Murray Hill Club Blended Bourbon

The nose takes the regular Magnus and adds more fruit, removing some of the wet wood. It has a rich and savory presence, but one that is less pronounced than that of the regular Magnus. The palate is quite nice with a big hit of cinnamon and toffee without being too harsh up front. There's a lot of vanilla too, making this really hedonistic. It's very woody with rich dark chocolate notes dancing with red fruit and spice. It lacks the brashness and leather of regular Joseph Magnus, though it also lacks the wet wood (the wet wood really works in the regular Joseph Magnus though). It has more fruit and the vanilla and brown sugar are less present. This tastes more like a (very well executed) standard bourbon than regular Joseph Magnus does. The balance is excellent with just the right amount of tartness. From every direction, this is a wonderful drink. Between the two, I think I slightly prefer regular Joseph Magnus, but this has an amazing balance that slightly surpasses Booker's Shiny Barrel with water added and also beats Booker's Shiny Barrel in complexity. There's a ton going on here, like another evolution from Evan Williams Black to Jim Beam Black to this!

I've brought you batch 18 so now lets go back 6 batches to batch 12. Nose - Very light, vanilla, cream, touch of oak, touch of caramel. There's a bit of oak spice at the end. Taste - A light toasted bourbon with focuses on sweetness, really bringing me back to a lot of the notes I get on say a well full proof or CYPB. It's that highly inviting and welcoming bourbon that I think has become out of hand popular. This one brings in some age and some refinement that makes me start thinking about the van winkles. Now, I'm virtually positive this isn't a wheated anything, and I don't taste wheat but it is that mellow and relaxed yet highly enjoyable balance here that I'm more focused on. I get some bubble gum notes, some kinda of puffed sugar, and just a touch of leather. Honestly, I'm not sure I'm getting 12+ year old bourbon here, but at the same time, I'm 100% sure I'm getting whisky that with a buffalo trace logo on it, would sell for 500+ secondary. So batch 18 vs 12? 18 is bolder, spicier, less refined, the finish is longer with sparks and bitter notes coming through. They do share similar flavor profiles as I get the creams and lighter vanilla notes, and perhaps say a hint of a vanilla wafer. The batch 12 is that van winkle refined whisky, the 18 is a store pick of weller 107, less refined, but still good. If you like a bit of punch get the newer batches. If you are looking for that refined ultra high end bourbon experience without a CS note, I think these older bottles will do it for you. I don't know when Nancy had to start using higher proof barrels but I do think something changed pretty materially between batch 12 and 18. As a whisky connoisseur I would be hard pressed side by side to not tell you the batch 12 is a superior product. I however as a whisky drinker think a lot more bourbon geeks might lean towards this 18. I gave the 18 a 3.25 which is a great score and this one has to come in at 3.75. The amount of refinement while bringing in some older whisky notes really to me pushes this one up in terms of overall quality, but for those who aren't looking for a bookers punch but still need a bit of a kick, batch 18 might be more your jam. Watch Nancy tell me batch 12 and 18 are basically the same and that I'm a fool. Either way, I'm a happy camper with the batch 12 while the batch 18 left me feeling something was off.

Spicy

Nose - Standard notes of oak, vanilla, and cinnamon. Also a fair amount of ethanol. It's kind of the standard MGP bourbon nose, only hotter and more astringent. Palate is thin and hot. There's some oak and and lots of spice, but it's just lacking in richness. Finish drops off before even hitting the back palate, the only thing that lingers a bit is the astringency. I should have done a little more due diligence before buying this, but I like everything else I've had from Joseph Magnus so I just bought it. Turns out it's a blended bourbon, not a blend of straight bourbons. Big difference, as this stuff is actually 30% light whiskey. If this were a $30 dollar bottle I might be a little more generous with my score. But considering the $90-100 price and the misleading label, I feel this really deserves a harsh score. Heck, I have $30 store picks of Elijah Craig Small Batch that are better than this stuff. Bottom line, if you're looking to splurge on a bottle, go for the Joseph Magnus triple-cask for the same price, this one just isn't worth it.