Comparison Review: The Armagnac Barrel-Finished Triple Comparison
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Re-established as a brand in 2015, Joseph Magnus quickly asserted itself within the rising whiskey business. The brand produces 3 totally different bourbons, the Joseph Magnus bourbon which is finished in sherry and cognac casks, Murray Hill Club, and Cigar Bend which is extraordinarily allotted and is a blend of eleven and 18 year previous whiskey completed in armagnac, sherry, and cognac casks. While non-age acknowledged, it is understood the primary batch of the Cigar Blend consists of 11-year outdated bourbon, 18-yr-previous bourbon, with about 25% of the Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon (a 9-12 months-old bourbon finished in PX, Oloroso, and cognac casks). In accordance with Jos. A Magnus, it’s a mixture of award-successful Joseph Magnus Bourbon and 11 and 18-year-old whiskeys, that are artfully blended to enjoy with a tremendous cigar. A mix of the award winning Joseph Magnus Bourbon, with eleven and 18 12 months outdated whiskeys, it promises bold, wealthy aromas of tobacco, spice, leather, vanilla, blanched almonds and toffee. Nose: Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend assumes daring, rich aromas of tobacco, spice, leather-based, vanilla, blanched almonds, and toffee. "Chewing" by it offers me caramel and honey coated in evenly candy and bitter cocoa powder, toasted vanilla, tobacco, dried berries that also carry a touch of brightness, as well as apple, a spritz of orange, and fennel, adopted by a rush of roasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 17 has toasted caramel, a bit of vanilla and aged cheese funk, dried berries, apple, orange, roasted oak, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Vital Stats: Blend of bourbons aged 12 to 20 years that’s combined with regular Joseph Magnus bourbon and completed in ex-Armagnc casks; 121.31 proof; complete of 390 bottles launched (the bottle reviewed here is no. 370); MSRP of $175 for a 750ml bottle, but count on to pay significantly more if you'll find it on-line. You'll be able to see all previous entries within the series here. Palate: Master Blender Nancy Fraley calls this batch the "sweet one," and that i can see the place she’s coming from. This restricted version stems from Nancy Fraley’s need to create a bourbon that can hold its own alongside a advantageous cigar. Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend is the results of Magnus Master Blender Nancy Fraley’s desire to revel in a bourbon that may hold its personal alongside a advantageous cigar. Overall, Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 17 tastes unbelievable and lathers me in an array of flavors as Cigar Blend should, but at the identical time I really feel like I’m lacking this "wow" issue that pushes it to the next even-extra exceptional degree.
I’m stunned that the 52% ABV bites greater than it in all probability should. This was a terrific batch and leaned more in direction of the darker sweet notes. For anybody that has had the aromatically overwhelming and unforgettable expertise of tackling the Boqueria Food Market on the Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, this batch is right up your alley! For those who want to pair this batch with a superb cigar, we recommend pairing it with one that's a bit of sweeter, silkier, and softer on the palate for a pleasing aromatic experience. It doesn’t fairly convey as great an experience as Batch 13, and I’ll dive into that extra after I give my rating. Typically, whereas these batches nonetheless have a strong caramelized wood sugar backbone of the first six batches of the holiday season sequence, they are typically extra rye-spice and tobacco ahead, with more citrus notes however with fewer orchard and tropical fruit flavors than the primary set of six batches. But for the time being, it most likely needed a richer, more distinct bourbon base to mingle correctly with the heavy and dark Armagnac. I taste plums and dark cherries, black tea, German apple strudel and nuts covered in darkish chocolate.
The sweetness fades however the finish holds on long and warm, settling in like a cigar you proceed to style lengthy after you’ve finish smoking. Simply put, if you’ve had EH Taylor Barrel Proof, George T Stagg and Stagg Jr before, you form of know what to expect in this drink. I don’t smoke all that repeatedly though (1-2 a month) so I principally just drink this neat. 192 comes to us from contest winner Troy, host of the popular YouTube whiskey and cigar assessment present known as "POP EM DON’T WATCH EM! So does Buzzard’s Roost Cigar Rye, absolutely the most on-the-nostril of those efforts. Despite the name, this restricted launch isn't a rye, nor does it contain chocolate. The title refers to how its rye malt content material (15 %) was roasted to a degree at which its sugars caramelized into darkish chocolate notes. It’s dark and rich - and positively candy, although not in the easy-going vanilla and butterscotch way typical of many bourbons.
