Hogsworth Bourbon & Armagnac Spirit 750ML

Hogsworth Bourbon & Armagnac Spirit 750ML is a 46.9% ABV blend of American bourbon whiskey and French Armagnac in a 750ml bottle. Scored 91 points by Tastings.com in September 2024, this release stands apart by incorporating a portion of 42-year-old BHAKTA 1982 Armagnac — a spirit that retails independently for $309 — into every bottle.

Quick Facts: ABV: 46.9% (93.8 Proof)  |  Origin: USA & France  |  Avg. Age: ~9.3 Years  |  Mashbill: 52% Bourbon / 48% Armagnac

Production & Heritage

Hogsworth begins with bourbon whiskey distilled in 2019, sourced from Tennessee Distilling Group and Panther Distillery in Minnesota. That bourbon is then married with a selection of Armagnacs from 1982, 2010, and 2012 vintages, creating a 52/48 split between American whiskey and French grape brandy. The inclusion of 5% forty-two-year-old 1982 Armagnac elevates the blend well beyond its price tier, adding decades of oak influence and dried-fruit complexity that no young bourbon alone could achieve. The concept shares DNA with Bhakta 1928, a celebrated rye-Armagnac-Calvados blend, positioning Hogsworth as a more accessible entry point into this emerging cross-continental blending category.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Warm honey and crème brûlée open the nose, followed by baking spices and gingersnap. Deeper inhalation reveals vanilla bean, toasted oak, dried fig, and faint leather.

Taste: The entry is silky with caramel and dark cherry, quickly layering into chai spice, green apple, and orange zest at mid-palate. As the blend opens up, prune, walnut, cinnamon, and charred oak emerge, with black pepper adding structure throughout.

Finish: Medium-long and firm, with oak spice, orange marmalade, and vanilla bean lingering on the palate. The Armagnac's fruit character gradually overtakes the bourbon's grain, leaving a warm, subtly tannic close.

How to Drink Hogsworth

Neat at room temperature is the best way to appreciate the interplay between bourbon sweetness and Armagnac depth; a few drops of water will open up the dried-fruit notes from the older vintages. This blend also holds its own in cocktails where you want added complexity:

• Old Fashioned — The Armagnac's fruit and the bourbon's caramel create a richer, more layered version of the classic.
• Vieux Carré — Already a bourbon-brandy cocktail by design, Hogsworth essentially puts both base spirits in a single pour, streamlining the build while adding depth.
• Sidecar (split base) — Replacing half the cognac with Hogsworth bridges the gap between American and French traditions with orange zest notes that complement Cointreau.

Best For

• Gifting a whiskey enthusiast who already owns the usual suspects
• Introducing bourbon drinkers to Armagnac without leaving their comfort zone
• After-dinner sipping alongside dessert or cheese courses
• Building a home bar focused on innovative and category-crossing spirits

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Hogsworth taste like? Hogsworth leads with caramel, dark cherry, and chai spice before settling into charred oak, prune, and orange zest. The bourbon provides sweetness and structure while the Armagnac adds dried-fruit depth and a tannic, marmalade-tinged finish.

How does Hogsworth compare to Bhakta 1928? Bhakta 1928 blended rye whiskey with Armagnac and Calvados, creating a three-way transatlantic marriage, while Hogsworth pairs bourbon with Armagnac for a two-spirit blend. Hogsworth is positioned as a more accessible price point but still includes a portion of the same 1982 BHAKTA Armagnac found in ultra-premium releases.

Is Hogsworth good for sipping neat? Yes — at 93.8 proof it carries enough intensity to stand up neat, and the approximately 9.3-year average age provides sufficient oak maturity for a contemplative pour. A few drops of water help reveal the older Armagnac's dried-fruit and leather nuances.

Where is Hogsworth made? The bourbon component is distilled at Tennessee Distilling Group in Tennessee and Panther Distillery in Minnesota, while the Armagnac is sourced from France. The final blending marries American grain spirit with French grape brandy from 1982, 2010, and 2012 vintages.

What foods pair well with Hogsworth? Aged Comté or Gruyère complement the nutty, oak-driven character. Dark chocolate truffles mirror the caramel and dried-fruit notes. Roasted duck breast with a cherry reduction echoes the blend's dark cherry and baking spice. Fig-and-walnut tart aligns with the Armagnac's dried-fruit depth. Crème brûlée directly parallels the nose.

What sizes does Hogsworth come in? Hogsworth Bourbon & Armagnac Spirit is available in the standard 750ml bottle.

Is Hogsworth worth the price? Hogsworth positions as a mid-premium spirit that punches above its tier, largely because each bottle contains a percentage of 42-year-old Armagnac that would cost significantly more on its own. For drinkers curious about bourbon-brandy hybrids, it represents strong value within a category that has very few competitors.

Why Hogsworth?

The inclusion of BHAKTA 1982 Armagnac — a spirit with four decades of aging — in a blend at this price point is genuinely rare. That single production decision gives Hogsworth a depth of dried fruit, leather, and tannic structure that purely bourbon-based blends cannot replicate. Its 91-point score from Tastings.com confirms the execution lives up to the concept. In a market crowded with finished bourbons and flavored whiskeys, Hogsworth takes the more ambitious route of actually marrying two distinct distilling traditions into a single bottle, creating a spirit that belongs to no established category but earns attention on its own terms.