Table Of Contents

The Details

Rating 90
Style
American Whiskey
Whiskey
Produced In Indiana
United States
ABV 52.1%
Availability Limited
Price $270.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2025-05-06

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Finished In French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels Review

Angel’s Envy is back with the fifth iteration of its innovative Cellar Collection release. Available for the first time nationwide, Cellar Collection Series Volume 5 is a blend of Indiana-distilled rye whiskeys, some of which have undergone lengthy finishing in añejo tequila barrels. The release is also the first developed entirely under the guidance of master distiller Owen Martin, who began working with Angel’s Envy in 2022.

Vol. 5 started with an MGP-distilled straight rye whiskey “aged up to 7 years,” which was then finished in French oak extra añejo tequila barrels Martin sourced from Patrón. After a 12 month tequila barrel finish, that rye was then blended with an 11 year old unfinished straight rye, also from MGP.

"We are always striving to showcase the unique character of a finishing cask and how it can amplify our base whiskey's dynamic flavor,” says Martin, in a company press release. “[T]his release embodies that particularly well."

This is the first Cellar Collection bottling that will be available nationwide. It carries an MSRP of $269.99 and is bottled at 104.2 proof. Let’s see how it tastes!

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye: Stats and Availability

This marks the first year Angel’s Envy is rolling its Cellar Collection out to nationwide distribution, and bottles should start hitting shelves around May 31, 2025. The suggested retail price is around $270. That’s certainly on the upper end of the contemporary American whiskey market. Judging from past releases (and the distillery’s limited annual Cask Strength releases), I would expect this to be listed for at or just slightly above suggested retail on most shelves.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

The nose starts with boldly spiced wood and a hefty dose of fragrant citrus and herbs, including lemon pepper, dill, shallots, scallions, and lemongrass. It’s a bit of a question mark deducing which of those notes come from the base rye — MGP’s famed 95/5 mashbill is known for some herbal notes — or the agave-forward finishing casks. Either way, it’s a fun puzzle to grapple with early on. Musty grape joins in on a second sniff, with more robust spices continuing to develop in the form of clove, grated nutmeg, allspice, saffron, and coriander.

There’s plenty of ethanol as well, not off-putting or overly “hot,” though the rye noses just slightly above its 104.2 proof. Interestingly, the whiskey smells gradually sweeter with more time in the glass, and that musty note eventually transitions to bright, sparkling white grape juice. I’d recommend an extra couple minutes of time in a tasting glass before diving nose-first into this one.

Taste

While the nose seemed to waffle back and forth between the base rye and tequila finishing casks, a first sip is more decidedly in line with the profile of a well aged MGP rye. It’s bright and again spiced, in this realm rich with both black and white pepper; lemongrass and lemon pepper add some nicely balanced early acidity.

Touches of brown sugar and creme brulee provide a lightly sweet base as more herbal flavors build from the front of the tongue to the midpalate. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded more of those sweet underpinnings here. Semi-sweet and very dark chocolate add bitter cocoa with, again, just enough sweetness to keep things in the bumper lanes. (Though once again, I wouldn’t have minded more brown sugar, caramel, and/or milk chocolate.)

From the midpalate on, oak tannins accumulate, manifesting across the tongue as chewing tobacco and oolong tea.

Finish

Rye stays in the driver's seat on the mid-length finish, punctuated by mint gum (another common MGP note) and ripe pineapple. Cinnamon and clove linger well beyond the herbal and fruity notes.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Rating

90/100

Recap

I won’t bury the lede any further: The latest from Angel’s Envy is probably destined to be a polarizing release among American whiskey fans. That’s fairly common for both bourbon and rye finished in agave spirit casks, and the marriage of those two spirits certainly creates unique flavor profiles that stand apart from what most drinkers are used to. I found it a complex — though not flawless — pour that improved significantly with more time in the glass, as well as additional tastes. That’s time some drinkers may not want to alot for a high-end, experimental pour, and others may simply not enjoy the fusion of flavors as much. But for those who enjoy when whiskey makers push flavor boundaries, Martin has taken a risk I’d recommend trying. That goes double for superfans of the classic MGP rye profile.

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90
POINTS
Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Finished In French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels
Angel’s Envy is back with the fifth iteration of its innovative Cellar Collection release. Available for the first time nationwide, Cellar Collection Series Volume 5 is a blend of Indiana-distilled rye whiskeys, some of which have undergone lengthy finishing in añejo tequila barrels. The release is also the first developed entirely under the guidance of master distiller Owen Martin, who began working with Angel’s Envy in 2022. Vol. 5 started with an MGP-distilled straight rye whiskey “aged up to 7 years,” which was then finished in French oak extra añejo tequila barrels Martin sourced from Patrón. After a 12 month tequila barrel finish, that rye was then blended with an 11 year old unfinished straight rye, also from MGP. "We are always striving to showcase the unique character of a finishing cask and how it can amplify our base whiskey's dynamic flavor,” says Martin, in a company press release. “[T]his release embodies that particularly well." This is the first Cellar Collection bottling that will be available nationwide. It carries an MSRP of $269.99 and is bottled at 104.2 proof. Let’s see how it tastes!

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye: Stats and Availability

This marks the first year Angel’s Envy is rolling its Cellar Collection out to nationwide distribution, and bottles should start hitting shelves around May 31, 2025. The suggested retail price is around $270. That’s certainly on the upper end of the contemporary American whiskey market. Judging from past releases (and the distillery’s limited annual Cask Strength releases), I would expect this to be listed for at or just slightly above suggested retail on most shelves.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

The nose starts with boldly spiced wood and a hefty dose of fragrant citrus and herbs, including lemon pepper, dill, shallots, scallions, and lemongrass. It’s a bit of a question mark deducing which of those notes come from the base rye — MGP’s famed 95/5 mashbill is known for some herbal notes — or the agave-forward finishing casks. Either way, it’s a fun puzzle to grapple with early on. Musty grape joins in on a second sniff, with more robust spices continuing to develop in the form of clove, grated nutmeg, allspice, saffron, and coriander. There’s plenty of ethanol as well, not off-putting or overly “hot,” though the rye noses just slightly above its 104.2 proof. Interestingly, the whiskey smells gradually sweeter with more time in the glass, and that musty note eventually transitions to bright, sparkling white grape juice. I’d recommend an extra couple minutes of time in a tasting glass before diving nose-first into this one.

Taste

While the nose seemed to waffle back and forth between the base rye and tequila finishing casks, a first sip is more decidedly in line with the profile of a well aged MGP rye. It’s bright and again spiced, in this realm rich with both black and white pepper; lemongrass and lemon pepper add some nicely balanced early acidity. Touches of brown sugar and creme brulee provide a lightly sweet base as more herbal flavors build from the front of the tongue to the midpalate. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded more of those sweet underpinnings here. Semi-sweet and very dark chocolate add bitter cocoa with, again, just enough sweetness to keep things in the bumper lanes. (Though once again, I wouldn’t have minded more brown sugar, caramel, and/or milk chocolate.) From the midpalate on, oak tannins accumulate, manifesting across the tongue as chewing tobacco and oolong tea.

Finish

Rye stays in the driver's seat on the mid-length finish, punctuated by mint gum (another common MGP note) and ripe pineapple. Cinnamon and clove linger well beyond the herbal and fruity notes.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Rating

90/100

Recap

I won’t bury the lede any further: The latest from Angel’s Envy is probably destined to be a polarizing release among American whiskey fans. That’s fairly common for both bourbon and rye finished in agave spirit casks, and the marriage of those two spirits certainly creates unique flavor profiles that stand apart from what most drinkers are used to. I found it a complex — though not flawless — pour that improved significantly with more time in the glass, as well as additional tastes. That’s time some drinkers may not want to alot for a high-end, experimental pour, and others may simply not enjoy the fusion of flavors as much. But for those who enjoy when whiskey makers push flavor boundaries, Martin has taken a risk I’d recommend trying. That goes double for superfans of the classic MGP rye profile.

Reviewed On: 05-06-2025
90
POINTS
Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Finished In French Oak Extra Añejo Tequila Barrels
Angel’s Envy is back with the fifth iteration of its innovative Cellar Collection release. Available for the first time nationwide, Cellar Collection Series Volume 5 is a blend of Indiana-distilled rye whiskeys, some of which have undergone lengthy finishing in añejo tequila barrels. The release is also the first developed entirely under the guidance of master distiller Owen Martin, who began working with Angel’s Envy in 2022. Vol. 5 started with an MGP-distilled straight rye whiskey “aged up to 7 years,” which was then finished in French oak extra añejo tequila barrels Martin sourced from Patrón. After a 12 month tequila barrel finish, that rye was then blended with an 11 year old unfinished straight rye, also from MGP. "We are always striving to showcase the unique character of a finishing cask and how it can amplify our base whiskey's dynamic flavor,” says Martin, in a company press release. “[T]his release embodies that particularly well." This is the first Cellar Collection bottling that will be available nationwide. It carries an MSRP of $269.99 and is bottled at 104.2 proof. Let’s see how it tastes!

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye: Stats and Availability

This marks the first year Angel’s Envy is rolling its Cellar Collection out to nationwide distribution, and bottles should start hitting shelves around May 31, 2025. The suggested retail price is around $270. That’s certainly on the upper end of the contemporary American whiskey market. Judging from past releases (and the distillery’s limited annual Cask Strength releases), I would expect this to be listed for at or just slightly above suggested retail on most shelves.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Review

As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.

Nose

The nose starts with boldly spiced wood and a hefty dose of fragrant citrus and herbs, including lemon pepper, dill, shallots, scallions, and lemongrass. It’s a bit of a question mark deducing which of those notes come from the base rye — MGP’s famed 95/5 mashbill is known for some herbal notes — or the agave-forward finishing casks. Either way, it’s a fun puzzle to grapple with early on. Musty grape joins in on a second sniff, with more robust spices continuing to develop in the form of clove, grated nutmeg, allspice, saffron, and coriander. There’s plenty of ethanol as well, not off-putting or overly “hot,” though the rye noses just slightly above its 104.2 proof. Interestingly, the whiskey smells gradually sweeter with more time in the glass, and that musty note eventually transitions to bright, sparkling white grape juice. I’d recommend an extra couple minutes of time in a tasting glass before diving nose-first into this one.

Taste

While the nose seemed to waffle back and forth between the base rye and tequila finishing casks, a first sip is more decidedly in line with the profile of a well aged MGP rye. It’s bright and again spiced, in this realm rich with both black and white pepper; lemongrass and lemon pepper add some nicely balanced early acidity. Touches of brown sugar and creme brulee provide a lightly sweet base as more herbal flavors build from the front of the tongue to the midpalate. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded more of those sweet underpinnings here. Semi-sweet and very dark chocolate add bitter cocoa with, again, just enough sweetness to keep things in the bumper lanes. (Though once again, I wouldn’t have minded more brown sugar, caramel, and/or milk chocolate.) From the midpalate on, oak tannins accumulate, manifesting across the tongue as chewing tobacco and oolong tea.

Finish

Rye stays in the driver's seat on the mid-length finish, punctuated by mint gum (another common MGP note) and ripe pineapple. Cinnamon and clove linger well beyond the herbal and fruity notes.

Angel's Envy Cellar Collection Rye Rating

90/100

Recap

I won’t bury the lede any further: The latest from Angel’s Envy is probably destined to be a polarizing release among American whiskey fans. That’s fairly common for both bourbon and rye finished in agave spirit casks, and the marriage of those two spirits certainly creates unique flavor profiles that stand apart from what most drinkers are used to. I found it a complex — though not flawless — pour that improved significantly with more time in the glass, as well as additional tastes. That’s time some drinkers may not want to alot for a high-end, experimental pour, and others may simply not enjoy the fusion of flavors as much. But for those who enjoy when whiskey makers push flavor boundaries, Martin has taken a risk I’d recommend trying. That goes double for superfans of the classic MGP rye profile.

Reviewed On: 05-06-2025