Angel’s Envy adds Triple Oak Bourbon

The new triple cask-finished whiskey is the first addition to the Angel’s Envy core lineup in more than a decade.

Angel’s Envy master distiller Owen Martin wants to innovate in ways that make sense for the brand. That’s what led to the release of Cask Strength Rye in October 2023 – he considered it something the brand should be doing, but wanted to impart his own spin, which came in the form of Sauternes and French oak finishes. Martin joined Angel’s Envy in September 2022 after serving as master distiller for Colorado’s Stranahan’s. He applies a single malt blender's mindset to American finished whiskey, which means innovating in ways that are both true to the brand and his background. His latest creation is his take on the popular double-barrelling trend, which sees Bourbon makers place aged spirit in a second new charred oak barrel. “This is a natural place for us to start playing and doing it in our own way,” Martin said, noting that his initial goal was to produce a double oak whiskey that was inherently not over-oaked. “For Angel’s Envy to just put out a double oak Bourbon was not going to be enough – not from a flavour standpoint, in my opinion, and not from a storytelling standpoint.” Angel’s Envy Triple Oak will be the fourth release since Martin took over, and it is the first addition to the core lineup in more than a decade, joining the flagship Port-finished Bourbon and a rum-finished rye. Notably, it is the most accessible and affordable whiskey Martin has released with Angel’s Envy. “I love making a super fancy release here and there, but at the end of the day, I was a whiskey consumer before a maker – the last thing I ever want to do is have a whiskey you're only going to see on a social media post,” he said. Making Triple Oak Part of keeping the whiskey in high supply meant picking finishing casks that Martin could easily and affordably obtain. Triple Oak takes Bourbon aged between four and six years and finishes it in a combination of Hungarian, Chinkapin and French oak. “It was balancing what we knew was going to be replicable and sourceable, but also with exotic flavours, so to speak,” Martin said. For this release, Martin used second-fill Hungarian oak barrels for at least six months, first-fill Chinkapin barrels for at least six months, and first-fill French oak barrels for at least two months. He plans to reuse casks and change his blending proportions to be able to achieve a uniform profile. “We're gonna do third fills, we're gonna do fourth fills in the same way we treat the Port barrels with diminishing flavour each time,” he said. "To make sure we make a rounded release is by starting to use these multiple times.” Triple Oak is priced at US$75 and will be available nationwide beginning in October. Even when proofing the whiskey, Martin considered how he could set it apart, placing it at 46% ABV, or right between the Port-finished Bourbon and the rum-finished rye. As for further innovation, Martin says he has six finishing projects currently ageing, and draws a line between the French oak in the Cask Strength Rye and the French oak in the Triple Oak, saying he may reuse certain oak types but in different contexts and at different price points. “New releases, but on different scales and different levels of premium,” Martin said. “Maybe there's one that's really hard to get, and maybe there's one that anyone can walk into a liquor store and buy – that's kind of the fun part for me, innovating on different scales and different levels.”