Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 88 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 46% |
| Availability | Year Round |
| Price | $74.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-10-01 |
Angel's Envy Triple Oak Review
It’s easy to forget that Louisville-based Angel’s Envy was an early pioneer in cask finishes, at least for American whiskey. Its bourbon — initially sourced, now largely distilled in-house — came on the market in 2011 and featured a finish in port wine barrels. Angel’s Envy Rye came to market two years later with a finish in rum casks.
Those two expressions — marketed as the Signature Series — have formed the backbone of the brand’s offerings ever since. Over a decade later, Angel’s Envy is releasing a new and permanent addition to that lineup: Angel’s Envy Triple Oak.
The liquid starts with regular Angel’s Envy bourbon, which is made from a mash of 72 percent corn, 18 percent rye, and 10 percent malted barley. At around five years old, it’s put into three different types of finishing barrels: Hungarian oak, Chinkapin oak, and French oak. The whiskey rests for about six months in the first two cask types, and for just three months in the more potent French oak barrels. The final blend is then crafted by master distiller Owen Martin; Triple Oak marks the first permanent Signature Series product released under his guidance.
Let’s see how the new expression stacks up!
Angel's Envy Triple Oak: Stats and Availability
Angel’s Envy Triple Oak is the newest permanent expression in the brand’s lineup, and it’s now available in all 50 states. It’s a regular release we can probably expect to see on shelves with some consistency, so I would be surprised if it was listed for much more than the $75 MSRP. If you want a bottle, it shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Angel's Envy Triple Oak Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
We’ve got a fairly traditional (though sweet-leaning) start to the nose: vanilla bean, barrel char, and loads of gooey caramel kick things off. The sweetness gets a little darker on second sniff, with notes of treacle and chocolate fudge quickly bridging the juncture between vanilla and milk chocolate.
Notably, even through the blend of three different cask finishes, the whiskey still smells distinctly like Angel’s Envy distillate, enough that I’m fairly confident fans of the brand could pick this out of a lineup.
While those cocoa notes build, an earthy, semi-herbal component also becomes more pronounced; it’s equal parts birch bark, bermuda grass, and wet moss. Vegetal notes never dominate, but those damp, green elements provide a nice respite from the relatively heavy, oaky sweetness.
Woody spice is up next, leaning into allspice and nutmeg. It’s a little tricky to tell if those components come more from the additional barrels (I’m looking at you, French oak) or 18 percent rye in the mash bill. Either way, the nose moves gradually from woody-sweet to woody-spice, a nice journey even before liquid hits lips.
Taste
A first sip is the closest thing to a stroopwafel I’ve tasted recently — light, doughy sweetness to begin, which gradually darkens to stovetop caramel by the time it hits the midpalate. Cold mochaccino layers on after, with coffee and chocolate syrup hitting in roughly equal proportion.
While oak came on strong early on the nose, it’s (comparatively) delayed here, accumulating gradually on the tongue across sips. The effect is such that chocolate becomes darker, and coffee notes turn from bright to heavily roasted. Spice is again allspice and nutmeg — I’d call it rye-adjacent. Cinnamon-dusted baked green apple is up next, providing some tartness among the largely mocha-forward flavors.
To be clear, the bourbon brings nicely balanced flavors. I did find the mouth felt slightly on the thin side, as if its 92 proof were a few points below optimal. That contributed to a semi-abrupt transition from palate to the finish, and I would have liked the whiskey to sit a bit more heavily across the tongue.
Finish
Whatever the exact impact of triple barrel finishing, Angel’s Envy Triple Oak certainly finishes like a bourbon much older than the initial five year whiskey. It’s lightly leathery but surprisingly floral/herbal, with hints of rosewater, caraway seeds, and fennel. Once those flavors have fully subsided, creamy hot chocolate and toasted oak remain.
Angel's Envy Triple Oak Rating
88/100
Recap
Angel’s Envy Triple Oak is poised to be a dependable workhorse in the distillery’s lineup. And brand marketing material has already positioned it as a cocktail base in addition to something drinkers can enjoy neat. I yearned for a bit more body on the midpalate, and perhaps future batches will improve there gradually over time.
But overall, I was impressed by the flavor balance Martin and his team crafted with such a variety of cask finishes. It would be all too easy for this to fall into “oak bomb” territory. Instead, we end up with a whiskey that has an identity and flavor even beyond the wood.
*Image retrieved from Angel's Envy
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