Review #617 - Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon Batch 321
Whisky blending mastermind Nancy Fraley, currently the master blender at Still Austin, is behind the Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend series. Bourbon Culture has an excellent article outlining details behind the blending process for this cigar blend, as well as details of many of the individual batches - the reason that there are so many batches is that each Armagnac cask used for finishing essentially produces its own batch of the Cigar Blend.
Today we're looking at Batch 321; while this bottle doesn't carry an age statement, in theory, it's all at least 10 years old, but potentially contains bourbon up to 20 years old or older. This is a mixture of MGP (Ross and Squib) and Barton sourced bourbon, and in addition to that Armagnac finish, this also spends some time in sherry casks and Cognac casks. These batches are bottled at barrel proof - in this case, that's 54.75% ABV.
Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon Batch 321
USA - Bourbon
Available Price: USD 220 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 54.75% ABV
Cask Makeup: Finished in Armagnac, sherry, and Cognac casks
Details: Batch 321
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rich and sweet - oranges and cream soda, perfumed oak, sugar-dusted cranberries. There's a decent oak influence, bringing older wood notes: subtle tobacco, quite deep and leathery. Corn spirit, brown sugar, and butterscotch add more sweet scents, and there's a hint of peppery spice later, as well as sweet floral notes.
Palate: Nice texture - a medium-thick mouthfeel, with spicy pepper and sweet, syrupy caramel up front. Maple syrup on waffles, cream soda, and candied orange slices add sweetness, while black pepper, tannins, sawdust, and leathery oak add a dry side. Time brings subtle dark purple fruit and cola notes; there's just a hint of tobacco.
Finish: Sawdust and pencil shavings; tannins, a bit of toast. This finish is a bit dominated by oak, but there is a subtle combination of cranberry, vanilla cream, caramel, and linen in the background. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This has a great nose, and there are some nice flavors on the palate, but it was a bit inconsistent from tasting to tasting - sometimes it opened up nicely, while other times, it felt a bit simple and wood dominated. There are nice layers present when it does open up - tasty fruits and baking spice notes from those different types of finishing cask. It's a good bourbon overall.
In our area, the cheapest price that we can consistently find for Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend is $220 (with MSRP supposedly in the $170 to $180 range); because of that high price, value is below average, even though this is a good bourbon. We like this bottle, but there are some alternatives that offer much of the same flavor for half the price or less.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.08
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Joseph Magnus reviews:
Review #469 - Joseph A. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon Batch 176
