Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon Batch #527 Review

Randall H. Borkus scored Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend batch 527 an A for The Whiskey Reviewer. The bottle is 50.53% alcohol, with a suggested price of $189 for 750ml. Nancy Fraley created the cigar blend in 2016 as a heavier bourbon meant to drink with a cigar. She has since retired, and head distiller Will Fabry now handles the blending. The recipe brings together older bourbons, whiskey finished in sherry and Cognac casks, and a further rest in Armagnac wood.

The brand’s batch guide places 527 in a run, numbers 516 through 532, named for lines from Rob Reiner films. That guide lists the bourbon portion as 10-year MGP at 36% rye, 17-year Barton rye bourbon, and 20-year MGP at 21% rye. Borkus describes this batch as deep amber, with maple, nuts, berries, oak, and tobacco on the nose, and a long finish of dried fruit, chocolate, and spice. He would pour it beside a medium-to-full cigar such as the E.P. Carrillo Pledge, and he counts 527 among his favorite batches.

Source: The Whiskey Reviewer.