Made in the South Awards 2017

Jos. A. Magnus & Co.

Drink runner-up Jimmy Turner revives a family tradition in this Washington, D.C.-based bourbon

Photo: ALISON GOOTEE

Joseph Magnus bourbon from Jos. A. Magnus & Co.

A decade ago, Jimmy Turner unearthed a bottle of antique bourbon in a closet at his mother’s house. It was one of the last known bottles produced by his great-grandfather Joseph A. Magnus, a pre-Prohibition distiller in Cincinnati. Turner recruited some experts, extracted a tot with a hypodermic needle, and then set about re-creating the whiskey. Among the key facts he turned up: Magnus matured his version in sherry casks—much as Scotch is aged today. For the first batch, Turner sourced bourbon with a similar profile (common practice when getting started in the business) that had been cask aged for about ten years, then finished it in former oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez, and cognac casks to deepen the flavors. The resulting opulent full-spectrum bourbon blend features a nutty praline finish. Magnus is now making its own whiskey for later release—look for it in five or six years.

>Joseph Magnus bourbon, $92,  josephmagnus.com 


MORE MADE IN THE SOUTH:

> Drink winner: Tropic Thunder
> Drink runner-up: Jos. A. Magnus & Co.
> Drink runner-up: Urban Tree Cidery
> Drink runner-up: Copper & Kings

See all winners and runners-up


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