Penny for Your Thoughts - Angel's Envy Rye, The Balvenie Doublewood 12, Old Weller Antique 107
Here are three whiskies that I enjoyed on Thanksgiving. In the spirit of the holiday, thanks for reading!
Angel's Envy Rye (50% ABV) - This is a high-rye whiskey (95% rye/5% barley) from MGP, the major source for non-distilling producers, aged for 6 years and then finished for up to 18 months in rum casks. I was not a huge fan of rum-cask finishing in scotch when I tried The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask, but that rum is working its magic here. The nose definitely lives up to the proof at first, but when those initial vapors blow off, oh my. There's cedar wood, charred caramel chocolate brownies, molasses, and gingerbread. The sweetness from the rum adds a ton of sweet notes, and so the rye spice ends up manifesting more as dessert baking spices, which I loved. The palate features some prickly heat, but then more caramel, chocolate malt, rye spice, graham cracker and marshmallow, and gingerbread. There is a rough, hot edge to all of this, which is the main downside, and makes me wonder whether a tick or two lower in proof or another year or so of aging would be beneficial. The finish is more rye-like and spicy, with ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and another wave of heat. This is a complex and somewhat challenging rye, which kept rising in my estimation with each sip. Please, Angel's Envy, source an 8-year old rye and then do the same finishing. For about $80, this is an expensive rye, but I'd grab a bottle -- this is the perfect winter holiday season dram. A-
The Balvenie Doublewood 12 (40%) - This is Balvenie's basic expression, which combines sherry and bourbon aging. I remember enjoying this as a bar pour before I really got into scotch, but did not remember the sherry influence being quite this dominant. This whiskey reminds me a lot of Macallan 12. Sherry and cherry ice cream are the dominant aromas, although there's also a classic Balvenie vanilla note there. The palate is comparatively mild, which makes sense given the low ABV, creamy, and has a rum raisin ice cream flavor. The finish is toasty, with the matchstick smoke that's characteristic of sherried whiskies, malty, and a little dry. $60 is a fair price for this whiskey. B+
Old Weller Antique 107 (53.5%) - Weller is Buffalo Trace's main wheated line of bourbons. Unfortunately, with the explosive popularity of their other line, Pappy Van Winkle, these Wellers are getting harder and harder to find (and liquor stores are taking advantage to price them at a huge premium). This bourbon has a great nose of old, leatherbound books and shoe polish, like the library of a men's club, tons of oak, caramel, and vanilla. The palate emphasizes corn and wheat sweetness, manifesting often as cherry. There's also the same strong caramel and oak notes from the nose. That being said, there aren't a lot of unexpected flavors and there is more heat than is ideal. It's also a little more watery than I expected, probably because this is a 7-year old bourbon rather than the 12-year-plus aging of its more famous siblings. Weller Antique concludes in a hot and spicy fireball, with lots of cherry. There's a hint of astringency at the end. For some reason, although Four Roses does not make a wheated bourbon, there is something in the corn flavors in this one that reminds me a lot of Four Roses' signature flavor. I believe the MSRP of this is under $30, which would make it one of the best values in that price range, but I've never seen it on the shelf, and its secondary prices are considerably higher. B+
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