A New Whiskey Brand From a Bourbon Hall of Famer Just Left Stealth Mode

Cask or barrel finishing is arguably the hottest trend in bourbon if not all whiskey production. While countless distilleries have dabbled with the technique over time, Angel’s Envy helped many whiskey makers recognize its full potential. 

For those unfamiliar with the brand, Angel’s Envy was the brainchild of Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes. Bacardi Limited – the world’s largest privately held spirits company – also made a minority investment in the business to help get things started. 

Lincoln was a master distiller with nearly 40 years of experience working at Brown-Forman. His career included driving the launch of Gentleman Jack, working on Woodford Reserve, and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, which eventually landed him an inaugural spot in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.

Sage Spirits Group

True Story is the brainchild of Wes Henderson, who co-founded Angel’s Envy

Wes convinced his father to leave retirement to launch Angel’s Envy in 2010. Their vision centered on using port barrels and other secondary finishing techniques to create distinctive bourbons and ryes. The early product, sourced from other undisclosed distilleries initially and then cask finished by Angel’s Envy, immediately began earning industry awards and attention, quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing premium bourbons on the market. 

Five years later, in March 2015, Bacardi Limited acquired the brand outright and its holding company for an undisclosed price, although rumors have pegged the amount at around $150 million.

Unfortunately, Lincoln Henderson did not live to see the moment of triumph. He died two years early, in September 2013. 

After several years overseeing the transition and continued growth of the brand, Wes Henderson left Angel’s Envy in 2022 to retire in his own words. That plan didn’t last long, though.

It’ll eventually be backed by impressive amount of infrastructure

The Kentucky Castle

In 2023, Wes Henderson began making new moves. According to the press release, he created a new company, the Saga Spirits Group, to offer “exceptional American whiskey products and… a comprehensive visitor experience. ” 

In the same year, he bought a Kentucky hotel and event-hosting landmark in Woodford County known as The Kentucky Castle for $19 million, which will receive renovations. The Saga Spirits Group also revealed plans to build a $92.5 million distillery, visitor center, and event space on a 150-acre site adjacent to the castle. According to a report from Whiskey Advocate, the plan even includes a group distilling experience that will allow visitors to experience what it’s like to work at a distillery over a weekend. 

His new True Story brand will start life following a proven playbook

Details about Saga’s first brand, True Story, began to circulate just this week, and it seems to be following a familiar playbook. 

Given that Saga’s distillery will take years to build, the initial whiskey for True Story will be sourced from other distillers in Kentucky and elsewhere. 

According to Robb Report, the bourbon will be sourced exclusively from three Kentucky distilleries. The rye will come from a mixture of Kentucky and Indiana distilleries made from two distinct mash bills. 

The brand’s first two offerings are a $60 bourbon and a $70 rye. The bourbon is 90% proof, aged 5 to 6 years, and finished for up to 6 months in white Moscatel casks (Moscatel is a natural and sweet type of white wine). The rye is 100% proof and made from a blend of straight ryes between 5 and 8 years old, which is then finished in a mixture of Amburana, oloroso, and Pedro Ximénez casks.

Interestingly, Wes Henderson has also shared that cask-finished whiskey won’t be True Story’s only claim to fame. As he explained to Whiskey Advocate, the brand has ambitions of doing “unfinished whiskeys and blends of whiskeys from all around the world.”

Who True Story sees as its target consumer remains to be seen

Sage Spirits Group

Both bottles will go on sale starting on October 10th, initially in Kentucky and Tennessee and online. However, the brand plans to expand distribution over time. 

What’s unfamiliar about True Story is its distinctive, hexagonal, monotone-colored bottle designs, which fully obscure the juice inside. 

It’s not exactly an unheard-of packaging design in whiskey. Bruichladdich’s famed super-heavy peated Octomore single malt line is deeply associated with fully blacked-out bottles. 

But it has a very modern, techy, and metropolitan aesthetic that swerves far from the folksy and fancy packaging trends employed by most whiskey brands today. 

It remains to be seen whether the design decision is just about standing out on a crowded shelf or an indication of the type of whiskey drinker True Story is trying to appeal to. 

At least in Henderson’s own words, the impetus for True Story is clear. “We founded True Story to create a space where people can ”pull up a chair,” share a drink, and connect over stories. Whether you’re a seasoned whiskey drinker or new to the experience, we believe every bottle holds a unique story waiting to be told.”

Related Topics