Jos. A. Magnus & Co. Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)
A sourced whiskey (8 to 9-year old bourbon from MGP in Indiana). This aims to recreate the flavour of a bygone brand, recently reestablished in 2015 in Washington DC. Comes packaged in a handsome art deco style bottle containing 'triple cask finished' whiskeys, including x-sherry and cognac. Caron Moonin from thewhiskeywash.com explains how Joseph Magnus came to be re-invigorated:
"According to the Washington City Paper, in 2007, Jimmy Turner found a bottle of bourbon in the closet while cleaning out his parents’ home after his mother died. The bottle was in fact a 100+ year-old bourbon passed down through generations. This discovery got Turner to learn more about his great-grandfather, Joseph A. Magnus. Magnus made bourbon, rye, whiskey, gin, and rum. This then led to more investigation, both in terms of family tree research and whiskey leads, to source some similar in flavor profile to this heirloom liquid treasure.
A year-and-a half ago, Jos. A. Magnus & Co., a bourbon and gin distillery, opened in Washington, D.C. The distillery currently offers two whiskies: Joseph Magnus Straight Bourbon and Murray Hill Club Bourbon, both of which are drawn from sourced whiskeys. As with Scotch, sometimes the bottle also tells part of the story. In this case, the distillery has said the design of the custom containers is “nspired by historic Magnus bourbon bottles. The base of this whiskey is supposed to resemble the old bottle found by Turner in the closet. From there, a triple-cask finished spirit was created via “a marriage of bourbon aged in white oak and finished in Oloroso Sherry, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and Cognac casks." 50% Alc./Vol.
Other reviews... Water helps to temper the heat and release even more flavors, with currant, chocolate, and drying oak on the finish. 88 points - whiskyadvocate.com
DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition