Reviews

Jos. A. Magnus & Co is a brand perhaps most notable for this very release: The Cigar Blend. Named after the man himself, Joseph A. Magnus was a 19th-century distiller and blender in Cincinnati, who founded his whiskey business in the late 1800's and was most notable as a pre-prohibition blender "ahead of his time." The business was shuttered by Prohibition and remained dormant until 2015, when the great-grandson of Magnus, Jimmy Bedell, ushered in the brand's revival. A shor

“The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one.” – Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer Few whiskeys have eluded me over the last 8 years of whiskey hunting. Despite living in a thriving spirits market with great retailers offering fair loyalty programs, King of Kentucky seemed to always be my white whale in Massachusetts, though I never had it at the top of my wish list either. That all changed early this year, when I won the right to pur

“What's it mean; are you determined To make modern all mankind? If so, you should be be-sermoned And brought back to healthy mind.” – Charles C. Abbott At the last quarterly tasting for the Whisky Legends, several interesting and historically significant bottles turned up on the sidebar for the weekend. Being from the Boston area and having tasted a Bixby bottled Old Crow at a previous Legends tasting, one bottle in particular caught my eye. Enter my first introduction to Old

The first cigar blend from Barrell Bourbon has officially landed, and I'm surely not the first person to wonder why it took them so long. Cigar blends soared onto the whiskey scene a few years ago but seem to have fallen off recently, suggesting their time in the limelight has passed. It seems I may be wrong in this thinking. The buzz around this release is real. Heck, I'm excited about it, and guess what? I don't even smoke cigars. You don't have to be a cigar enthusiast to

In Bardstown Bourbon Company's latest distillery reserve release, its commitment to innovation is showcased in a Garryana Oak barrel finished bourbon, offered in 375ml bottles exclusively at its gift shop and tasting room in Louisville. This particular expression features a blend of 3 bourbons, aged 9 and 10 years, each with a different mashbill of corn, rye, and malted barley. The blend was finished (also known as double barrled, for those paying attention) for 10 months in

“If you develop the habit of success, you’ll make success a habit.” – Michael Angier With spring just around the corner in New England, my mind always turns to Irish whiskey. Negating the obvious obligation of celebrating St. Patrick's Day, those first sunny days fit for a picnic are also some of the most incredible moments to share a glass of uisce beatha— the "water of life." This was a fun surprise from Redbreast; I was shocked to see a bright blue box shining on the shel