Lacking in flavor intensity for my preference. I also found it drank a bit hot. However, the finish was good.

Aroma: butterscotch, caramel, brown sugar Taste: caramel Aftertaste: long, peach