Joseph Magnus - A New Beast from Nasa Liquors

A relatively new beast on the block is Joseph Magnus out of D.C.  They've been doing some impressive private bourbon barrels, as well as some really interesting cigar blends. We were pretty excited to receive this bottle from our man in Houston, Alex Le of Nasa Liquors. His barrel picks have never disappointed us in the past, so we expected nothing less this time.

There's not a ton of information on the label. It says "Distilled in Indiana" so we're figuring this is MGP juice. As y'all know we love some MGP juice, so that's probably a good sign. 52.13%, very specific. And given the odd proof you'd think cask strength...  There's no age statement, but it's nice and dark so imagining this is in the 5+ years category at a minimum.

One thing they definitely get right at Magnus is the packaging. What a gorgeous bottle. It shouldn't matter, but who's kidding who, this is a classy-as-fuck bottle to have on your bar (classy right?).

Nose: Interesting nose with wood and vanilla and some mint. Very sweet. It's creamy, but also a little tangy. Orange cream soda? Something like that. Is this a high corn MGP mashbill? Something more than that though in the sweets department. Let's ask Alex what's going on here.

Aha, it's a high corn mashbill bourbon triple finished in Oloroso, PX, and cognac casks. That makes sense. They definitely didn't overdo the wine finishes and let the bourbon do the talking, which is nice. It's probably the cognac that gives it that fruity creaminess. Not your everyday nose.

Palate: Nice mingling of sweetness and spirit on the tongue. That orange flavor is on the front on the mouth and there's some molasses stuff going on in the back.

Finish: A little sharpness at first but then the sweets take over for a pleasant finish that sits high on the tip of the tongue. We miss a little of that rich MGP spiciness, maybe that's because of the high corn recipe. Could see sipping this with dessert for sure, a little Italian ricotta cheesecake perhaps. Really enjoyed this though not what we were expecting since the label just said "straight bourbon"!

Love the tax strip!!

Bonus.

Realized that we've been sitting on another Nasa pick that we've been meaning to review for some time.  (Like a year??!?).  Been a little busy at the Beast Lair lately.

We're not very familiar with brandy, so were very curious to try this cask strength private barrel. Come to think of it we've never tasted a cask strength brandy, nor a private barrel brandy, so this will be a first. No idea what to expect here.

Nose: Wow, smells like green pears swimming in oak! I love pears, and this is a really striking flavor match for me. I know it's made from grapes, but it smells just like pears.

Palate: Just sort of satiny on the tongue, disappearing as you chase it around in the mouth. Wait a minute, 130 proof? No F'ing way. This is straight up danger Will Robinson. You could get tanked on this stuff in the blink of an eye and not even know it.

Finish: The flavor really explodes on the finish with red grapes and lots of deep florals, herbal notes, and all kinds of different things.  Damn maybe I should give brandy more of a chance.  Ok this still may not be my everyday drink, not even really sure I'm a brandy fan, but I'll tell you this stuff is totally different and much much better than the brandy I used to sneak out of grandma's cupboard.

Fun stuff.  Love us some private barrels!  Should we get some of this stuff for Beast Masters Club?  Let us know!  Cheers/SB