Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon

From a 2 oz sample I had a few months back, notes written at the time. Score provided based on notes. Thank you to I whisky she wines for this sample. nose - cinnamon spices with maybe some pepper. Cognac finishing without a doubt. Tobacco – freshly dried leaves you’d smell in a barn. If it weren’t a bourbon base I’m not sure I’d say vanilla and caramel but there is an underlying sweat note that’s more caramel in nature than raw sugar. Water brings out the spices in greater amounts, even adds a bite to the nose. Meanwhile the sugars and malts come down. I’m now getting a very distinct older oak cherry notes which I absolutely love. Tobacco is still there and the unmistakable cognac note is much subdued but still there. I believe this is just cognac finished and I somewhat hope so as I don’t get the sherry, but if it is in there it doesn’t come out neat and with water has some elements that I could be convinced are sherry, but I don’t get sherry finishing on the blend...maybe a portion of this was sherry finished to just add a touch of fruity notes WAY back there. At about an hour and a half in the glass, it’s gotten really sweat, spices have faded in both the sample with water and without. Taste – Cognac. This will sound odd but grape fruity notes on top of caramel, but more a grape candy that isn’t overly sweat. Tobacco and cinnamon spices. Water – wow just like the nose water opens things up wonderfully. I even get more bite likely from the spices but it feels hotter (on the tongue, there's less heat as it goes down). That more concentrated grape like note is gone. Tobacco isn’t really a common note I mention, it’s often there on older bourbon but the cognac and older bourbon seems to be giving this is really nice impact. I’d actually until I wrote this had forgotten the whole “cigar” part of the name. I can absolutely see a real comparison, not that I’m a big cigar smoker, but I might do one a year. Anyway, really nice sweet finish that I want on my bourbon. Finish/body - Body is medium which is a touch disappointing but hardly negative. the finish is medium long not giving me the older bourbon notes, but there's wood and spices still lingering well after the finish. I did a side by side with regular magnus and ultimately - they're different, they're both awesome, and I'm not sure which one I like more.

Tobacco, oak forward

Classic bourbon nose with that cognac coming through nicely. Spicy fruits on the taste with a lingering barrel sugar. Delicious.

Batch #7, bottle #135. Chocolate, tobacco, leather nose--kinda harsh until rested. Palate is a fantastic ride! Beautifully sweet with a spicy start quickly fading into tobacco in the middle and a long, creamy orange finish. Some oak tannins in the finish, but just enough to make you want more! I have yet to try anything that really tops this bourbon!

Best juice I’ve had. Tobacco and leather