For part 23 of the finished whiskey series we’re unsurprisingly back to Joseph Magnus with their first Murray Hill Club Special release. After a lucky find of the Murray Hill Club Special Release Batch 2 and loving it I decided to track down a bottle of the initial release. Let’s see if it holds up.
Review #254: Joseph Magnus Murray Hill Club Special Release Batch 1
Age: NAS on the label, blend of 9-18 years
Abv: 112 proof
Finish: Pineau Des Charentes
Neat
Nose: Brown sugar, caramel, charred oak and hints of warm spice.
Taste: Dark fruit, warm spice, rich oak and vanilla. Very viscous mouthfeel.
Finish: Long and lingering with sweet dark fruit and warm, rich oak notes. It get’s a little dry toward the end.
Conclusion
Well that was great. It didn’t stand out as significantly better than the second release but still had a great balance of the bourbon and pineau des charentes notes. The long finish was really enjoyable on this one as were the fruit notes. In general I’d give the Cigar Blend from Magnus the nod over the Murray Hill Special Releases. I do want to know what these blends taste like before they go into the finishing cask though.
TL;DR: Great release, neck and neck with batch 2, I need to try some
9 - a favorite I always try to keep on my shelf
Scale
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