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Angel’s Envy Bourbon Review

Reviewed by Kaz · 24/09/2026

Angel’s Envy Bourbon bottle

The Verdict

4.4/ 5

Rated 4.4 out of 5 Highly Recommended

Elegant Rich Smooth

Best for

Drinkers who want a soft, elegant, sweet-leaning bourbon, from newcomers to experienced whisky fans. Less suited to those who prefer a classic, punchy bourbon.

Quick Verdict

Angel's Envy Bourbon is elegant, smooth and rich, with a layered sweetness of caramel, honey, vanilla and maple woven together with raisin, berries, dark chocolate and deep oak. There's no alcohol presence neat, the balance is excellent and there's almost nothing to fault. It could use a little more depth and complexity, though, and its individuality isn't exceptional.

Tasted Mar 2025 · Neat

Where to Buy

United Kingdom

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Bottle Information

Angel's Envy Bourbon — officially Angel's Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels — is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Angel's Envy, a Louisville, Kentucky brand that is part of Bacardi. After its time as bourbon, it's finished in ruby port wine casks, and Angel's Envy says it blends the whiskey twice: once before this secondary finishing and again after it. There's no age statement on the label. The bottle reviewed here is the 750ml, 43.3% ABV version.

Whisky Specs

Country
United States
Region
Kentucky
Distillery
Angel's Envy
Brand
Angel's Envy
Category
Bourbon
Age
NAS
ABV
43.3% ABV
Cask
Finished in ruby port wine casks
Volume
750ml

Tasting Review

Angel’s Envy is soft and polished for a bourbon. The port-cask influence comes through clearly without taking over, and neat it’s smooth and elegant: caramel, raisin and berries on the nose, then honey, vanilla, dark chocolate and maple on the palate, with no alcohol presence at all. It’s delicate and well balanced rather than punchy, and I found almost nothing wrong with it. The one thing I wanted was a little more depth and complexity — its individuality doesn’t stand out quite as much as its unusual finish might suggest.

It suits a wide range of drinkers, from newcomers to experienced whisky fans, though anyone who loves a classic, punchy bourbon may find it a little too refined. When I reviewed it, I felt it lived up to its price, and the 750ml bottle made the cost-performance reasonable. If you prefer a bolder bourbon, my Wild Turkey Rare Breed review covers one that leans harder into spice and oak, and Buffalo Trace is a sweet, very well-integrated everyday option. For more, browse our Bourbon reviews.

Tasting Notes

Nose
Caramel, raisin, nuts, berries and deep oak.
Palate
Smooth and elegant. Honey, vanilla, dark chocolate, maple and raisin, with a faint bitterness and rich oak.
Finish
Fruitiness and roasty oak at moderate length.

Flavor Profile

  • Sweetness 4 / 5
  • Fruit 3 / 5
  • Spice 1 / 5
  • Oak 3 / 5
  • Smoke / Peat 0 / 5
  • Body 3 / 5

Pros

  • Smooth and elegant, with a rich, layered sweetness of caramel, honey, vanilla and maple.
  • Excellent alcohol integration — no alcohol presence neat.
  • Very well balanced, with raisin, berries, dark chocolate and oak fitting together cleanly.

Cons

  • Could use a little more depth and complexity.
  • Its individuality is somewhat restrained.

Final Verdict

Angel's Envy Bourbon is a highly polished bourbon with excellent integration and very few obvious flaws. Neat, caramel, raisin, nuts and berries lead a nose with deep oak, and the smooth, elegant palate layers honey, vanilla, dark chocolate, maple and raisin over rich oak and a faint bitterness, before fruitiness and roasty oak at moderate length. With no noticeable alcohol harshness and a precise balance, it's rich and elegant from start to finish. What keeps it below 4.5 is depth: it could still use a little more depth of flavor and complexity, and its individuality doesn't stand out enough for a higher score. At 4.4 it's Highly Recommended — judged purely on the liquid, not its price.

Other Ways to Drink It

Dram Verdict's core Nose, Palate, Finish and Score above are tasted neat. These are Kaz's notes on other ways he's actually tried this bottle.

  • With Water

    Good

    Fruitiness and oak come through more easily than neat; with just a small splash, sweetness and acidity balance nicely for a slightly fresher feel.

  • On the Rocks

    Very Good

    Honey, maple and roasty oak come forward, with a faint bitterness and spice that give it a classic bourbon feel.

  • Highball

    Excellent

    The oak comes through firmly, with some fruitiness and a fairly substantial feel; it loses a little delicacy but stays refreshing and easy to drink.

Where to Buy

United Kingdom

We may earn a commission if you buy through our links. This never affects our scores.

About the author

Kaz Bartender & Whisky Reviewer

Kaz is a chief bartender in Japan, with eight years behind the bar and six years reviewing whisky on Whisktender, his Japanese-language whisky site. Every Dram Verdict score and every personal tasting note comes from a whisky he has tasted himself, with one question always in mind: is this bottle worth buying?

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