Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage (or food) that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
I don’t think of Michigan when I think of whiskey. I’d imagine most of the fine folks reading this don’t either.
But Joseph Magnus’s bourbon, it turns out, has been around since the 19th century. In that 135-plus year span, the distillery has been shuttered, revived, purchased and just about everything you’d expect from a regional whiskey maker through the tumult of prohibition, the whiskey crash of the 1980s and everything else. What remains is a Holland, Michigan based company back in business and vying for shelf space in a crowded marketplace.
Wrapped in the old school trappings you’d expect, Magnus’s Triple Cask Bourbon looks the part. Let’s see how it tastes.
Neat: A
Wow. Just uncorking this bottle makes it clear where this whiskey came from. There’s a distinct sherry smell that floats out of the neck once you crack the seal.
Pouring it into a proper glass reveals a rich tea coloring and a complex, fruity nose. You’re getting those grapes, sure, but there’s a little cherry, peach, and other stone fruits to turn a simple sniff into an olfactory pattern of paisley.
It’s awesome.
The first sip is notable in how long it lingers on your tongue and how many different permutations it runs through over what feels like 10 full seconds. The warmth of a 100 proof bourbon is there — though it never burns — as you go from sweet fruit, to grain, to a little spicy …plum? to oak and finally a return to that cognac beginning.
There’s a lasting chewiness to each sip; a dry finish with rounded off edges, if that makes sense. I’m not a wine guy, but the grape-stained barrels here impart a lot of flavor beyond your standard vanilla/oak/tannins. Those weave their way into a proper bourbon in a spirit of cooperation rather than combat.
There’s just so much to unpack here, but all of it is good.
If you’re looking for a bourbon to sit and take your time with, Magnus should be your jam. As long as you’re OK with a little cognac and sherry in the mix.
With ice: A
I added ice because, even though this doesn’t need it, I like ice in my whiskey sometimes. And it’s weird if you get shamed for that, so do you.
Even with minor dilution this bourbon smells incredible, with fruit and spice and grain braided together. The ice cools off that warmth a bit, allowing it to sneak past your uvula before a warm breath clocks back in. The flavors remain a whirlpool, just toned down a bit from the “HERE BE DRAGONS” pitch of the unaltered version. It’s a gentler sip, as you’d expect. But it’s just as good, especially if a few rocks is your whiskey go-to.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm’s?
This is a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Joseph Magnus Triple Cask whiskey over a cold can of Hamm’s?
Friends, I might drink this instead of water for the immediate future. It’s wonderful.
