Jos. A. Magnus Distillery is in Holland, Michigan. It was founded by the great grandson of Jos. A. Magnus who was famous for the Murray Hill Club whiskey. The present day distillery is most famous for their cigar blend Bourbon. They recently sent me a bottle of their latest product, a Rye Whiskey. Matt and I sat down to taste it the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Jos. A. Magnus Rye Whiskey
Proof: 113.44
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apricots, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Rye grass, vanilla, orange zest, baking spices and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apricots, lemon zest, ginger and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the vanilla becomes a caramel. Tasted with a pecan and it brings caramel and chocolate forward.
- Matt: Vanilla, orange zest, ginger and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out an orange cream taste. The pecan brought out coffee and cardamom spice.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, lemon zest and ginger. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with lingering caramel. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, caramel, chocolate and ginger spice.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and orange zest. The cranberry added a lingering vanilla note to the finish. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and cardamom.
I would pair this Rye Whiskey with a Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial cigar. I think the rich vanilla and tobacco in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla in the whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller