Louisville Distilling Company, the producer of Angel’s Envy, was co-founded by Wes Henderson and his father Lincoln Henderson. Before his passing in 2013, Lincoln worked selecting and blending whiskeys for Angel’s Envy. In 2015, Angel’s Envy was acquired by Bacardi Limited. Later in 2016, Angel’s Envy opened its distillery located in downtown Louisville. Despite distilling themselves, Angel’s Envy still sources some of its whiskey. In the fall of 2022, Angel's Envy appointed Owen Martin as first Master Distiller since co-founder and Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson's passing in 2013. Notably, no Henderson currently works for the brand.

Angel’s Envy whiskey made its first appearance in 2011. The company offered Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels followed by Rye Finished in Rum Casks in 2013, both of which remain mainstay staples in the brand’s portfolio. Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels is released annually, and Angel’s Envy has released a number of one-off limited edition whiskeys, all of which have been finished in barrels that held different types of spirits previously, with finishes including port, tawny, ice cider, Madeira, sherry, and mizunara.

Angel’s Envy Rye is a high rye whiskey aged for up to 18 months in Caribbean XO Rum Casks. It’s blended in small batches, which are designated by a batch number and bottle number on the label. The particular bottle in review is from Batch No. 21R, Bottle No. 1334.

This is an updated review of Angel’s Envy Finished Rye, which we originally reviewed in 2015.

Loads of sweet smells make up the whiskey’s dessert-like aroma. Maple sugar candy, gingerbread cookie, brown sugar, and sticky bun combine against a light sprinkle of rye spice and white pepper. The sweet scents take front and center, creating an introduction that will be incredibly inviting for some, but too sickly sweet for others.

Consistent with the aroma, the palate delivers waves of sweet flavors. Brown sugar and maple syrup form the base, with splashes of molasses, gingerbread cookie, toasted marshmallow, and vanilla accenting its sugary undertone. Light aged oak and graham cracker form behind the whiskey’s sweet forefront, and hints of rye spice and pepper develop on the backend. The whiskey wears its sweet-infused profile well, with the flavors mingling together nicely to satisfying and highly drinkable results.

Rye spice is amplified most at the start of the finish, but is overshadowed by the sweeter flavors that overtake it almost immediately. Burnt brown sugar mixes with a slight tobacco note, merging the whiskey’s ever-present sweetness with a welcomed savory element as it fades. Overall, it’s still a sweet ending to a dessert-like sip with a flavor profile that is as much rum-driven as it is rye whiskey.

When Angel’s Envy Finished Rye was introduced over a decade ago, the American whiskey landscape was much different than it is today. Finished bourbons were few and far between, or even any finished American whiskey for that matter. The idea of a rum finished rye was even more unusual, especially a super sweet, heavily finished one.

Clocking in at up to 18 months of finishing, Angel’s Envy Rum Finished Rye drinks like a whiskey that hasn’t just been finished in ex-rum barrels, it tastes like it’s been drenched in it. While rye spice and a whiskey backbone do manage to poke through, the sweet flavors driven by the rum finishing absolutely dominate from start to finish. It has a dessert-themed flavor profile that focuses on dark sugars, molasses, and gingerbread flavors with various accenting flavors peppered throughout. While it comes in at 100 proof and the base whiskey is a rye (albeit not designated a straight rye), Angel’s Envy Finished Rye’s overt sweetness and tempered spice helps it drink lower than its proof suggests and a consumer would be hard-pressed to guess the base whiskey was a rye, let alone one that contains 95% rye in its mashbill. For those reasons, it’s a rum finished whiskey that’s appealing to mainstream whiskey consumers.

Since its introduction to the marketplace, many rum barrel finished whiskeys have followed. Old Elk Rum Cask Finish Rye, Peerless Rum Barrel Finished Bourbon, and Redemption Rum Cask Finish are just a few of the many rum cask finished whiskeys the market has seen. We covered this phenomenon in a previous article, The Rise of Rum Finished American Whiskeys.

Still, Angel’s Envy Rum Finished Rye remains a mainstay - consistent and reasonably available rum finished rye that is soaked in rum to such a degree it has a flavor profile that just hasn’t been replicated yet. Even today, it remains a unique pour that delivers on the idea of a “dessert whiskey” unlike any other.

Angel’s Envy Rum Finished Rye’s asking price has remained about the same since its inception. It was a high asking price then, but there was no other whiskey like it. As production wasn’t what it is today, it came and went, so you had to snag one if you had the opportunity. Over time it’s become a mainstay on store shelves and troves of rum barrel finished whiskeys (although few rum finished ryes) have followed, and with an asking price that has remained about the same, the supply, demand, and relative comparison lines have essentially converged. The result is a finished whiskey that’s still (mostly) unlike others, but also polarizing and, honestly, not a highly developed underlying rye by any means. It doesn’t carry an age statement and doesn’t showcase any showstopping technicals. What it does do, is deliver on a flavor profile that promises to be uniquely dessert-like and highly drinkable. By that measure, it’s a fair price in today’s marketplace, and I have no doubt anyone who relishes its flavors will become a regular consumer of this heavily rum-infused spirit.

Setting a pace, and remaining relevant for well over a decade is no small feat. Remarkably, Angel’s Envy Finished Rye set the pace for rum finishing, and is still a noteworthy whiskey today. While many rum finished whiskeys have followed (though few have used rye as a base), and in many cases a better balance between whiskey and rum has been struck, Angel’s Envy Finished Rye continues to lean heavily into its rum finishing and relishes in the result.

The quintessential dessert-whiskey, its horde of sweet flavors centered around dark sugars, molasses, and gingerbread verges deep into the rum finish, making for a whiskey that seems like it’s been heavily soaked in rum with the base rye acting more like a blank canvas ready for paint than anything else. And little is shared about the base rye, which is a 95% rye that is presumably still sourced from MGP and is not even designated straight on the label. It’s not a sophisticated rye to be held to a high standard, but is a whiskey that delivers really well on being highly drinkable and dialed in on its sweet notes. It’s a finished whiskey for the many, at least the many who like the idea of a dessert style whiskey.

‍

*Editor's Note: This review was updated on 9/4/2024 to clarify that no Henderson currently works for the brand.