Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 13 Review

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Joseph Magnus & Company has a history of finished bourbons and whiskies. Previous examples like Murray Hill Club Special Release and their own Joseph Magnus Single Barrel line showed us that. In fact, the whiskey that Jimmy Turner (the founder of the brand) wanted to emulate was a bottle of Murray Hill Club from 1892 that Nancy Fraley suspected had been aged in a Sherry Cask. Finishing casks was going to be their way forward to set them apart in a crowded marketplace of sourced whiskies. 

One of their newer ideas involved creating a whiskey that would stand up to the powerful effects of a cigar being smoked so that the flavor of the whiskey could still be recognized.  To tackle this problem, they sourced some Armagnac barrels to finish their 11 and 18 year old MGP bourbon in as well as their standard Sherry and Cognac barrels.  The result is a finished bourbon that is darker than any I’ve seen before.  

Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 13

With MGP bourbon that old, and a finishing treatment on top of that, one can expect the proof level to be somewhat low, and this one is clocking in at under 103.6 proof. To put this in context, the original batches of Cigar Blend were above 111 proof.  So not a giant leap of proof levels, but low enough that this should not be anywhere close to hot.  

So how does Cigar Blend taste?  I finally got my hands on a bottle (Batch 13) and sampled it neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose starts out with a powerful punch of dark brown sugar, dark chocolate, pipe tobacco, seasoned oak and deep scents of Armagnac (think: Cognac).  It doesn’t stop there because toasted orange peel and the insides of a Cherry Cordial also bring sweetened fruit to the forefront.

Palate: Luxardo cherries, exotic spices of cinnamon, clove, cardamom and (I kid you not) turmeric are all potent and easy to taste.  There is also seasoned oak wood and candied oranges, making the sweetness all the more delicious.  However, the one hallmark note I’m picking up is balsamic vinegar.  No, not the crappy, wannabe stuff you find on grocery store shelves, I’m talking about the stuff that’s $50 for a 4oz bottle imported from Italy.  The taste of this stuff takes me back and it’s absolutely intoxicating.

Finish: The finish is incredibly interesting.  It finishes initially as a champagne that’s lost almost all of its bubbles.  But that is interwoven with flat Dr. Pepper soda.  And not be outdone, there’s also flat ginger ale soda in the mix as well.  All of these flavors mix with rye spice, mint and some cinnamon.  Finally, it feels like that entire mixture was mixed together and poured into a ultra-oaky and dry red wine barrel before being shaken up and bottled into this great looking bottle.  The finish is easily one of my favorite parts about this bourbon.

Score: 9/10

Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon is about as close to perfection that a finished bourbon can be.  I have never tasted anything quite as unique, deep and rich.  Every single flavor or scent is identifiable, and that’s no easy task for whiskey. 

The score I gave reflects the strong feelings I felt towards this bourbon.  Nothing cemented that more than when I took this bottle to a bottle share to a group of guys that normally don’t like finished bourbons and they all raved about it. The fact we were drinking so many other whiskies (so our palates were close to being toast) and it still stood out is how I knew it was special.

Final Thoughts

The hallmark of a superb bourbon is that you could have it in any setting, use any glassware or give it to any person and be wow’ed with it each time. You don’t have to concentrate in silence and study this dram to get the full experience, it just gives it to you. If you’re looking for the ultimate flavor experience, this is the bottle you want to get.