Fantasy Bourbon Game 6 - The SemiFinals Continue, Four Roses 125th Anniversary vs Angel's Envy Cask Strength

This is Game Six of SmokyBeast's 2013 Fantasy Bourbon League.  If you're tuning in for the first time, the series starts here...

Final Four

Our Final Four began yesterday with Pappy Van Winkle 15-Year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Four Roses 125th Anniversary Small Batch, and Angel's Envy Cask Strength.  "The Pappy" defeated "The Preacher" (Elijah craig) in a fierce battle.  Today's match up is probably the most anticipated of all our contests.  Four Roses 125th Anniversary was declared Bourbon of the Year by Whiskey Advocate.  Angel's Envy Cask Strength was named Best Spirit in the World by Spirits Journal.  These are two seriously primetime beasts and this may be the most highly anticipated match-up of the year!  So let's get to it...

Four Roses 125th Anniversary Limited Edition Small Batch and Angel's Envy Cask Strength Batch 2

Face-to-Face

They're very close, both in the well-steeped English breakfast tea color spectrum.  The Angel's Envy is half a shade darker.

Nose-to-Nose

4R125:  Yes the very unique nose comes back with big oaky cracking wood and rich spices.  Some overripe grapefruit / saccharine citrus.  Comes together into a very refined and yet unusual nose.

AECS:  We're still in the lovely french toast with farm fresh butter and real maple syrup.  Since this bottle has had time to open up we maybe get a bit more of the plums and red grapes from the port barrels.  The Angel's Envy takes the nose by a hair.  It's got a little more sweetness and character, though the 4R gives more maturity.

Body-to-Body

4R125:  So gorgeous - nutty, spicy, woody.  Just crisp and punchy and utterly satisfying.  Wood, leather, ginger, spices, tobacco, some little pings of tropical fruits.

AECS:  Man this is already just so tough to call.  The Angel's Envy definitely has more sweetness, more of a round mouth feel than the Roses.  It's way softer, coating the tongue with syrup and berries rather than the dry cracking punch of the Roses.  We have to give the palate to the 4R.  It's just got a certain sense of maturity and complexity that the Angel's Envy isn't giving us.  Really almost too close to call, but Four Roses wins on taste!

End Game

4R125:  It really all comes together in the finish.  The waves of rye grains, the crisp wood, the spiciness.  It's a masterpiece.

AECS:  The richness and sweetness push through the end.  We still love this bourbon.  It's a rare bottle that will be sorely missed when it's finally drained.  We would have loved to put this bad boy into the finals, but we have to be honest and give this round to the Four Roses.  There's just a crisp, punchy perfection to the Four Roses that, while perhaps lacking some of the uniqueness of the AECS, puts it over the top.


Brackets

So it comes to this.  The Roses against the Pappy for gold.

Standings

Big swings in the leader board today with four players amassing a perfect score of eight through the first two rounds!

Player	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Total
Bo Wang	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
BennieFF	1	1	1	0	2	2		7
Kurtis	1	1	1	1	2	0		6
Daniel Forth	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Justin Sloan	0	1	1	1	0	0		3
JOHN REYNOLDS	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
Chris Jones	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
Zach Raymer	1	0	1	1	0	0		3
Josh Lawrence	1	1	1	0	2	2		7
Matt Zimbler	0	0	1	1	0	0		2
Stephen Joos	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
Jason Brown	1	1	1	1	2	2		8
Soko	1	1	1	0	0	2		5
Carla C.	1	1	1	0	2	2		7
espitz00	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Joe S.	1	1	1	1	0	2		6
Kelly Beggs	0	0	1	1	0	2		4
Jake Van Nuland	0	0	0	1	0	0		1
Stefan Bing	1	1	1	1	0	2		6
jesterpee	0	1	1	1	0	2		5
Bruegengaters	1	1	1	1	0	2		6
Maggie Wafford	1	1	1	0	2	2		7
djfivenine	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
J	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
zak rotello	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
Brent Sehnert	1	0	1	1	0	0		3
ZacP in RI	0	1	1	1	0	0		3
dave nichols	1	1	1	1	2	2		8
stl cork'd	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
a-dig	1	0	1	0	2	2		6
Kevin M	1	1	1	1	2	0		6
Rush Thrift	1	0	1	1	0	0		3
Michael St.pierre	1	1	1	1	0	2		6
Sarah Ilinitch	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Danny Cakes	1	1	1	1	2	2		8
Matt Rychtanek	1	1	1	1	2	0		6
Dan Gilbert	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
Glencairn	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Charles Binger	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
oak	1	1	1	0	2	0		5
Tim Moon	1	0	1	0	2	2		6
Lucy Crow	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
Jeff Roth	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
paulgetto	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Bryan Nanna	0	0	1	1	0	2		4
Max Burstein	1	0	1	1	2	0		5
Tom Kimball	1	0	1	1	2	2		7
Thomas Hurst	0	0	1	1	0	0		2
Will Moller	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
Mikel Isaacs	1	0	1	1	0	0		3
TJ	1	1	1	1	2	2		8
Arok	0	1	1	1	0	2		5
T.J. Thompson	0	1	1	0	0	2		4
whiskycorner	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
Stephen Grim	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
Vincent Licata	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
whattastesgood.net	1	0	1	1	0	2		5
britney tucci	1	1	1	0	2	2		7
Ravensfire	0	0	1	1	0	2		4
Reuven Weinstein	1	1	1	1	0	2		6
Funky Tape	1	1	1	1	2	0		6

Click here for the championship - Four Roses 125 versus Pappy Van Winkle 15!