Joseph A. Magnus & Co. was a pre-prohibition distillery in Cincinnati, OH. A grandchild finds an old bottle in a closet in his mother’s house and enlists bourbon experts formerly with Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace to re-create it using MGP Bourbon from Indiana, which they then finish in Oloroso and Ximenez sherry casks as well as cognac casks. I have a hard time believing this is how the pre-prohibition stuff was made, but I will drink a decent 9 year old MGP Bourbon any time, particularly at 100 Proof.

This is a $90 bottle of bourbon that is often kept in the glass case in bottle shops. The color is deep amber with lots of sherry Red in it. Beautiful.

When swirled in my copita (just got four; I really like them) there are lots of oily long legs. On the nose is vanilla and dark fruit. Definitely not a traditional bourbon nose. Very refined. Mild. On the palate is baked dark fruit with cinnamon and some corn syrup. The vanilla takes a back seat. On the finish is smoke added to the palate flavors, which then turns to cognac.

A very intriguing bourbon. It’s a whiskey that begs for a desert with it. Really very good, history or not.