I hadn’t reviewed a bottle of Cigar Blend in nearly a year so it’s time to fix that. Batch 21 was released about a year ago and was one of the new higher proof offerings from Joseph Magnus. I was a little skeptical about the proof change but after Batch 19 my fears were laid to rest so I grabbed as many as I could of the 19-22 series.
Cigar Blend Bourbon Batch #21: Icing on the Spice Cake
Age: NAS
Proof: 124.3
Price: $180
Neat
Nose: Sweet, dark and spicy like a delicious boozy fruitcake.
Taste: A little more spice forward than my favorite Cigar Blend with holiday spices, rich oak, dark fruit notes, brown sugar, vanilla and a bit of cinnamon. Very nice, viscous mouthfeel that hits the roof of the mouth especially.
Finish: Very long and very tasty with dried fruit and holiday spice notes and a slightly dry oak but in the good tannic red wine way. A touch of proof sting on the finish isn’t unpleasant but isn’t perfect either.
3 Stars - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
Conclusion
Another winner from Nancy Fraley that’s just a little more spice forward on the palate and slightly hotter on the finish than my favorite batches. It’s definitely nitpicking at this point though and I’d happily pick up more of this batch(and most batches) of Cigar Blend.
On another note I’m very glad I stocked up on Cigar Blend when I could regularly get new batches for 170-250. It’s hard for me to value any bottle of whiskey at over 250 but the best batches of Cigar Blend come close. That said if I was in a pinch and willing to go big I’d go for batches 12 or 19 and probably 14 over 21. While folks like Bardstown and Redwood are certainly giving Magnus a run for their money in this niche I’m still team Cigar Blend.
TL;DR: Fantastic whiskey but it doesn’t quite hit the perfection of batch 12 or 19 for me.