New Release: 2014 Angels Envy Cask Strength

[GerryM]

I just saw this but not sure how much but know it ain't cheap given last year. Any thoughts?

[tanstaafl2]

I just saw this but not sure how much but know it ain't cheap given last year. Any thoughts?

[chrisg]

I've seen it once in the wild in KY at $180. I like the the regular release but it's an easy pass at that price for me.

[GaryT]

I got to try a sample of this years, and I had never had any other vintage but thought "Wow, great mouthfeel, nice character - I'd pay $75 for a bottle of that!" When I saw the MSRP was roughly double that (if not more!), I decided it would be a pass for me if I encountered it in the wild - which I haven't.

[TunnelTiger]

Well as I said in another post I've been passing on it at $89 buy maybe it's not the CS. I need to look a little closer and confirm.

[tanstaafl2]

Well as I said in another post I've been passing on it at $89 buy maybe it's not the CS. I need to look a little closer and confirm.

[big pete]

Does sound like the Rye finish pricing ($89). The CS comes in a fancy box

[Scotch Neat]

Passed on a few of these, price was in the 230's.

Way to expensive for what it is.

[The Black Tot]

One of my stores offered me one as well, and I too passed...to quote tanstaafl2 "with extreme prejudice"

[bicktrav]

Had it for the first time the other night. Very good stuff, but at near $200 not worth the cost of admission.

[HD 335]

I saw these around me for $150 but passed since I didn't really like the 2013 that much. I just wasn't a fan of port influence on the bourbon.

[CaskStrength77]

I bought this last year at $150, just to try it. It was very good, I enjoyed the additional sweetness from the port casks, but $150 was a bit steep (as you may guess by my SN, I'm a sucker for cask strength bourbons). Over $200? Not a chance.

[kjbeggs]

Haven't seen it at many stores around here, but the one's that do have it, don't seem to be selling out too quickly.

Most have it at around $159.

[flahute]

I have a bottle of this.......sighhhhhhh.......I'm mad at myself for buying it. Last year when I went gaga for bourbon, this was one I read about that was "one of the ones to get". There were lots of glowing reviews. I could never find it and some time later, with more experience under my belt, I had decided that I didn't really need it and I had grown skeptical anyway because of it's NDP status. Flash forward to late November and suddenly the Seattle market is one of the privileged markets that got included in the release and there it is, suddenly available to me. I initially walked away, but then re-read one of those reviews that talked about how great it was. (And this is a reviewer I trust who had not led me astray previously). So I bought it.

Mistake.

This thing is so dominated by the port finish that it doesn't resemble the whiskey I read about in the review. Well, of course it doesn't you idiot (I'm the idiot, not you the reader). The whiskey in that review is from the first batch. This one is the third batch and from completely different barrels. And more barrels at that. It's a much wider release. I think they weren't as discriminating with the quality of the barrels because they needed quite a few more of them. It's not a bad whiskey, just not anywhere worth the asking price. And that smack you upside the head port finish.....whew! Too much.

I'm holding out hope that the legendary "air time" will mute the port finish and balance this thing out, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed too hard.

[Paddy]

I have a bottle of this.......sighhhhhhh.......I'm mad at myself for buying it. Last year when I went gaga for bourbon, this was one I read about that was "one of the ones to get". There were lots of glowing reviews. I could never find it and some time later, with more experience under my belt, I had decided that I didn't really need it and I had grown skeptical anyway because of it's NDP status. Flash forward to late November and suddenly the Seattle market is one of the privileged markets that got included in the release and there it is, suddenly available to me. I initially walked away, but then re-read one of those reviews that talked about how great it was. (And this is a reviewer I trust who had not led me astray previously). So I bought it.

Mistake.

This thing is so dominated by the port finish that it doesn't resemble the whiskey I read about in the review. Well, of course it doesn't you idiot (I'm the idiot, not you the reader). The whiskey in that review is from the first batch. This one is the third batch and from completely different barrels. And more barrels at that. It's a much wider release. I think they weren't as discriminating with the quality of the barrels because they needed quite a few more of them. It's not a bad whiskey, just not anywhere worth the asking price. And that smack you upside the head port finish.....whew! Too much.

I'm holding out hope that the legendary "air time" will mute the port finish and balance this thing out, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed too hard.

[flahute]

If that doesn't reach the desired effect, I'd recommend "blending it down", in small amounts, with a preferred bourbon or rye...to reach a profile more favorable to your palate.

If you need assistance, I am humbly at your service. :grin:

[bicktrav]

I have a bottle of this.......sighhhhhhh.......I'm mad at myself for buying it. Last year when I went gaga for bourbon, this was one I read about that was "one of the ones to get". There were lots of glowing reviews. I could never find it and some time later, with more experience under my belt, I had decided that I didn't really need it and I had grown skeptical anyway because of it's NDP status. Flash forward to late November and suddenly the Seattle market is one of the privileged markets that got included in the release and there it is, suddenly available to me. I initially walked away, but then re-read one of those reviews that talked about how great it was. (And this is a reviewer I trust who had not led me astray previously). So I bought it.

Mistake.

This thing is so dominated by the port finish that it doesn't resemble the whiskey I read about in the review. Well, of course it doesn't you idiot (I'm the idiot, not you the reader). The whiskey in that review is from the first batch. This one is the third batch and from completely different barrels. And more barrels at that. It's a much wider release. I think they weren't as discriminating with the quality of the barrels because they needed quite a few more of them. It's not a bad whiskey, just not anywhere worth the asking price. And that smack you upside the head port finish.....whew! Too much.

I'm holding out hope that the legendary "air time" will mute the port finish and balance this thing out, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed too hard.

[kjbeggs]

The heavy port influence is what I don't like about standard AE. I Thought the higher proof of the Cask Strength (at least the 2013, I missed the first release) countered the port finish very successfully.

I did grab a bottle of the 2014 release, and still have 3/4 of my2013 bottle, so I'll be doing a SBS fairly soon. Wish I had some of the first release to compare, as I think the larger these releases get, the lower the quality.

[flahute]

The heavy port influence is what I don't like about standard AE. I Thought the higher proof of the Cask Strength (at least the 2013, I missed the first release) countered the port finish very successfully.

I did grab a bottle of the 2014 release, and still have 3/4 of my2013 bottle, so I'll be doing a SBS fairly soon. Wish I had some of the first release to compare, as I think the larger these releases get, the lower the quality.

Interesting point you make because the one and only standard bottle of AE I purchased in the fall of '13 was very subtle on the port influence (to me) whereas this '14 cask strength goes hard in the opposite direction.

[flahute]

Here's my "conspiracy theory".

Standard Angel's Envy is not selling well enough so they had a large number of barrels overage in the port casks taking on too much of the port. I say this because I always see multiple cases for sale at the big box stores. Knowing that their limited release cask strength editions not only sold out quickly but also moved on the secondary market, they decided to get rid of all the overaged port casks by expanding the cask strength release. (Which incidentally are not moving as fast as other LE's).

I could be wrong, which is why I call it a "conspiracy theory".

[kjbeggs]

Interesting point you make because the one and only standard bottle of AE I purchased in the fall of '13 was very subtle on the port influence (to me) whereas this '14 cask strength goes hard in the opposite direction.

Guess I should revisit the standard release. The only bottle I ever had was back before the first Cask Strength release, and it seemed very port heavy (maybe leading to the cask strength idea). It wasn't terrible, just didn't taste like bourbon to me, at the time. Sounds like I may be in for a similar experience with the '14 CS.

[tanstaafl2]

Here's my "conspiracy theory".

Standard Angel's Envy is not selling well enough so they had a large number of barrels overage in the port casks taking on too much of the port. I say this because I always see multiple cases for sale at the big box stores. Knowing that their limited release cask strength editions not only sold out quickly but also moved on the secondary market, they decided to get rid of all the overaged port casks by expanding the cask strength release. (Which incidentally are not moving as fast as other LE's).

I could be wrong, which is why I call it a "conspiracy theory".

Well, if so I wish they would release some to Georgia so I could decide for myself. I have yet to have a port finish of anything that I thought was "too much"!

Different certainly and I can perhaps accept that it changes the profile too much for those looking for a predominantly bourbon flavor. But as an ombibulous drinker I don't suffer from those limitations! :grin:

[amg]

The only bottle of standard AE I've had was pretty port-heavy when I first opened it, but mellowed out a little over time (or else I got accustomed to it). I like the standard AE well enough at $39, but am not interested in the CS at 4x that price.

[Scotch Neat]

In my area the 2013 release was priced at about $140 and came in a wood box made from recycled pallets, the 2014 release is like $230 and has a nicer box.

Guess they had to pass on the cost of the better box.

[DonutsNBourbon]

finally got around to opening this... not sure if I like it or not. seems one dimensional to me, but it doesn't drink like it's almost 60% abv. at first smell it was a nice caramel smell, which was nice. then it turned to more alcohol-ish as I let it sit. maybe it's a heavy port taste to it? I haven't had port wine in years though, so I can't remember the exact taste. maybe I'll have to let it sit for a few weeks then revisit it.