dhsilv2
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon
Bourbon — Indiana, USA
Reviewed
September 1, 2019 (edited August 11, 2020)
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.
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@dhsilv2
@WhiskeyBlender Truly know knowing about this but I suppose in part you're one of the influences on me getting this. Dartigalongue Bas Armagnac Barrel Strength Celebration collection 1985.
@dhsilv2, fantastic! What Armagnac did you buy?
@WhiskeyBlender thank you Nacy. I actually just recently picked up a 30 year old 1985 (my birth year) bottling of an armanac. I'm a big fan based on my limited tastings. Anyway cheers and I hope by the grace of god I'm able to find one of those gems. They're really hard to get here.
@dhsilv2, sorry I'm a little late to the party again, just saw your return note. Ah, you've got batch #11. You're absolutely right, I initially thought that batch got too much tannin from the 300 liter cask. However, I've noticed that the tannins have softened in the bottle glass since last November when it was first bottled. I like it a lot better now than I did when it was first bottled. FYI, batches 15, 16, and 17 will be bottled in a few weeks. They all come from the same "coupe mere," or mother blend, although they were finished in separate Armagnac barrels. Batch #15 will be from another 300 L cask. As for the spirit Armagnac, yes, it is a very separate brandy from Cognac. It is actually older (1st made in the 1400's in southwestern France), and a little more "rustic." It is usually distilled in a single pass distillation in a still called an Alambic Armagnacais, and is usually distilled between 52 to 60% ABV, unlike Cognac, which is double distilled in a pot still called an Alambic Charentais. The grape varietals are usually a little different, as Armagnacs from the Bas Armagnac region are usually made from Folle Blanche, Baco 22A, or Colombard. There are a lot of other differences, but those are some of the main ones. At any rate my friend, drink well, and thanks for the kind words!
Oh and I'm always a huge fan of any insigh you have. Your blends have been among my favorite in the bourbon world for some time and your outreach to the community is second to none.
@WhiskeyBlender well hello there Nacy! You're seriously a rockstar :) This is batch 11 and yes it's Armagnac which I THOUGHT was a type of Cognac (I get very similar notes) but I'm fully ok with being wrong. Anyway my understanding is this batch was 300 liter casks, 377 bottles, and I believe you felt it was overly oaky ;)
Hey there @dhsilv2, I'm curious what batch you tasted? Also as an aside, the blend is finished in ex-Armagnac casks, and not Cognac or Sherry (I add a very small % of the JMB Triple Cask to the blend, which all goes into the Armagnac barrels to finish). The tobacco, dried leaves and cinnamon type notes you are getting are definitely from the Armagnac influence. At any rate, if you could let me know what batch you tasted, I could give you more precise production notes on it if you like. Cheers, Nancy.