Angels Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Port Finish

Nose: This has a nice sweet smell with some raisin, honey, and what may be the port finish showing through. Later sniffs brought out just a tiny bit of oak. Palate: The first impression you get on this one is a very nice, velvety mouthfeel. It invites you to swirl it around a bit in your mouth. Then, a light, smooth, sweetness kicks in. It has that classic bourbon flavor of caramel and vanilla, but with sweeter hints. I picked up a little bit of coconut and some of the raisin from the nose. It is hard to say if the sweetness is coming from the Port finish, but it doesn’t really seem to have a “Port” taste or, even much influence from the Port. It has almost no heat at all. Like most, it has a little warmth in the finish, but it disappears rather quickly. The finish itself isn’t terribly long and contains some woody notes and what might be just a small hint of spiciness. The spiciness is barely there and seems to be counterbalanced by the sweet tones, so they aren’t very prominent. Later sips brought out an interesting mix of dark and milk chocolate flavor. Comments: This is a very easy drinker and makes for a nice sipper. It has some complexity without being too complex. What? What does THAT mean? Well, it leaves the IMPRESSION that there is a lot going on, but is so easy to drink that you don’t feel the need to dissect it too much. In other words, it is easy to enjoy without necessarily feeling the need to “get to the bottom of it”. This is 86.6 proof. The Angels Envy website indicates that this starts out as a small batch of between 8 and 12 barrels that are typically 6 years old. The batch is then finished in ruby Port wine casks, which lasts “between 3 and 6 months”. The Port casks are 60 gallon barrels made from French oak and imported from Portugal. The cost is in the $50 range ($55 at Total Wine). The juice in here is reportedly sourced, but I didn’t find any specific information on where. The mashbill is reported to be 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. Look at your bottle closely when buying because there are different versions of this out there. I like this bourbon, but I would like it a lot more if it was in the upper $30 to mid $40 range, where it would be a no-brainer.