Neat. Sample. Batch 20. Never had this Joseph Magnus before. So the nose is musty. Wet wood and leaves. It’s very dark. Raisins and prunes. Okay some butterscotch is emerging and it reminds me a lot of MGP light whiskey. I know some 9ish year light whiskey is in this and I can pick that out. Sweet old oak is emerging too, reminds me of Rhetoric 24. Hint of mandarin orange. Vanilla frosting. It’s lightening up since that dark first impression. Oh, I just got a really nice maple note. This is all over the place. Let’s see if it comes together on the taste. Oily but light in texture. Almost fluffy like air. Cinnamon and brown sugar are conquering my tongue. Making me pucker even. Okay, the taste is very familiar MGP territory. The upfront vanilla sweetness is overwhelming and I am getting a hint of those orange still. Transitions to butterscotch and that remains the dominate note. Sweet oak comes out on the finish as well. There is a strange harshness to it on the back end. There is an aftertaste I would equate to prunes as well and it is hanging with me for way too long. Going to get some water to give it one last shake. A palate reset helped. That harsh note that started building subsided and the sweetness is coming out again. It will be interesting to see if the harshness builds up again as I work on the second half of this sample. I have passed on this bottle quite a few times over the years. Love MGP, love Joseph Magnus but reviews were always divisive and it’s not a cheap bottle to buy without solid reviews backing it. Glad I never purchased this. It’s a bit muddied, odd, lacks a stand out note to hang my hat on. The aftertaste is a bit odd too and it’s building up again after a few more sips. Yep harshness is building up too. The more I sip on it without water in between, the funkier it gets.