Joseph Magnus Bourbon Wins 2016 Best in Show - Best Straight Bourbon and Double Gold at New York World Wine & Spirits Competition

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Sep 13, 2016, 08:30 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Jos. A. Magnus & Co., of Ivy City, won its third major and biggest award of the year, with its Joseph Magnus Bourbon being judged 2016 Best in Show - Best Straight Bourbon and also awarded Double Gold at the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition. Joseph Magnus Bourbon previously had won Double Gold and Best in Category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold and Best in Class Whiskey at the American Distilling Institute's Craft Blended Spirits Competition.

The New York World Wine and Spirits Competition is one of the "Triple Crown" of spirits competitions and has come to be known as the most reliable indication of a spirit's excellence. The competition takes place in the heart of New York City and is judged by renowned spirits enthusiasts and industry experts.

"It's an amazing honor for our Joseph Magnus Bourbon to be judged the best straight bourbon whiskey," said Master Distiller Brett Thompson. "Being a part of the team that has worked to bring back the iconic Magnus brand, it's a huge deal to be judged one of the best bourbons in the nation in just our first year of operation in Washington, DC."

After Magnus' great-grandson discovered original 100+ year-old bottles of Joseph Magnus' pre-prohibition era bourbon that had been passed down through generations of the Magnus family, Jos. A. Magnus & Co. assembled a bourbon "Dream Team" led by Nancy "the Nose" Fraley, Magnus Master Blender, Dave Scheurich, former Woodford Reserve Distiller and Whiskey Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, and Richard Wolf, former Buffalo Trace Distillery VP and General Manager. Upon sampling the pre-prohibition Magnus, which was one of the best bourbons the Dream Team had ever tasted, they discovered that Magnus finished his bourbon in used sherry barrels, a process that delivered a uniquely smooth bourbon with notes of rich, dark fruits. The team, led by Magnus Master Blender Nancy Fraley set out to recreate those historic Magnus qualities by finishing 9-year bourbon in used sherry and cognac casks at its DC-based distillery.

"The fact that Joseph Magnus Bourbon was judged the 2016 best straight bourbon whiskey in America is a tribute to Magnus and his pre-prohibition finishing techniques that we used," said Nancy Fraley, Magnus Master Blender. "We have a number of very limited release products that we will be releasing soon that further highlights his blending and finishing heritage."

Jos. A. Magnus & Co., founded in 1892 and reestablished in 2015, is located at 2052 West Virginia Ave NE #202, Washington DC 20002 in Ivy City in NE, bringing legendary libations and pre-prohibition heritage to the nation's capital.

Contact:
Molly Sheerer 202-750-7509

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160912/406655

SOURCE Jos. A. Magnus & Co.