Fast forward to 2007 while doing some work in the old family house, Magnus’ great-grandson Jimmy Turner accidentally found a well preserved 122 year old bottle from 1892 of Magnus Whiskey in his mother’s closet. Turner eventually tracked down another original Magnus whiskey bottle from a family member. He took both bottles to Louisville, Kentucky where he gathered a group which included the former head distiller at Woodford Reserve, the general manager of Buffalo Trace and the director of research for the American Distilling Institute to get their opinion, and to see how closely this whiskey could be recreated. The feedback he got was it one of the best bourbons they ever tasted. The team found an 8 year Kentucky bourbon that had a striking resemblance to the original bottle but was missing “a hint of sherry” that was part of the profile from the found vintage bottle. The Kentucky bourbon was brought to D.C. where Turner decided to open a distillery in honor of his great-grandfather.
Present day Magnus Master Blender, Nancy Fraley finished the bourbon in sherry and cognac barrels to create the prototype recipe, inspired by the original to use for subsequent batches. This ended up being the inspiration for today’s Jos. A. Magnus flagship whiskey, called Joseph Magnus Triple Cask Bourbon which is triple finished in Oloroso Sherry, Pedro Ximenez and Cognac casks. Interestingly, Nancy said that they were shocked to discover just how old the found vintage Magnus whiskey was. “It must have been at least 10 years old, and maybe even as old as 15 to 18 years old”. Today, Murray Hill Club is MGP sourced and blended with 18 and 11 year old bourbon and 9 year old light whiskey. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Proof: 103.
Age: A blend of 18 and 11 year old bourbon with 9 year old light whiskey.
Batch#: 21
Mash bill: Not stated, but…..
Nancy Fraley says it contains MGP’s Bourbon mash bill of 75% Corn/21% Rye/4% Malted Barley & MGP’s Light Whiskey mash bill of 99% Corn/1% Malted Barley.
Price: Retail is $110.
Appearance: Golden amber.
Nose
Green tea, dill, cloves, sweet caramel, brown sugar, milk chocolate, cherry reduction, apricot, orange peel, vanilla, cinnamon and oak char. Although it’s very herbal forward, there is a wonderful balance of caramel, chocolate, fruit and mature oak to round it out. This is an impressive profile that is both complex and unique in the best way.
Palate
Nose transfers to the palate with a medium viscous mouthfeel. Green tea, dill, brown sugar, chocolate, cherry, stone fruit, vanilla and rich oak. Followed by a moderate amount of cinnamon spice with very little to no heat. I love this delicious and well balanced flavor profile.
Finish
Cinnamon spice continues to linger with hints of chocolate, dill, vanilla and stone fruit. As the spice fades, subtle tannins of leather enters to complete a long enjoyable finish with just a bit of dryness at the very end.
Conclusion
Murray Hill Club lives up to its hype and then some. It’s one of those bottles that gets better with every pour. There’s something deliciously unique about this profile that’s hard to explain, which may be attributed to the light whiskey in this blend. Murray Hill Club is a memorable bottle to be sure, and now one of my all-time favorites. Though no one really knows what the original Murray Hill Club tasted like, this recreation definitely stands on its own as a premium bourbon that lives up to its namesake.
Rating: 8.2/10
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
