Angels Envy Bourbon

Angel's Envy Bourbon is a Kentucky-style straight bourbon, and the details on file list it as a product of the United States. Bourbon by law is made from at least 51 percent corn and aged in new charred oak. That is why this style usually opens with caramel, vanilla and baked-grain sweetness, with oak and a little spice behind it. Expect a softer, rounder profile than a high-rye or barrel-proof bottling. I can't give a measured tasting profile for this particular bottle, so treat the notes here as what the style typically offers. Start by pouring about an ounce and a half neat into a Glencairn glass. The tulip shape narrows toward the rim and concentrates the aroma. Nose it with your mouth slightly open before tasting, so the vanilla and oak come through ahead of the alcohol. If the first sip feels hot or closed, add a few drops of room-temperature water. Water loosens the tight aromatics and often brings out the sweeter grain and fruit notes. A single large cube in a rocks glass is the better choice for slower sipping. It chills the pour gently and dilutes it slowly, so the bourbon stays balanced over twenty minutes instead of going flat. Crushed or small cubes melt too fast for a bourbon of this kind. In cocktails, a bourbon with a sweeter, oak-forward character fits the classic Old Fashioned well. Stir two ounces with a sugar cube or a quarter ounce of simple syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters over ice, then express an orange peel across the top. Keep the sugar light, because the spirit already supplies sweetness. For a Manhattan, use two ounces of bourbon, one ounce of sweet vermouth and two dashes of bitters. Stir it, strain it into a chilled coupe, and garnish with a cherry. A Whiskey Sour works with three-quarters of an ounce of fresh lemon juice and half an ounce of simple syrup, shaken hard. Add an egg white if you want a silkier texture. For a long drink, a highball of one part bourbon to three parts soda water over plenty of ice, with a lemon wedge, keeps the vanilla and caramel noticeable without heaviness. At the table, bourbon of this style goes well with smoked or grilled pork, aged cheddar, pecan desserts and dark chocolate. The sweetness and oak stand up to char, salt and fat.