The winter holiday season series of Jos. A. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon — Batches #60-65 and #66-71 — is comprised of two larger “coupe meres,” or mother blends, of 16 bourbon barrels ranging in age from 14.5 to 20-years-old. The theme for the series is “The Twelve Blends of Christmas,” with each batch a “gift” related to the “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
For enhanced enjoyment of each batch, Master Blender Nancy Fraley recommends opening the bottle and taking a small pour off the neck in order to allow the bottle to aerate for an hour or more to fully appreciate the intensity and complexity of the dram.
CIGAR BLEND BATCHES #60-65
Cigar Blend Bourbon Batches #60-65 are from the same coup mere consisting of 16 bourbon barrels ranging in age from 14.5 to 20-years old, which were then put into six Armagnac casks. Each Armagnac cask makes up one batch of Cigar Blend Bourbon. These six batches will satisfy those who prefer their Cigar Blend on the sweeter and fruitier side, with fainter notes of spice and aromatic pipe tobacco.
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #60: “A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE”
130.44 PROOF
The first day of Christmas brings pear, stone fruit, and tropical fruit notes in spades! Poached pears in ruby port reduction, apricot tart, and coconut cream pie fill the nasal cavities, followed by notes of tart key lime pie, grilled pineapple, ripe mango, and Spanish Sangria spiked with citrus, orchard fruit slices, white peaches, and Jamaican allspice. The finish crashes in with big flavorful waves of piña colada cocktails, a touch of rye spice, and flan with caramel sauce. Fans of Cigar Blend Batches #25, #30, #38, and #49 will enjoy this dram, as will those who long for white sandy beaches and riding the surf during the longest, darkest days of winter. This batch will take you on a warm, tropical journey!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #61: “TWO TURTLE DOVES”
130.50 PROOF
The second day of Christmas brings the heady aromas of delicacies such as Spanish Turron, marzipan, and dark chocolate fudge with walnuts on the nose. Then the caramel makes its heavy presence known, with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, sticky toffee pudding, french toast with maple syrup, frothy caramel macchiato, and pecan pralines punctuating the palate. The finish is long but delicate, with fading notes of Nutella and butterscotch candy. For those that loved similar-tasting Cigar Blend batches such as #16, #18, #35, and #42, all of which had a fair amount of “rancio” (i.e., the oxidized esters of fatty acids that give off the taste of nuts), this nutty expression is sure to please!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #62: “THREE FRENCH HENS”
130.52 PROOF
The third day of Christmas brings good tidings full of plump, ripe cherries of every sort for Cigar Blend fans! Batch #62 is extremely red fruit forward, with plenty of cherry brandy-spiked hot chocolate, hot fudge sundae, ruby port-soaked pipe tobacco, and warm cherry cobbler with a buttery cinnamon-covered crust. The palate offers deep flavors of pomegranate juice, cranberry-orange relish, dark chocolate covered cherries, and a well-made bourbon Old Fashioned cocktail with a quality brandied cherry. The red fruit lingers long on the palate, with a touch of rye spice and brown baking spice to help balance the sweetness. For those rye-recipe bourbon fans who adore cherry and red fruit notes, you’ll definitely be seeing red after this dram!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #63: “FOUR CALLING BIRDS”
130.3 PROOF
Cigar Blend Batch #63 arrives just in time for the fourth day of Christmas, bringing in lots of caramelized wood sugar goodness and fruity aromas of Boston crème donuts, white icing over white cake, lemon meringue pie, and warm sugar cookies straight from the oven. The wood sugars carry over to the palate, with confectioner’s sugar, pineapple upside down cake with cherries and a brown sugar icing on top, vanilla cake batter, and egg custard. A few brown baking spice notes sprinkle into the finish, together with even more waves of chocolate chip cookie dough and real Cherry Coke. Fans of Cigar Blend Batches #42 and 45 will find resonant notes with this batch.
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #64: “FIVE GOLDEN RINGS”
130.58 PROOF
The fifth day of Christmas blows in with Cigar Blend Batch #64, filled with deep aromas of stewed apples with cinnamon, honeyed hay, and peppermint patties. This slightly more spice-forward batch shows more of the Armagnac flavors coming from the barrel, with black mission fig, quince jam, and prunes in Armagnac syrup. Notes of golden honey-butter syrup over blackberry pancakes, caramel apples, and rum raisin ice cream smother the palate, leading to a black currant jam finish. Cigar Blend Batch #64 enjoys a good balance between sweet, savory, and spice, and should appease fans who enjoy a bevy of flavors.
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #65: “SIX GEESE A-LAYING”
130.44 PROOF
The sixth day of Christmas sweeps in with Cigar Blend Batch #65, with intense aromas of dried apricots, mince-meat pie, and dates in syrup coming from the Armagnac barrel. A smorgasbord of mouth-watering notes of molasses cookies, orange blossom honey, Thai iced tea with condensed milk, Kalamata olives with red chili flakes, fruit cocktail in heavy syrup, and Marcona almonds cover the palate, leading to a long, sweet, spicy, oily, and slightly saline finish. With such a wide-range of flavors, this batch should please most any Cigar Blend lover!
CIGAR BLEND BATCHES #66-71
The second set of six batches in the holiday season series come from the same mother blend, or “coupe mere,” consisting of 16 bourbon barrels ranging in age from 14.5 to 20-yearsold, which are then put into six Armagnac casks. Each Armagnac cask makes up one batch of Cigar Blend Bourbon. In general, while these batches still have a solid caramelized wood sugar backbone of the first six batches of the holiday season series, they tend to be more rye-spice and tobacco forward, with more citrus notes but with fewer orchard and tropical fruit flavors than the first set of six batches.
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #66: “SEVEN SWANS A-SWIMMING”
129.70 PROOF
For the seventh day of Christmas, good cheer is offered up with Cigar Blend Batch #66! This intensely aromatic batch features candied tangerine, citron, lime, and lemon peels notes, together with orange blossom honey spice cake, sweet and smokey cigarillo, and winter holiday baking spices of allspice, clove, and nutmeg. Flavors of chocolate covered orange, candy cane, Grape Kool-Aid, black currant jam, graphite, walnut baklava, Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Syrup, and muddled mint coat the tongue. The finish combines long notes of citrus and spearmint, with lingering hints of smoke and sweetness. Cigar Blend Batch #66 is made for the nice Cigar Blend fans, but will surely gratify the naughty this holiday season!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #67: “EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING”
130.26 PROOF
The eighth day of Christmas blows in like a blustery winter snow storm, bringing with it notes of coconut-covered bon-bons, chocolate Eclairs, Fig Newton cookies, hints of sarsaparilla, green pistachios, and old cedar chest. Root beer floats with vanilla bean ice cream, sandalwood incense, plum pudding, a Mint Julep cocktail, Christmas fruit cake, and Earl Grey tea with cream fill the palate. The finish offers notes of French pastries, clotted cream, Chinese 5 spice, and orange marmalade spread over buttery croissants. Another complex Cigar Blend dram to brighten the long winter nights with intense aromatic lights!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #68: “NINE LADIES DANCING”
130.12 PROOF
The ninth day of Christmas roars in with a batch which is perhaps the rowdiest of the holiday season series of Cigar Blends. The aromatic equivalent of nine ladies dancing the Can-Can at the Moulin Rouge, Batch #68 is alive with notes of cloves-in-oranges, fresh fall leaves on a moist forest floor, port infused pipe tobacco, sweet and sour teriyaki flavored beef jerky, and a Russian Imperial Stout cake with chocolate chips. Mr. Pibb soda, blood orange whiskey sour with egg whites and maraschino cherries, chanterelle mushrooms in brown butter, ginger snap cookies, old leather jacket, and filet mignon with cracked black pepper sauce fill out the experience. Long waves of muddled mint, blackstrap molasses, and warm brie on a toasted baguette undulate over the palate. For all the Cigar Blend ladies and gents who enjoy a complex and aromatically intriguing dram, this one’s for you!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #69: “TEN LORDS A-LEAPING”
129.72 PROOF
On the tenth day of Christmas, the Leaping Lords are not about to be undone by the rough and rowdy Batch #68, aka “Nine Ladies Dancing.” In this batch we find an old and deep vintage Armagnac barrel influence, with dark dried fruit notes of Medjool dates, black mission figs, grilled peaches, plump dark raisins, and black currants, together with “rancio” old nutty notes of strong and tangy blue vein cheeses such as French Roquefort and English Stilton, wintergreen mint candy, and dark pumpernickel rye. Rich notes of classic Italian Panettone bread, dried mesquite bush, peppermint patties, and mint simple syrup fill the palate. Waves of candy cane, blue-veined cheese, and buttery cinnamon toast with real maple syrup trickle down the gullet. A true gentleman’s dram!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #70: “ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING”
129.34 PROOF
The eleventh day of Christmas brings eleven pipers piping, and with that a host of fresh Cigar Blend aromatic delights! Batch #70 boasts deep aromas of dark chocolate s’mores with charred marshmallows and crispy graham crackers, charcuterie plates full of sliced salami, hot coppa, smoked gouda, aged cheddar cheese, fig compote, dried apricot, and blanched almonds and hazelnuts on a charcuterie plate. Digging deeper onto the palate reveals heady notes of chocolate chip mint ice cream, pot de crème, caramelized candied orange peels, flan with creamy caramel sauce, and churros y chocolate. The finish strikes like a flash of lightning with a hint of barrel smoke, caramelized wood sugars, chocolate almond bar, and rye spice on the finish. This dram will leave you piping for s’more!
CIGAR BLEND BATCH #71: “TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING”
129.76 PROOF
On the twelfth day of Christmas, the twelve drummers deliver a classic, aromatic experience of Cigar Blend flavors on the nose, with deep, dark, thick and rich notes of brown buttery baklava with clove and cinnamon, Medjool dates in syrup, chocolate fondue spiked with cherry brandy, coupled with a nutty gruyere cheese with dark rye bread, complimented with a blackberry pollen-scented honey. The palate leaves long, intense notes of pumpkin pie filling and spice, seasoned pipe tobacco in an old leather pouch, floral dried potpourri with brittle rose flakes, cherries jubilee with melted vanilla bean ice cream, and pumpernickel rye bread and semi-dryness on the finish. To all Cigar Blend Bourbon fans and drummers alike (of which our Master Blender Nancy Fraley is one), here’s to a rat-ta-tat-tat of a good dram!
Fine retailers across the nation who offer the full collection of Joseph Magnus spirits will be among the first to receive an allocation of these very limited batches. Be sure to reach out to retailers in your area to inquire about our Cigar Blend Bourbon or use the Store Locator to find a retailer near you.
