Angel's Envy's Unique Whiskey Guardians Promote By Word-Of-Mouth

An old marketing adage claims the best publicity is word of mouth. If that's true, then Angel's Envy seems to be knocking that ball right out of the whiskey park. The company maintains a devoted base of chosen Whiskey Guardians advocating for its premium artisan bourbon and rye whiskeys — but you likely won't find slick publicity agents hustling for sales metrics and statistical triumphs. Instead, the Angel's Envy Whiskey Guardians live, work, and play in the very communities they represent, often already nestled within hospitality occupations such as bartending and restaurant service.

At least 50 of these local ambassador-style guardians stand watch over the Angel's Envy brand while also educating people about bourbon in general — effectively promoting the brand via word-of-mouth. The word "local" doesn't mean they're all ensconced in Kentucky where retired master distiller Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes brought the whiskey dream to life in 2011. The guardians thrive in the world of whiskey across America, including the Angel's Envy's hometown of Louisville, as well as in Australia, the UK, Singapore, and Canada.

Being a family-centric endeavor, in principle and in practice, it follows that Angel's Envy taps into the heart of a community to gauge its way forward. Local guardians bring new devotees into the Angel fold, but also (along with all employees) provide insights and ideas that help shape the company's direction, future products, and social campaigns. Now on its third generation of Hendersons creating distillation magic, there's no sign of the family-clan business veering from its "bourbon of the people" approach.

There's reportedly no lack of enthusiasm amidst the tight-knit community of Angel's Envy Guardians — and for good reason. The premium product has plenty to distinguish itself, including the unique name. It's a spinoff from a playful whiskey-industry term, the "Angels' share," which refers to the the portion of whiskey that inevitably evaporates during aging. The story goes that founder Lincoln Henderson dubbed an early batch of his new whiskey the "Angel's Envy" (since the "angels" didn't get to drink it). 

Another standout feature of Angel's Envy spirits keeps the guardians busy explaining the nuances. Similar to scotch production, the bourbons go through a secondary finishing process in port barrels after being matured in the new, charred American oak barrels required for any bourbon.

In addition to education and product information, the guardians go all-in for the Angel's Envy social and environmental programs, including its Toast the Trees project. Using social media, individual guardians encourage imbibers to like, share, and follow the brand in exchange for the company planting up to 65,000 new white oak trees for future barrel making. In the above YouTube video, co-founder Wes Henderson calls their Whiskey Guardians "second to none" and some of the best bartenders in the industry, ones who are passionate about Angel's Envy, whiskey, and doing the right things in their own communities. "I can't imagine not having them with us on this journey," he says.