As promised, here is Part Two of my recap of a recent bourbon event at the Filson Historical Society. After Michael Veach led us through tastings of three vintage bourbons, the Hendersons of Louisville Distilling Co. shared some samples of their Angel’s Envy and Angel’s Envy Cask Strength, along with some exciting news.

Angel’s Envy is bourbon that is aged up to six years in charred white-oak barrels, then finished in ruby port wine casks for three to six months. It’s the creation of famed master distiller Lincoln Henderson. Lincoln wasn’t at the Filson; that’s his grandson, Kyle Henderson, in the photo above. Kyle’s dad, Wes Henderson, also attended the Filson event, but by the time he spoke I was too busy sipping to take more photos.

Anyway, in addition to Angel’s Envy, the Hendersons poured some of the limited-release Cask Strength, which was aged for two years in the port wine casks. As I said in my review, I found the Cask Strength to be too much of a good thing. I prefer the original recipe, with its nicely balanced flavors and velvety mouth feel. That nice viscosity, by the way, was a happy accident, Wes told us; the bourbon picked up microscopic particles of grape while it was in those casks.

Here are some other interesting things he told us:

• The 60-gallon port wine casks are shipped from Portugal.
• Each port wine cask is used about three times by Louisville Distilling.
• Angel’s Envy is one of the fastest-growing small-batch bourbons on the market. It’s now sold in 25 states and Louisville Distilling shipped 22,000 cases in 2012, its first full year.
• He thought the first version of Angel’s Envy’s distinctive bottle, below, was too feminine and had it “manned up” a little, with broader shoulders. Note: Some of us bourbon drinkers don’t find feminine to be a problem.

I also teased some exciting news, didn’t I? Here it is: Louisville Distilling Co. will extend its permanent line with a new release in April or May. Unfortunately, we promised not to reveal what it will be. I will honor that promise, but I think I can safely say it’s another “finished” product, and I can’t wait to try it.

Wes also said that Louisville Distilling Co. is in the “final stages” of opening its long-awaited distillery on Main Street. “By this time next year, we will be making our own juice,” he vowed. 

I know lots of people are still celebrating the Ravens, but I have another bird on my mind: Old Crow. More specifically, the 105-year-old bottle of Old Crow that I sampled last week at the Filson Historical Society. This terrific tasting led by bourbon historian Michael Veach also included a 1974 bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle and something called Broad Ripple bottled during Prohibition (and perhaps best left there, but more about that later).

We arrived at the Filson to find these wonderful dusty old bottles (donated as a fundraiser), along with new bottles of Angel’s Envy, which sponsored the event. Kyle Henderson, grandson of master distiller Lincoln Henderson, helped Mike pour (after a good-natured exchange in which Kyle countered Mike’s description of Angel’s Envy as “wine-flavored bourbon,” saying it’s “finished, not flavored”). It’s worth noting that Mike, below, opened all the bottles without breaking a single cork.

First up was the Old Crow, distilled in 1908 and bottled in bond (100 proof) in 1925. While we let our samples breathe, which Mike told us is always a good idea with old whiskeys, he gave us a history lesson. Old Crow is one of the oldest bourbon brands, founded by Scotsman James C. Crow in Woodford County, Ky., in the 1830s. While Crow did not possess the medical degree he claimed to have, he was one of the first people to apply scientific methods to distilling – and perhaps most important, he wrote everything down so that recipes could be replicated. In the 19^th century, Old Crow was the standard for bourbon, quite a contrast to its current bottom-shelf status. (“Jim Beam should be put on trial for what they’ve done to Old Crow,” Mike declared.)

This bourbon was a nice dark color, with no cloudiness. It had a heady aroma of caramel, vanilla, spice and wood. It had a rather slippery mouth feel, with notes of cinnamon and caramel and a nice, long finish.

We were primed for our next sample: Broad Ripple, a bourbon bottled sometime in the early 1930s in Frankfort, Ky., for “medicinal purposes.” Let me say this: I would rather be sick. It had the odor of menthol and the taste of bad licorice mixed with, as someone put it, “the gauze the dentist puts in your mouth.” It’s possible that the bottle’s original contents were compromised at some point – “a lot can go wrong in 90 years,” noted attendee Julian Van Winkle III – but it’s just as likely that the producers had gone through all their good whiskey toward the end of Prohibition and just bottled whatever they could find, Mike said. “It tasted like crap, but who cared? It kept the brand alive, and most people were mixing it with other stuff anyway.”

By comparison, our third vintage bourbon smelled like candy. It likely would have anyway, though; assuming the 7-year-old, 107 proof Old Rip Van Winkle had been stored well and not oxidized, “this will probably be some of the best whiskey you’ve ever had in your life,” said Julian Van Winkle, whose family still owned a share of Stitzel-Weller when it was bottled there in 1974 or ’75. He was right: This wheated bourbon was robust, almost chewy, and bursting with flavor – caramel, vanilla, cherries, with oak and maybe a bit of apple at the end. “Oh my goodness, what a whiskey,” breathed the gentleman seated next to me.

They say that two out of three ain’t bad. In this case, it was pretty amazing.

Up next in the Bourbon Babe: News from Angel’s Envy.

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength

121 proof (estimated)

Louisville Distilling Company and its master distiller, Lincoln Henderson, first gave us Angel’s Envy, a super-premium bourbon finished in port casks for three to six months. Now, just in time for the holidays, they have released an extremely limited edition of Angel’s Envy Cask Strength, bourbon that stayed in the port wood for nearly two years. Only 600 bottles are being sold in Kentucky and Tennessee, at a suggested retail price of $149 for the 750ml bottle. Louisville Distilling kindly sent the Bourbon Babe a sample, which I tasted side-by-side with the original Angel’s Envy. Here are my thoughts.

Color: As you might expect, the increased time in the wood gives the cask strength Envy a deeper color than the original. It is a deep red amber, compared with Angel’s Envy’s lighter golden hue. 

Aroma: Again, the intensity goes up a few notches. The cask strength bourbon has a heady, sweet scent with lots of vanilla and Madeira, some spiciness and just a hint of oak.

Taste: Now the intensity goes to 11. The sweetness that was promised in the nose is there, but for me, it was overpowered by dry, almost smoky wood flavor. I tasted more of the port characteristics than the bourbon ones. I tried adding a splash of water as recommended, but that just sort of dulled everything.

Verdict: Angel’s Envy Cask Strength ramps up all the features of Angel’s Envy, from the nose to the finish. But sometimes, less is more. With its rich flavor, velvety mouth feel and smooth finish, Angel’s Envy is one of my favorite sipping whiskeys. For me, the intense wood notes of the cask strength version elbowed everything else aside.

If you prefer a more robust pour, the cask strength may be for you. Lincoln Henderson will be autographing bottles of this limited edition bourbon at a special event in January; for your invitation, contact Samira Seiller at sseiller@louisvilledistilling.com.        

If you are in Bardstown this week for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, be sure to stop by the Angel’s Envy Pop-Up Bourbon Bar in the penthouse of Spalding Hall, 114 N. Fifth St. The bar opens with a special event today at 2 p.m. featuring master distiller Lincoln Henderson and mixologist Josh Durr of Hawthorne Beverage, who will be preparing some signature cocktails with Angel’s Envy. It will then be open from 2 to midnight today through Saturday.

For those of you who haven’t sampled it yet, Angel’s Envy is bourbon that is aged for an additional three to six months in port casks after spending four to six years in white oak barrels. It’s smooth and rich and sure to give a special twist even to classic cocktails, such as the Old Fashioned, above. Among Josh’s original creations: The Dark Side, the R Sour and the Maloney, below.

Looking for a new place to grab a drink after the Kentucky Oaks or the Derby? Try the temporary pop-up bourbon bar that Angel’s Envy has conjured up in a vacant storefront at 400 E. Main St., across from Louisville’s Slugger Field. The bar is open from 5 p.m. to midnight today and tomorrow, serving Angel’s Envy and a list of specialty cocktails. Angel’s Envy is the bourbon finished in port casks created by master distiller and bourbon legend Lincoln Henderson.

All proceeds from this limited-engagement establishment will benefit the Kentucky Bourbon Historical Society, which hopes to open and operate a bourbon museum in downtown Louisville.

Angel’s Envy Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson and Chef Jim Gerhardt are joining forces this Friday, March 30, for a five-course bourbon dinner at Limestone Restaurant, 10001 Forest Green Blvd., in Louisville. The dinner will feature cocktails such as the Bubbly Angel, which combines Angel’s Envy and sparkling wine; the Envious Angel’s Manhattan; and an intriguing concoction that brings molasses and Ale-8 into the mix.

Angel’s Envy is a super-premium bourbon that is finished in port casks for an additional three to six months, resulting in a mouth-feel like wine and a very smooth finish.

The cost of the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on March 30, is $75 per person. Space is limited, so call Limestone Restaurant today at 502.426.7477 to make your reservation. 

I unfortunately have conflicting plans, so I’ll have to miss this one - if you go, please let me know what you think!

The Courier-Journal ran a nice profile Sunday of master distiller Lincoln Henderson and his Angel’s Envy, a small-batch bourbon being produced by the Louisville Distilling Co., a new craft distiller founded by Henderson’s son, Wesley.

“Angel’s Envy” is a play on one of my favorite bourbon terms: angels’ share, the bourbon lost to evaporation during maturation. After aging in charred white oak barrels, Angel’s Envy spends four to six months in freshly dumped imported port casks.

This gives it an exceptionally smooth finish, with a soft mouth-feel more like wine than bourbon.

But it also raises a question, one not answered in the story: Is Angel’s Envy truly a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey? A “straight bourbon” may have no added coloring, flavoring or other spirits. Nothing is blended with Angel’s Envy, but those port casks are adding color and flavor, aren’t they?

Indeed they are, says Samira Seiller, executive vice president and managing director of Louisville Distilling. “The port barrels add some flavor (dried fruit) and tend to mellow the alcohol heat, as well as add color - Angel’s Envy has a bit of a ruby color in it.”

And that’s why you’ll see “Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Barrels” printed on the bottle, Seiller said. “We cannot call ourselves a straight bourbon whiskey without the ‘finished in port barrels.’ ”  

Have you tried Angel’s Envy?