Goose1023 Posted March 16, 2022 Share Posted March 16, 2022 Hi All, Curious to see if anyone has any personal recommendations, particularly around bourbons/blends finished in Armagnac casks? Recently finished a bottle of Barrell Private Release (AJ87 batch) that was finished in an Armagnac cask and it became far and above my favorite finished whiskey that I've ever had. That being said, I called the shop I bought it from and they're completely out for good as this was a store pick and all of the bottles have been purchased. If anyone has any suggestions for an alternative Armagnac finished whiskey, I'd love to hear them. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berto Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 High West has done it with Double Rye and perhaps American Prairie too. They’re obviously limited and you’d have to track them down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted March 18, 2022 Share Posted March 18, 2022 Yellowstone's 2020 Limited Edition was finished in an armagnac cask. I have a bottle of it bunkered, and have yet to try it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertckim Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 On 3/18/2022 at 10:16 AM, Jazzhead said: Yellowstone's 2020 Limited Edition was finished in an armagnac cask. I have a bottle of it bunkered, and have yet to try it. I too have enjoyed the Armagnac finishes and have tried and finished this bottle. I'd say that the Armagnac finish is much more subtle than, for example, WP Boss Hog IV which I view at the opposite end of the spectrum. I recall seeing a Bardstown release that looked great, but not able to track one down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geclbxf Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 19 hours ago, robertckim said: I too have enjoyed the Armagnac finishes and have tried and finished this bottle. I'd say that the Armagnac finish is much more subtle than, for example, WP Boss Hog IV which I view at the opposite end of the spectrum. I recall seeing a Bardstown release that looked great, but not able to track one down. I, too, like both the yellowstone, and the Boss Hog. Maybe I am an armagnac finish guy as well. I had one bar pour of the BBC Laubade and it is amazing as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clearmoon247 Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 The most consistently produced Armagnac finished bourbon on the market currently would be Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend. For a lower quality (and price) option that should be available easier, try Saint Alley The Herald. Its a blend of MGP and Ironroot bourbon, finished in Armagnac casks. Lastly, you can always check through this list for any letter combination for the Armagnac releases and find an online shop via google or wine-searcher that has any bottles in stock: https://www.barrellbourbon.com/privatereleasewhiskey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted March 22, 2022 Share Posted March 22, 2022 This weekend I saw an armagnac finished LE of Old Elk. Their products, supervised by Greg Metze, MGP's former master distiller, are usually excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose1023 Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 32 minutes ago, Jazzhead said: This weekend I saw an armagnac finished LE of Old Elk. Their products, supervised by Greg Metze, MGP's former master distiller, are usually excellent. I have seen that one as well. Interested to try it despite some of the mixed reviews I’ve read online. I did enjoy their regular wheated bourbon, so hopefully their finished releases are winners too… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose1023 Posted March 22, 2022 Author Share Posted March 22, 2022 58 minutes ago, clearmoon247 said: The most consistently produced Armagnac finished bourbon on the market currently would be Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend. For a lower quality (and price) option that should be available easier, try Saint Alley The Herald. Its a blend of MGP and Ironroot bourbon, finished in Armagnac casks. Lastly, you can always check through this list for any letter combination for the Armagnac releases and find an online shop via google or wine-searcher that has any bottles in stock: https://www.barrellbourbon.com/privatereleasewhiskey Yep, have looked into this list a few times. Hardest part has been finding a retailer that owns the barrels that will ship to NC. Some of the worst liquor laws in the country unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzhead Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 12 hours ago, Goose1023 said: I have seen that one as well. Interested to try it despite some of the mixed reviews I’ve read online. I did enjoy their regular wheated bourbon, so hopefully their finished releases are winners too… I understand that it is an armagnac finish applied to their standard high malt straight bourbon. I'd say you should try regular Old Elk and see if you like the mashbill. It's chock full of malt; an amazingly high percentage, I think over 30 percent maybe more. It's different. For my money the best thing Old Elk makes is their straight wheat whiskey, which IMO is superb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goose1023 Posted March 23, 2022 Author Share Posted March 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Jazzhead said: I understand that it is an armagnac finish applied to their standard high malt straight bourbon. I'd say you should try regular Old Elk and see if you like the mashbill. It's chock full of malt; an amazingly high percentage, I think over 30 percent maybe more. It's different. For my money the best thing Old Elk makes is their straight wheat whiskey, which IMO is superb. Ironically enough, I was able to find a bottle of the armagnac finished Old Elk today (a rarity around here in our ABC stores from what I've seen). After letting it sit for 10-20 mins I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. Nose and palate were a bit sweeter than expected but the finish was very similar to the Barrell PR I mentioned above. The ~$90 MSRP is probably too high, but I do enjoy it thus far. Curious to see how it'll open up over the next month or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertckim Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 I just ordered a bottle of the Old Elk Armagnac Cask and hoping for the best! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiskeyBlender Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 (edited) On 3/16/2022 at 1:23 PM, Goose1023 said: Hi All, Curious to see if anyone has any personal recommendations, particularly around bourbons/blends finished in Armagnac casks? Recently finished a bottle of Barrell Private Release (AJ87 batch) that was finished in an Armagnac cask and it became far and above my favorite finished whiskey that I've ever had. That being said, I called the shop I bought it from and they're completely out for good as this was a store pick and all of the bottles have been purchased. If anyone has any suggestions for an alternative Armagnac finished whiskey, I'd love to hear them. Cheers! @Goose1023, I don't want to make this into a personal plug, but as @clearmoon247 stated, I make the Jos. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon that is finished in Armagnac barrels. The label says "Finished in Armagnac, Sherry, and Cognac," but in practice, the only true and perceptible finishing cask is the Armagnac. I believe that mine was the first Bourbon to be finished in Armagnac casks when I created it in 2016. Currently, the age of the KY and MGP stock I'm using is between 14+ to 20 years old. It ain't cheap, and it's also a bit of a unicorn, so I don't know how readily available it will be. More recently, I co-created/blended the J. Henry & Sons "La Flamme" Reserve Bourbon, which has Bourbons between 5.5 to 7.5 years old that are then finished in Armagnac casks for 13 months. I used to consult and blend for IronRoot Republic Distillery, who, among many other things makes Saint's Alley "The Herald" which is also finished in Armagnac casks. I took the Likarish family of IronRoot and the Henry family of J. Henry and Sons on a trip to the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France back in 2017 in order to study artisanal French blending techniques, since my original production training is in the artisanal Cognac-style brandy tradition. Both Iron Root and J. Henry are now deeply informed by it as well, which you can probably see from their use of French blending techniques and finishes. At any rate, both of these might also be a good alternative if you want to try some Armagnac-finished whiskey that is on the more affordable side. Cheers! Nancy Edited April 7, 2022 by WhiskeyBlender 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 2 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said: @Goose1023, I don't want to make this into a personal plug, but as @clearmoon247 stated, I make the Jos. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon that is finished in Armagnac barrels. The label says "Finished in Armagnac, Sherry, and Cognac," but in practice, the only true and perceptible finishing cask is the Armagnac. I believe that mine was the first Bourbon to be finished in Armagnac casks when I created it in 2016. Currently, the age of the KY and MGP stock I'm using is between 14+ to 20 years old. It ain't cheap, and it's also a bit of a unicorn, so I don't know how readily available it will be. More recently, I co-created/blended the J. Henry & Sons "La Flamme" Reserve Bourbon, which has Bourbons between 5.5 to 7.5 years old that are then finished in Armagnac casks for 13 months. I used to consult and blend for IronRoot Republic Distillery, who, among many other things makes Saint's Alley "The Herald" which is also finished in Armagnac casks. I took the Likarish family of IronRoot and the Henry family of J. Henry and Sons on a trip to the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France back in 2017 in order to study artisanal French blending techniques, since my original production training is in the artisanal Cognac-style brandy tradition. Both Iron Root and J. Henry are now deeply informed by it as well, which you can probably see from their use of French blending techniques and finishes. At any rate, both of these might also be a good alternative if you want to try some Armagnac-finished whiskey that is on the more affordable side. Cheers! Nancy As always, such great information to share. Thanks Nancy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTen Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 9 hours ago, WhiskeyBlender said: @Goose1023, I don't want to make this into a personal plug, but as @clearmoon247 stated, I make the Jos. Magnus Cigar Blend Bourbon that is finished in Armagnac barrels. The label says "Finished in Armagnac, Sherry, and Cognac," but in practice, the only true and perceptible finishing cask is the Armagnac. I believe that mine was the first Bourbon to be finished in Armagnac casks when I created it in 2016. Currently, the age of the KY and MGP stock I'm using is between 14+ to 20 years old. It ain't cheap, and it's also a bit of a unicorn, so I don't know how readily available it will be. More recently, I co-created/blended the J. Henry & Sons "La Flamme" Reserve Bourbon, which has Bourbons between 5.5 to 7.5 years old that are then finished in Armagnac casks for 13 months. I used to consult and blend for IronRoot Republic Distillery, who, among many other things makes Saint's Alley "The Herald" which is also finished in Armagnac casks. I took the Likarish family of IronRoot and the Henry family of J. Henry and Sons on a trip to the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France back in 2017 in order to study artisanal French blending techniques, since my original production training is in the artisanal Cognac-style brandy tradition. Both Iron Root and J. Henry are now deeply informed by it as well, which you can probably see from their use of French blending techniques and finishes. At any rate, both of these might also be a good alternative if you want to try some Armagnac-finished whiskey that is on the more affordable side. Cheers! Nancy Gee, Nancy - I haven't been to Cognac or Armangnac for about 20 years (since daughter #2 spent her Junior year at the Cornell Hotel School in Paris!) and I think it's time for a ROAD TRIP. Maybe we can talk about it when I finally get back out to the Left Coast later this year????? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 18 hours ago, GeeTen said: Maybe we can talk about it when I finally get back out to the Left Coast later this year????? Keep me in the loop as I plan to be there when this happens! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mal00768 Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 On 4/7/2022 at 6:48 AM, GeeTen said: Gee, Nancy - I haven't been to Cognac or Armangnac for about 20 years (since daughter #2 spent her Junior year at the Cornell Hotel School in Paris!) and I think it's time for a ROAD TRIP. Maybe we can talk about it when I finally get back out to the Left Coast later this year????? Officially jelly! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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