Review: Angel’s Envy Two-Grain Bourbon and Peated Cask Rye

At the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Angel’s Envy dropped two new releases in its new Distillery Series, one-off half-bottle whiskeys that are only available at the Angel’s Envy distillery in Louisville.

We received both to taste, and while you won’t find these (well, probably) at retail, if you happen to visit Angel’s Envy in person, here’s what you can expect.

Angel’s Envy Two-Grain Bourbon Review

Made from a mashbill of 90% corn sourced from Langley Farms in Shelbyville, Kentucky and 10% malted barley, proofed with Louisville tap water. Corn-heavy whiskeys like this tend to have a certain funk about them, and the absence of a flavoring grain can make things a little one-note. I think that’s an apt description of what’s going on here: The nose is a little plain, very heavy with toasted corn and charry overtones. Very much restrained and difficult to parse — save for the heavy corn character.

Fortunately the palate is more interesting, with lightly honeyed sweetness and some baking spice tempering the crunchy-corny experience. It’s mild and inoffensive, and quite buttery as it develops, culminating in more of a brown butter character as the finish approaches, laced with cinnamon. More corn, however, awaits on the fade-out, and I’ve had plenty by now. 112 proof. 17,592 bottles produced. B / $55 (375ml)

Angel’s Envy Peated Cask Rye Review

Formally Angel’s Envy Peated Cask Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Scotch Barrels, this is a 6 year old rye, finished in Islay Scotch whisky casks.

This is a much different animal, not just compared to Two-Grain but to Angel’s Envy and American whiskey as a whole. Peated American whiskey exists, but there’s not a lot of it, and that’s perhaps for good reason: a lot of people just don’t like peat. But some people love the stuff, so…

The nose is big with peat, quite aggressive to the point where it totally dominates whatever else is in the glass. It’s not as salty and maritime as the typical Islay whisky would evoke, more ashy and campfire-driven, smoldering with creosote. The spice of rye is visible underneath, but not entirely obvious; rosemary and sage dragged out of a burning building.

The palate remains intense with smokiness and, again, tough to push through to unearth anything that is reminiscent of rye. Tasting this blind, I’d really have no clue what I was drinking (and would assume it was Islay Scotch, probably a blend). Maybe that’s the point. A little cask finish (though who knows how long) goes a long way, and this whiskey becomes a whisky in short order. Pulling out flavor notes is complicated at best: brown banana, pipe tobacco, fresh asphalt, and Maraska cherry all make appearances. Naturally, layers of smoky peat waft over everything.

As an armchair observer, I have to say the peated cask finishing was probably too lengthy on this. Think about that smoked Old Fashioned you pay an extra $3 for: A little smoke goes a long way. 100 proof. 7200 bottles produced. B / $55 (375ml)

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