Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon finished in Armagnac, Sherry and Cognac Casks

VITALS:

- $150

- 127.02 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. 33

- Indiana

The Joseph Magnus line certainly intrigues me.  They seem to get at least decently aged MGP whiskey and finish them with the types of finishes that I generally like, often with sherry or cognac. From what I've had so far, I've enjoyed those deep, rich flavors that those finishes impart. However, I've always been turned off a bit by the steep price tag. After all, their standard offering along will set you back $100.

This past year the Cigar Blend, which I've never had before, hit one of my main stores two different times. It was offered to me the first time, and I was very much on the fence given the $150 price tag. Ultimately I passed, and then, of course, I kept coming across review after review telling me how good it was. Talk about instilling FOMO! So, when it became available again just a couple months later, I didn't consider passing on it a second time. I will say, I'm glad I made that decision!

The nose, not unexpectedly, was full of rich fruits. I was getting a healthy amount of dried apricots as well as baked pears with cinnamon. It also had a bit of a blackberry note to it as well. Layered under all those fruit notes was a nice, earthy nutty note, like almonds. Yes, this smelled fruity and nutty, and it was delicious.

The flavor on this bottle really seemed to develop and change over time, and the last 5-6 pours were incredible. The first half of the bottle wasn't so bad either. I was getting super rich notes of cinnamon baked pears, almond and walnut. It was like a biscotti with pear. It also had this nougat note to it that added some sweetness as well as almost a creaminess that I really enjoyed. 

I also got some light anise notes to add a bit of punch to the flavor. The only thing that was missing was the blackberry that I was getting on the nose. The alcohol was strong (as expected given the proof), but the flavors were even stronger, to the point that the kept the high alcohol at bay, making this very drinkable. 

Towards the end of the bottle, the Armagnac and Cognac finishes really seemed to take over. While it was still nutty with notes of baked pears, it was those nutty notes that took center stage, as I was getting a rich mix of almond and walnut. I also got some sweeter notes of fig and raisin. It was almost like a minced meat pie (the kind that's not actually made with any meat). It even had a bit of a grapey sweetness to it. 

I really liked the first half of this bottle, and I absolutely LOVED the last few pours. It's been a while since I had a bottle open up this much, and it was such an enjoyable experience. I'm certainly glad I went ahead and grabbed this one, and I won't be passing on a bottle of this again.

Grade: A

Joseph Magnus Triple Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey

VITALS:
- $100
- 100 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 54
- Indiana

I can't say for sure that I ever would have gotten around to purchasing a bottle of Joseph Magnus myself. I've had pours in the past, and while I liked it then, it just didn't do enough for me to justify the hefty price tag. It just didn't move the needle enough.

However, following a great outcome at work, a happy client sent me a bottle, which I was more than happy to accept and enjoy. After all, the fact that it's MGP bourbon finished in two different sherry casks and cognac casks alone piqued my interest, and I was very excited to give this whiskey full consideration.

The nose was full of aromas, probably more than I was even able to pick out. This really had a lot going on before I even took my first sip. It had bold and rich notes of plum and almond which hit the olfactory senses like a brick. I also got some raspberry notes, which I usually get from any sherry finished whiskeys. These dark fruit and bright berry notes were delicious smelling and were layered over an underlying vanilla note that made this come across as very dessert-like.

The palate was a bit different than expected given the nose, however.  Rather than the raspberry notes that I expected, I got orange peel and dark fruits. The plum came through but also some blackberry or even dark cherry. Those fruit flavors had a bit more tartness to them than I expected.

It also had some savory notes as well. I got some dark chocolate, that worked really well with the orange peel flavors. It also had a certain nutty quality to it. At first I had pinned it as a cashew note. However, the more of this I had, the more that note seemed to turn into an almond flavor, and it really took over the flavor profile. It was almost as though someone had taken a bit of amaretto liqueur and added it directly to my bottle. It was that strong of a note, and, unfortunately, it pushed the other good chocolate, vanilla and dark fruit notes to the background.

Throughout this bottle, with each pour, I got a slight but off-putting flavor that seemed to not belong in this whiskey (or any other whiskey for that matter). It took me some time at first to figure out what I was tasting, because it wasn't strong. As soon as I placed it as a burnt rubber note, however, I found that I just couldn't get past it. I don't want to say that it ruined it for me, but I certainly feel that I would have enjoyed this whiskey much more had I been able to get past that. It was a really bad note, even if it were subtle.

And that was really the only thing subtle about this whiskey. This is a bold, in-your-face-with-flavor whiskey, which I'm guessing is what they were aiming for. However, certain notes, like the strong amaretto flavor, were just too strong, and I think in the end it had too much going on. I'm guessing this is probably what resulted in what I was tasting as an off-note. For the price, it just didn't live up.

Grade: B-