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When Lincoln Henderson founded Angel’s Envy in 2011, he was already a legend in American whiskey. His fingerprints were on releases all across the Brown-Forman family of brands to include Woodford Reserve, Jack Daniel’s (he invented Gentleman Jack), and Old Forester. But it was the decision to embrace finishing – still a niche concept in bourbon at the time – that set Angel’s Envy apart. He didn’t invent port finishes in bourbon, but he made them accessible. The bottle shape was unlike anything else on liquor store shelves and was considered “cool” by drinkers and non-drinkers alike.
Lincoln’s vision carried the brand all the way through a 2015 acquisition by Bacardi along with the opening of the Louisville Distilling Company (aka the Angel’s Envy Distillery) located in downtown Louisville. The brand continued to churn out bourbons and rye whiskies finished in port, rum, Madeira, mizunara and even tequila barrels.
A right of passage among many budding enthusiasts is to buy their first bottle of the standard port finish as one of the first 20~ bottles they collect. Maybe later they purchase the single barrel version because the dark color and higher proof grabs their eye. Finally, they’d get drawn into buying the rye whiskey after they decide to spend more money on bottles and find out how sickly sweet it tastes. If these drinkers still remained with the brand after all that, the only direction they can go is “up” to the Cellar Collection bottles which typically start at $250. These bottles crank the finishes up to 11 but are generally so niche that they have no secondary value because only a handful of enthusiasts value them.
Triple Oak changes the tone for Angel’s Envy
Launched in late 2024 as part of the Signature Series, Triple Oak is Angel’s Envy’s attempt to complicate its own legacy – in a good way. Rather than rely on exotic (and wet) casks, this release reimagines finishing as a balancing act between three finishing oaks: French, Chinkapin (which I typically spell “Chinquapin”) and Hungarian.
The Master Distiller of Angel’s Envy reached out to me and told me that all of the bourbon that is used in Triple Oak is made by them on their column still. I was under the impression that they had been using sourced bourbon and that the only way you could taste the bourbon they made was to buy one of their “Cask Strength Bottled in Bond” (yes, you read that right) bottles. Now you know.
Anyway, the batched bourbon is first aged in American oak (Char #3) before being split between the three types of finishing barrels. The final blend ratios are a secret even though the necktag might be showing us that out of every 7 barrels in the blend, 4 are finished in Hungarian Oak, 3 in Chinkapin and 2 in French Oak. I’d be interested to hear if that’s representative of what the whole blend is.
Four oaks. No wine. No rum. Just wood. It’s a departure for a distillery known for cask crossovers. There’s no gimmick to hide behind here – no dessert barrel to smooth over rough edges. That’s a bold move, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off.
This bottle clocks in at 92 proof and is non-age-stated. It also retails around $75. I can find it almost everywhere I look. So how does Angel’s Envy taste when it doesn’t have a wine or spirits cask finish to help conceal its flaws? Time to find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
Tasting Notes
Nose: The first scents I’m finding are warm baked goods (with the requisite baking spices) accompanied by vanilla custard, honeycomb, and crème brûlée. Orchard fruit like poached pear and apple skin also waft up to my nostrils. There is a touch of sweetened apricot that plays nicely with the orchard fruit. But it’s the tannins that are the star of the show with a backbone of toasted and seasoned wood accompanied by pipe tobacco and cocoa powder. This is much better than I was ever expecting it would be.
Palate: This is where the finishing barrels really start to make themselves known. The oak lets you know its there, but the 92 proof holds it back some. Regardless, I find versions of buttery oak, oak spice, toasted oak and seasoned oak all at once. Thankfully, not a trace of it is bitter. For brown baking spices, I’m picking up on nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper. Sweet notes intertwine with a couple more dark ones like caramel and leather along with a int of sandalwood and Earl Gray Tea. Standard notes like caramel, vanilla and cherry round everything out, but allow the oak to be the star of the show.
Finish: Oak that gets progressively drier, soft tobacco, and ground peppercorns are all evened out by notes of caramel and molasses. I can detect some citrus rind and orchard fruit sweetness in the final moments as well. It’s a decent finish that doesn’t leave me with anything negative to say about it except that I wish it was a bit longer and stronger. That should be fixed when a cask strength version comes out (wink wink).
Score: 6.7/10
I love the recent trend of bourbon companies aging or finishing their whiskies in different oaks from different regions. While it may sound implausible to many people, there is a very noticeable difference when you taste through them. Going into my first session with this bottle of Triple Cask had me worried that the base bourbon would be a boring experience without Port, Sherry or other finishing cask influence. I was wrong. This was a delightful experience that showed a bourbon that’s on par or better than many other ~90 proof non-finished bourbons out there.
However, Angel’s Envy has an uphill battle as more producers roll out with their own wood finished products. Maker’s Mark is generally still considered the king (and their Cask Strength Wood Finished Series comes in at the same price point) while Barrell (Vantage) and Bardstown Bourbon Company (Distillery Reserve) are hot on their heels. I would imagine that Angel’s Envy would be looking into creating a cask strength version of Triple Oak for future releases. If they’re not, they’re basically throwing in the towel.
Final Thoughts
This doesn’t taste like a concept, it tastes like a plan. A thoughtfully executed plan that shows restraint. For Angel’s Envy, Triple Oak might be the most self-assured thing they’ve put in a bottle since the original port finish. It shows that they’re willing to take risks instead of resting on their laurels with their extremely wet finishing casks.
If you’ve written Angel’s Envy off as a “gift bourbon,” this is the one that might bring you back. If you’ve always been a fan, it’s proof they’re still pushing. Either way, this is one to pay attention to.