Horses, Bourbon and Cigars…Or Why the Angel’s Envy Me

Originally published at Tiki Bar Online

For many, May is a month synonymous with horses, bourbon and cigars. With the Kentucky Derby kicking things off the 1st Saturday of May, followed by Nashville’s Iroquois Steeplechase the next Saturday, it is easy to see how bourbon easily found it’s way into the tradition of these horse races simply due to proximity. And cigars? Well, they go with everything.

I have decided that since bourbon is a staple at these races, as much as any horse or hat, that I would devote some time to a specific brand that is still relatively new to the scene. It is called Angel’s Envy, and is headed up by the Lincoln Henderson family. And if you don’t know who Lincoln Henderson is, then you don’t know much about the inner workings of the whiskey/bourbon industry. So allow me to help.

Lincoln Henderson was born in 1938. He moved around a bit but ended up graduating high school in Kentucky. He went to college and became a chemist working for the liquor distributor Brown-Forman. After working his way up the company ladder, he developed a few products you may have heard before, such as: Gentleman Jack (1988), Woodford Reserve (1996)and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel (2001), to name a few. Also in 2001, he was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame, received the Malt Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, and became an International Wine & Spirits Judge starting in 1999 to present.

In 2004, after working for 39 years at Brown-Forman, Lincoln decided to retire. However, his family had other plans. After many discussions, Henderson’s family finally encouraged Lincoln to help with something that would be their own, without outside corporate governance, that would bear their family’s name. This endeavor would eventually be named Angel’s Envy, giving a nod to what is known in the industry as the “angel’s share”, or the loss of the product due to evaporation during the aging process.

Henderson wanted to start from scratch by developing an exclusive yeast. He then decided to use 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley for his mash bill. After being distilled in both column and pot stills, Angel’s Envy is then aged from 4-6 years in air-dried New Oak barrels that have been toasted, and then charred. The bourbon is then finished by aging for 3-6 months in Ruby Port barrels before tasting and blending.

I sat down with a bottle with the toffee/amber substance inside and opened the top. I was first struck with a blend of corn and caramel aromas emanating out of the bottle. I then poured some into a tumbler and allowed it to breathe for a bit. Afterwards, I also detected a hint of vanilla and oak.

I decided upon a neat offering. This 86.6 proof bourbon had a nice sweetness, a mixture of the aforementioned corn and caramel, as well as some spice like nutmeg and some slight dried fruit notes. There was little burn, but it was very minimal. The finish had the sweetness but with a slightly noticeable grape/sweet wine flavor coating the drink on it’s way down. It was a long finish that was very smooth and delicious.

One has to admire Lincoln Henderson considering the kind of impression he has left on the whiskey and bourbon industry. However, a storied past doesn’t always mean that your new product will necessarily be worth mentioning. But that is most definitely NOT the case here. Henderson comes out of retirement with he and his family swinging for the fences. Angel’s Envy is a great drink with the flavors you expect from a bourbon, a couple of flavors that you don’t, and a smoothness that makes this great to drink for any occasion. If you’re looking for a premium bourbon around $40 that is a bit different that the rest, then I definitely recommend this for you.