Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend is the DC-based distillery’s annual-ish release of older bourbon finished in various wine and brandy casks. Every batch is a blend of various aged bourbons (I believe sourced from MGP) and finishes, leading to variation across batches. Batch 13, my first experience with Cigar Blend and the focus of this review, is a blend of 13 and 20-year bourbon finished in Sherry, Armangac, and Cognac casks, a very unique set of finishes in bourbon today. Regardless of the batch though, Cigar Blend was developed by Nancy Fraley, Joseph Magnus’ master blender, as a bourbon that pairs well with cigars, hence the name “Cigar Blend”. I personally cannot comment on how it pairs with cigars since I don’t smoke.
The information I’ve provided is…minimal at best, but that’s pretty much all the information there is about batch 13. I’m surprised that the website itself has such little detail on Cigar Blend, or any history of the many batches. You might think that the website would offer a great opportunity to market the product, but I guess not. Hint to Joseph Magnus – get some help with marketing, because from what I can see it could be a lot better (unsolicited advice from a University of Michigan MBA). Still, the Cigar Blend is Joseph Magnus’ signature bourbon, so let’s find out how the bourbon itself drinks in this Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend Batch 13 review.