Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes

 

This article was originally published on September 17, 2018, at Bourbon & Banter.

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Jos. A. Magnus & Co. (whiskey sourced from MGP)
• MASH BILL: Undisclosed
• AGE: NAS - No age statement, but rumored to be 9 years old
• YEAR: 2018 (Batch 39)
• PROOF: 100 (50% ABV)
• MSRP: $99.99

 

NOSE: Stewed Fruits  |  Dark Chocolate  |  Oranges  |   Nuts

 

TASTE: Dark Chocolate  |  Caramel  |  Oranges  |  Clove

 

FINISH: Long, silky, and lasting, with clove, caramel, and a burst of cherries.

 

SHARE WITH: Folks who can really appreciate a complex, delicious whiskey.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: Joseph Magnus is in that hard price range. There are a lot of whiskeys out there that are similarly priced, with several not deserving of a C-note. However, this Bourbon is well worth the investment.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: It took a store owner to pique my curiosity about Joseph Magnus. He had an open bottle and offered me a taste. It took me all of three minutes to happily hand over my money. This is a must-have Bottle.

 

OVERALL: We’ve all been there. You have a few friends who pick up a pricey bottle; they tell you what a great whiskey is inside and that you have to get a bottle of your own. You consider what your friends say, then consider other options similarly priced, and you pass on the opportunity - at least for the moment.

 

Joseph Magnus is an MGP-sourced Bourbon triple-finished in Cognac, Oloroso Sherry, and Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks.

 

I poured this Bourbon neat in my Glencairn glass. The appearance was a deep, dark brown. A gentle swirl created a thin rim on the glass, producing slender legs that quickly dropped back into the pool.

 

Holding the glass at chin level, aromas of stewed fruits. Lifting the glass a bit higher to the lip level changed that to dark chocolate, oranges, and nuts. Hovering it just under the nostrils gave it a much more pungent orange smell. Inhaling the vapor through my lips created a slight menthol flavor.

 

The mouthfeel was as thin as the legs. However, it pleasantly coated every part of my mouth. Up front was dark chocolate, then caramel, followed by oranges, clove, and char.

 

The finish was long as silky, and the palate kept building clove and caramel beyond the swallow. Suddenly, a delicious cherry came out of nowhere that left my mouth watering for more.

 

Joseph Magnus is fantastic in every way. If you can grab a bottle, definitely do so. There won’t be even a second of buyer’s remorse. Cheers!

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.