Angel's Envy Bourbon Whiskey Review:

Produced by the Louisville Distilling Company, Angel’s Envy is simply a brilliant product. What you get when you buy a bottle is a small distillery production without any of the hype from the micro industry and one which is constructed by a first-class master distiller, Lincoln Henderson. His experience being intensive, Lincoln put small-batch bourbons for Woodford Reserve on the map while he also played a large part in the development of Jack Daniels’s “Gentleman Jack” and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. Along with two younger generations, the Henderson’s have created a great product with a modern edge. Aged at least four years, the liquid is then transferred and finished in port pipes for four to six months, lending them to label their product as a “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels.”

Angel's Envy Bourbon Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $45.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Some comments have been made that the label is a bit much, and I agree that it does at least toe the line. But the in the end the design is clean and elegant with a beautiful wooden cork stopper. The label details are clear and concise. On a side note their website provides great clarity to their product. Exactly what I like to see.

Alcoholic Content: 43.3% abv, 87 proof. The only issue, though minor, is the abv. Could have been higher, and with the flavor profile it would have added a great compliment. More reason to get excited about trying the cask strength version.

Nose: The nose is a wonderful delight. Supersweet corn and honey.Tropical notes. Some Kiwi and tangerine coated in sugar cane juice. Mint, vanilla, toffee, and wood in the back.

Palate: Balanced and complex corn and rich toffee flow into sweet honey and mulling spices. Spicier than other reviewers led me to believe, Angel's Envy has a tactile palate imparting you with orange zest and fresh oak in the back. What you are left with at the end is the port pipe sweetness. Very well rounded. The dram will slowly open up into more maple sweetness on the finish.

Conclusion: When the product was first released in 2011 there was a New York Times article written by Frank Bruni who stated that “[after drinking Angel's Envy] I missed the rough edges of other bourbons and the way they can burn slightly in the back of the throat. When I drink bourbon, I like the sense that I’m playing with fire.” An opinion no doubt and one cannot simply state it is wrong, but I feel like he simply missed the point: that the intrinsic quality of the whiskey is simply different than what he prefers. And that’s the problem. His “review” wasn’t a review, it was an opinion peace. He is practically stating that Angel's Envy is a tempered product for a wider audience, as if a fruitier and more drinkable 86.6 abv bourbon is somehow less to write home about. When tasting spirits one always needs to remove themselves from the current trends and look only at the intrinsic quality. Funny as it may seem Bruni’s article makes a great point: many people who look at American spirits today and do not see them as somehow relating to or holding an aesthetic quality of a “down to earth” and “humble” product simply disregard it. As I said at the beginning, Angel's Envy actually appears quite different from the micro-guys (aka different from current trends in one respect). I agree that it is a modern product, yet one which is expressed clearly, tastefully (aesthetically speaking), and it is superb bourbon to boot. Let’s shelve the idea that good product should be above the need for marketing, while never succumbing to the idea that it really matters. Diversity in the industry, if it be a real quality product, is needed. Angel's Envy is a product I would recommend.

High West Double Rye! Whiskey Review:

“Perhaps the spiciest American whiskey I have ever tasted, yet at the same time, quite tame and mellow.” – John Hansell

For the past 100-200 years blended whiskey has been dominated primarily by Scotch and Irish blenders, while the United States beverage industry has been mainly relegated to single distilleries without much sharing of each other's spirits. Where most distilleries in Scotland share and sell their spirits to various other independent bottlers and blenders, you will be hard pressed to find a bourbon distillery which is selling its spirit in any other form than their particular distillery label (besides the big guys like LDI). This trend in the US has, though not as diverse and multifaceted as it’s brothers across the pound, recently have seen some needed change. In the past decade or so, many new whiskies sourced elsewhere have found their place in the market. Labels such as Bulleit, WhistlePig, Templeton, among others have been popping up here and there. And, along with these “bottlers,” have arisen a few blenders in the real sense of the tradition. High West Distillery is one such blender that has been garnering applause for their blended whiskey ( i.e. sourced products) which are then painstakingly blended to achieve a new and unique flavor profile. While there has been some negative media due to the lack of High West distilling many of their own products (they do distil some of their spirits), High West has been more than open with their blending practices, and the fact that they have such stellar products makes a very hard case against their provocateurs. One might raise the question that LDI is finding it's way into most of the bottles I listed, but I would just say that this trend is something which I believe will soon be changing for the better, with more distilleries opening up their store. 

If you haven’t heard about High West Distillery they are located in Park City Utah and, not surprisingly, the first legal distillery in Utah since prohibition (if I could gain a penny every time I use that designation!). Attached to the distillery is a beautiful saloon and restaurant making an out of the way trip a bit more appealing. Rendezvous Rye was the flagship brand and the first offering, much less their first huge successful whiskey. At 92 proof, non-chill filtered blend of a 16-year-old 80% rye whiskey with a 6-year-old 95% rye whiskey this whiskey won the 2008 winner of a Double Gold Medal at San Francisco Spirits competition. Now, the Double Rye, in the similar vein is a blend of a very young 2 year old high rye whiskey of 95% rye, and a 16 year old high rye whiskey of 53% (37% corn, 10% Barley Malt). And what we get with the Double Rye! Is possibly the most unique American whiskey I have ever had. Yes, you read that correctly. The most unique.

High West Double Rye! Whiskey Review:

Price: Around $35.00 for a 750ml bottle.

Packaging/Labeling: Western-y to say the least. High West have unique bottles to all their products, and I wouldn’t ever tell them to change it. Let’s just say it adds some diversity to your collection. 

Alcoholic Content: 46% abv, 92 proof. Happy with that!

Nose: Immediately hit by an incredibly distinct gin body. Transported into a spring forest with fresh honeydew and green cedar all around. If it wasn’t for the slight oak coming through one could have fooled me into thinking this was some other kind of spirit. A beautiful nose.

Palate: Dark, burnt sugars explode with a rye sweetness. Opens large on the tongue with the gin botanicals and fresh pine leaves, providing a wonderful bitterness yet nothing overly tannic. Extensive and long finish.

Finish: This redefines what a rye can be. Honestly I have never tasted a whiskey this unusual – truly “unique” as some reviewers have put it. And the secret is in the great divide of age. You get the youth and vigor of the very young two year old, but the rare maturity of a 16 year old rye. This is the beauty of a blended whiskey. You could not get these flavors without the melding of the two together. I cannot say this is for everyone, but if you want something completely different from your normal routine try this outstanding whiskey. 

Maker's Reverses Its Decision:

Thought I should at least post this here if you have not yet heard. This was one of the letters sent to the Maker's Ambassadors. Smart move Beam:

Dear Ambassador,

Since we announced our decision last week to reduce the alcohol content (ABV) of Maker’s Mark in response to supply constraints, we have heard many concerns and questions from our ambassadors and brand fans. We’re humbled by your overwhelming response and passion for Maker’s Mark. While we thought we were doing what’s right, this is your brand – and you told us in large numbers to change our decision.
 
You spoke. We listened. And we’re sincerely sorry we let you down.
 
So effective immediately, we are reversing our decision to lower the ABV of Maker’s Mark, and resuming production at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof). Just like we’ve made it since the very beginning.
 
The unanticipated dramatic growth rate of Maker’s Mark is a good problem to have, and we appreciate some of you telling us you’d even put up with occasional shortages. We promise we'll deal with them as best we can, as we work to expand capacity at the distillery.
 
Your trust, loyalty and passion are what’s most important. We realize we can’t lose sight of that. Thanks for your honesty and for reminding us what makes Maker’s Mark, and its fans, so special.
 
We’ll set about getting back to bottling the handcrafted bourbon that our father/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr. created. Same recipe. Same production process. Same product.
 
As always, we will continue to let you know first about developments at the distillery. In the meantime please keep telling us what’s on your mind and come down and visit us at the distillery. It means a lot to us.
 
Sincerely,
 
Rob Samuels
Chief Operating Officer,
Ambassador-in-Chief
rob@makersmark.com

My thoughts on the Maker’s Mark Dilution:

The tempers have calmed a bit and clear thinking has hopefully come back for the most part since last weekend’s announcement went online. To get you up to date on the whole thing, here is what Maker’s Mark sent out to its followers that has been making such a splash: 

“We wanted you to be the first to know that, after looking at all possible solutions, we’ve worked carefully to reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) by just 3%. This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our limited supply so there is enough Maker’s Mark to go around, while we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production capacity.

We have both tasted it extensively, and it’s completely consistent with the taste profile our founder/dad/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr., created nearly 60 years ago. We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference.”

I have been trying to get my head around the whole thing and to look at the situation clearly. I’ve read Time, John Hansell, Chuck Cowdery, etc. Positively Beam has been forthcoming in what it is doing, something not always seen in the industry. It is also a solution to a problem. There is a lot of demand for the product. What will a few percentage points actually do? But we ultimately come back to the same questions: Why didn’t they anticipate the increase? They had time, and they could have expanded a few years ago – we all know they could afford it. Will they lower the price? No, and it makes sense to look at this as a price increase rather than a dilution issue (as Cowdery pointed out).

So is this a big deal or not? I think it is because it ultimately it shows a shift which appears to be occurring in the industry: A push for lower abv so as to increase stock and make easy money. We have seen it with Jack Daniels. It appears that Wild Turkey is setting up its 81 proof whiskey to possibly overtake the harder and harder to find 101. And now it’s happening with Maker’s Mark – a seemingly calculated response, as Hansell points out, not an unexpected demand increase as Maker’s is saying. I have usually defended the industry – when people compare the micro-distilling industry as a savior against the large multinational corporations as if the current situation is like the beer industry in the 70s – but when I see shifts like this it doesn’t leave a ton of room for credibility. This might be the way of things, but let us hope not. Let’s hope people make enough noise so as to keep these older and larger distilleries from lowering their standards.Yes, I am claiming this as a lowering of standards.This isn't simply about if a product "taste the same" (which is a rather odd thing to say). It's about the small steps that lead a product to big changes.

image from inc.com.

White Whiskey Climbing the Ranks:

Just another example of white whiskey climbing the ranks as a viable product: Chuck Cowdery made a small post about the the delay of Beam's Jacob's Ghost which I believe highlights an interesting trend. Since micro-distilling has jumped on the scene, most have not known what to make of many of these young and unaged spirits flooding (or more of a trickle) into the market. Is it a viable product, even within a niche market? Will it only be something bartenders latch onto? Or is it something that will disappear once many of the current craft distillers release extensively aged products? I think Jacob's Ghost is a possible clue into the turning market. Tuthilltown, as one of the first major players in the craft distilling industry, has been putting out partially aged products for some time now. And without getting into the small barrel debate, we see there is more of an appeal for products that are partially aged, to take some of the green-ness out. Jacob's ghost is doing something on a large scale and it appears they are putting a bit more thought into it than Jack Daniels with the release of their unaged white whiskey. Aged in barrels for one year, the products, though "still raw, [is] much milder than the white dog, with significant amounts of corn body and barrel sweetness." This is a product almost entirely produced for the bartender and at $22.00 per bottle, compared with Jack Daniels ridiculously high price tag, this is nothing to dismiss. Something we have rarely seen and something which might be a turning point in understanding the place of young whiskey.

Photo from guyism.com.