ContemplativeFox
Joseph Magnus Triple Cask Finished Bourbon
Bourbon — Indiana (Finished and Bottled in Washington DC), USA
Reviewed
June 27, 2020 (edited August 29, 2020)
There's tons of rich barrel on the nose, but there's also plenty of vanilla. The palate is punchy and complex with bitter barrel balanced by assertive vanilla and some harsh cinnamon. It's also kind of fruity with cherry notes bursting through. This is really good stuff. Yeah, it's really bitter and on the dry side, but it's incredibly rich like Wild Turkey Master's Keep Reserve, Delord 30, and Glenfarclas 25. It tastes just the tiniest bit skunky. It could use some more complexity, but there is some stuff going on with deep dark roast espresso, bittersweet chocolate, dark cherry, vanilla, and just a general sense of deep richness. You don't often find richness like this for under $100 unless it's mixed in with some nasty flavors. Fortunately, this just tastes richly aged. All of the flavors are very good and the net complexity is enough to keep this a little interesting. The finish avoids gross bitterness, so the overall experience is very nice. There's some mint, but it is definitely peppermint rather than spearmint. Despite the fruit notes, this is a dry whiskey (though it does have enough sweetness to work well). For the price, this is an amazing find. And it's fantastic in general.
The nose is super rich with savory wood and spicy notes along with some toasty vanilla. The palate is robust with rich vanilla wood and notes of spice. There's a nice leather presence like in Wild Turkey Master's Keep Reserve that I adore and suggests the Sherry Cask finish mixed with the smoke (but without excessive char). This is hedonism with brilliantly executed flavors but not without complexity. The sweetness is a rich toffee and brown sugar. There's a slightly musty presence to the wood, but it fits beautifully with the cinnamon. This is really a magnificent bourbon.
80.0
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@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Haha! Yeah, I thought it would be fun to blend a super awesome whiskey from some so-so ones and additional rapid-aging. But I learned that blending whiskey is hard (major respect to @WhiskeyBlender, who makes Joseph Magnus). Shooting now for a bourbon that costs $20-30 to make but drinks like $30-40 lol. TBH just buying more bottles is probably the way to go, but now I'm considering getting some pH testing strips, so I'm likely to end up further down this rabbit hole lol.
how the whole reactor comes together (sorry, phone glitch). I’d love to know how amy future experiments go. I’m not so bold as of yet but could spend days in isolation pipeting, charting and tasting. That or just buy more bottles, or just be content. Will probably buy more bottles.
@ContemplativeFox this is next level, rabbit hole business. The various oaks and degree of toast... masterful work! It’s like having an independent stave company at home! I often wonder about factors like pH as well, which could come from the type of oak, entry proof, etc. The combination of water in the staves on entry, toasting to break down sugars, char to filter off-notes... it’s just mind blowing how the WH
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I should probably clarify that while Delord 25 does have some leather, it certainly doesn't have as much as Joseph Magnus does.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington OK, here's something way out of left field. Since I do a lot of at-home blending, I had some jars-of-random-crap sitting around. I found that some amount of Elijah Craig Small Batch (TBH I totally did not measure despite having the graduated cylinders and syringes readily available) aged for 25.5 days in a sort of random amount of medium toasted French oak chips that had then been retoasted at between 325 and 350 degrees for a time span that I think was 20 minutes but failed to record mixed with WT RB 116 really enhanced the leatheriness. I also tried the WT with Delord 25 and Foursquare Premise first, but I was surprised to find that that Delord dampened the leather somehow and the Foursquare's effect was questionable. WT 101 aged in the same wood for the same period didn't work as well. So if you're interested enough you could give this a shot (in which case I would recommend starting out with small quantities). I think the bigger element here is that the American oak did not have the same effect on the flavor, suggesting that there's something about French/European oak that contributes to leatheriness.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington As far as leather goes, that can be tricky. I think (rampantly speculate) that flavor comes from some combination of long/hot aging, fresh barrels, a decent amount of heads (because they contain aldehydes), and spicy flavor (from the oak (very especially French or maybe other European), olorosso, or brandy). I was kind of surprised that the Belle Meade sherry didn't fit the bill here, actually. I'm curious about Belle Meade Cognac, but I haven't tried that either. I get that same bit of leather from the WT RB, but it isn't a ton. My Noah's also has some, but it's less. McKenna 10 has a tad, but it's fairly unavailable. When I think leathery bourbons, I think this (which from what I've seen is fairly available but expensive) and WT Master's Keep Revival (which is tragically more expensive and less available). If you're open to trying other types of spirits, Foursquare premise might be worth a shot. I wouldn't say that it quite tastes like leather, but the rum fireworks, woodiness, and sherry influence put it in the ballpark. An old Armagnac like Delord 25 (which is surprisingly affordable given its age statement) might be something to consider as well.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I'd suggest starting with this vs Murray Hill. Murray Hill has more complexity in a way that IIRC reminded me of the Corsair Grainiac and (for an even more obscure comparison) the WT Jewbilee, but as a consequence it has a lighter profile, which many have been unimpressed by.
As far as leather, any suggestions for something readily available? I get a tinge from Rare Breed 116 and loads from Noah’s Mill but am afraid the latter is a coin toss.
I’ve debated taking the plunge on this one vs Murray Hill club. I missed a Magnus Cigar bourbon and am kicking myself.