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.jura - elixer - 12yo

Day 20 of the Drinks by the Dram AdventCalendar reveals another single malt from the island of Jura.

The upper left corner of the Drinks by the Dram WhiskyAdvent Calendar has written "14" underneath it. Behind lurks a Jura Superstition. Good thing that wasn't behind door number 13, but still... uh-oh, a Jura...

.isle of jura - cask sample - 1997-2011

Another sample from Ian Macleod's whisky warehouse. This is drawn from Hogshead #4768, on 28-09-2011.

.isle of jura - cask sample - 1996-2011

A sample of an Isle of Jura whisky from ex-Bourbon barrel (#5227), drawn at 28-09-2011 at an Ian Macleod Distillers warehouse.

.jura - 1995-2010 - connoisseurs choice

43% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: briny, salty, sweet, fudge, soft caramel, toffee, fruity, sweet pineapple, bees-wax
Palate: spicy, hot, band-aids, briny, a whiff of smoke, metallic
Finish: long, briny, smoke, ash, band-aids
Mark: +++++

.isle of jura - prophecy

.new bottle
design

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, caramel E150 added

Nose: iodine, peat smoke, mint, eucalyptus, mussels, gingerbread, salted butter
Palate: sweet, honey, peat smoke, spicy, white pepper
Finish: medium smoke, medium dry, medium long, slight tannins
Mark: ++/+++

Conclusion: The nose is messed up. Like some other Jura whiskies, this needs a splash of water, or you might think about warming it a little in your hands. If you are a hospital worker, you might not notice the heavy iodine at first, but that goes away with said water and warmth. All in all not bad, but it is average at best. And that is me being generous because some time ago I really enjoyed their releases.

More info: According to the Jura website the Prophecy is heavily peated and matured (!?) without chill-filtration in ex-Limousine casks.

I have tasted Jura whiskies from independent bottlers that were unrecognisable fruity, balanced and enjoyable, but I have never dared to purchase a bottle. Maybe, just maybe, if Isle of Jura distillers would ease a little on E150 caramel colouring when bottling, I would give them another chance, but for now, I am not even thinking of purchasing another one of their bottles.

.jura - 10

40% abv, €30, single malt, caramel E150a added

Nose: slight medicinal, iodine, salty, slight sweetness from raisins, fresh citrus, caramel
Palate: gentle, slight sweet, from raisins, comb honey, white pepper
Finish: medium long, slight bitter as hop in beer, herbs
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: fine whisky to drink on a weekday. The mark is a little on the low side, mainly because of the story below, also for me a reason not to get a bottle any time soon. Other Juras, of which I am satisfied, are also rarely chosen as a dram because of this.

More info: My first experiences with Jura were good. I have had a bottle of the '10' before making notes, and even poured the Superstition as my go-to dram on my wedding.

Up came 'the bottle'. To be short, it was just wrong. It smelled like an incontinent old-peoples house, where they have just eaten asperges, paired with mussels that had seen better days (i.e. had been fresh a week before). Normally there are some iodine notes to be found, including the mussel-saltness, but this was just beyond that. The taste was spoiled with the bad nose, and had nothing more to add, other than a smooth mouthfeel. The finish was thankfully short with all of the above, but with a strong, bitter tannin like return.

During our visit at the distillery, things did not get any better. Master distiller Willie Cochrane's only reaction was "those things can happen"and my email to owner Whyte and Mackay still has no response.

If you stumble upon a Jura 10 that has the bottle code similar to L8 164 G7 07:49 08/02084, beware.

.jura - boutique barrel 1999

.jura boutique barrel 1999

abv: 55%
type: single malt
fles: 70cl, €60,- geproefd bij vrienden
filtratie: non chill-filtered
karamel E150a: onbekend

neus: turf, rook, licht zoet, marsepein, licht jodium, ziltig. Met water zijn meer zoeten zoals fudge, karamel, stroop en warme appels waarneembaar
smaak: eerst vrij zacht, na een paar seconden in de mond houden wordt de alcoholprikkel sterker. Met water nog zachter en komen er wat fruitsmaken vrij, die me deden denken aan warme ananas
afdronk: In eerste instantie vrij heftig, zoet en erg lang. Lekker. Met water is er een licht bittertje en doet ze me wat droog aan, als goedkope rode wijn. Ook blijft een lichte rook smaak wat aanwezig
score: +++

conclusie: lekker, dat zeker, maar niet één die wat mij betreft meedoet voor de grote prijzen. Qua geuren en smaken komen wat mij betreft de neus en de smaak beter tot hun recht met een beetje water, maar voor de afdronk zou het prettiger zijn om ze zonder water te drinken. Een moeilijke keuze, waardoor ze voor mij een beetje in onbalans is.

De whisky is gerijpt op bourbon XU vaten (geen idee waar ze XU voor hebben gezet), die door de distilleerderij als first fill gebruikt zijn. Voor Jura maatstaf is ze zwaar geturfd, maar voor de mensen die gewend zijn om Islay whisky te drinken, valt 30 ppm best mee, dus valt deze bij mij in de categorie; gemiddeld geturfd.

.jura website