Angel’s Envy Triple Oak is the brand’s first ongoing addition to their core lineup in over a decade. Introduced to the market in September, 2024, it joins Angel’s Envy Finished Bourbon which was launched in 2011 and Angel’s Envy Finished Rye which was launched in 2013.

According to the press release, “ANGEL’S ENVY Triple Oak is a blend of whiskeys finished in three types of barrels sourced globally: Hungarian Oak from Hungary, Chinkapin Oak from Kentucky, and French Oak from France. Staying true to the brand's highly acclaimed finishing process, it strives to change expectations with a non-spirits finish. With this release, the brand now has representation in three popular finishing categories: wine and fermented finish with ANGEL'S ENVY Bourbon, spirits finish with ANGEL'S ENVY Rye, and now, oak finish with ANGEL'S ENVY Triple Oak."

‍‍The triple oak finishing combines an undisclosed percentage of bourbon from each finishing barrel type, however, Angel’s Envy does convey the blend generally, with the greatest percentage being Hungarian oak, followed by Chinkapin oak, and finally French oak.

There’s a nice oak presence here. Aged oak, toasted oak, and brown sugar are all present. Dense dark fruits lie underneath. Dry leather and pipe tobacco round out the savory introduction. There’s a welcome amount of spicy heat, which gives the aroma a nice full body. Overall it’s a surprisingly intense, savory introduction.

Oak comes in waves. Dry oak, spicy oak, and seasoned oak all slip into the fold. Familiar caramel and vanilla flavors poke through the oak mix, reminding you it’s a centered bourbon despite the various barrel finishes. Dark fruits emerge, complemented by baking spices and a touch of cinnamon. It’s pleasantly dry on the backend, giving way to emerging spice.

A wave of baking spices gives way to aged leather and bouts of oak. Dark fruits persist, transitioning to tobacco and light roasted coffee. Long and dry with undertones of dark fruits, the finish matches the sip through and through.

Angel’s Envy was an early adopter of finishing bourbon in secondary barrels, a practice that includes different char or toast level barrels, or those that previously held another spirit, wine, or food item such as honey. Finishing has surged in popularity over the past decade and allows brands to add their own unique spin to a whiskey even if they didn’t distill it themselves. The Angel’s Envy brand focuses on finishing, as all their releases are finished whiskeys spanning a range of different finishing barrels.

Louisville Distilling Company, the originator of Angel’s Envy, was co-founded by the late Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes Henderson, who has since exited the company, which is owned by Bacardi Limited. Now led by master distiller Owen Martin, seeing over a decade without a permanent line extension, it seems overtly obvious that a new label for the brand was overdue. And I have to give credit to Martin, because Triple Oak is exactly what the Angel’s Envy lineup needed. It contrasts the caramel-vanilla-fruit notes of their flagship Angel’s Envy Finished Bourbon, which is finished in used port wine casks and also contrasts the intensely sweet dessert-like flavors in Angel’s Envy Finished Rye, which is finished in used Caribbean rum casks for an extended period of time.

With a wine finish and rum finish already on the books, Angel’s Envy chose to focus on different types of oak for the third leg in their tripod of finishes used to create their ongoing standard release whiskeys. All three oaks used for finishing are considered white oak. Hungarian oak is native to southeastern Europe and Turkey, Chinkapin oak is native to the midwest United States, and French oak is native to - you guessed it - France.

For Triple Oak, each type of oak barrel used brings subtle nuances to the mix, and the end result is cohesive. It leans dry and features plenty of oak influence, but also incorporates dark fruits, brown sugar, an array of spices, and a hint of roasted coffee in the finish. Combining various oak finishes is less common than using a single one, and a good benchmark is Barrell Vantage which is a tremendously complex but cohesive blend that originates from multiple states, and combines Mizunara, French, and toasted American oak finishes. While Angel’s Envy Triple Oak doesn’t achieve the depth Barrell Vantage achieves, which is partly due to its lower proof, it is a nicely balanced finished bourbon that highlights more complex oak notes.

Angel’s Envy Triple Oak was introduced to market at a suggested price of $75, and the company pointed out the “on-shelf price may vary by market” in their press release, a point that is true of all whiskeys due to the complexity of the three tier system. Notably, Triple Oak slots in between the company’s existing ongoing products, with Angel’s Envy Finished Bourbon at $50 and Angel’s Envy Finished Rye coming in at $90. Adding a layer of finishing barrels adds built in cost, which is a factor attributable to all of Angel’s Envy’s whiskeys. The brand’s whiskeys are sitting in premium positions, which seems apparent given the bottle design and distillery experience if you happen to have an opportunity to visit them in downtown Louisville.

All in all, it's not an excessive price point, but it's not a value play either. The bottle feels premium, the finish is moderately complex, and the flavor profile is nicely done, and its complexity is subtle. In today's marketplace, $75 is what you would expect Triple Oak to be priced at.

Angel’s Envy is a brand that intends to reach many consumers with premium positioned yet accessible mainstay products. Having been over a decade since a permanent ongoing line extension was added, Triple Oak joins the two existing core Angel’s Envy finished whiskeys. It does well to complement the two existing whiskeys in the brand’s core lineup, bringing in an oak finished bourbon alongside a port barrel finished bourbon and rum barrel finished rye. Triple Oak’s flavor profile is also complementary to the existing whiskeys, with dry oak throughout; a quality not present in either of the brand’s other mainstay products.

Angel’s Envy Triple Oak brings some unique attributes into the mix. To create it, Angel’s Envy utilizes multiple types of oak and finishing them separately and then blending, presumably to gain better control over the process from both a consistency and readiness to market perspective. The resulting whiskey doesn’t push the dynamics of bourbon flavor too far, but it does resonate well from the first sip and should have mass appeal. Overall, it’s a well-constructed addition to the lineup, and Angel’s Envy fans seeking a more dry, oak-forward pour will be pleased with it.