The Islay Odyssey 2015 Day Sequel Tasting Jura

February 11, 2015

The Islay Odyssey 2015
Bringing rare whiskies back to their birthplace to open them.

The Sequel Tastings, Jura

Mind you, whisky wise, Islay’s not only about Islay, it’s also a bit about Jura. So it’s with two boats very kindly fitted out by Bowmore (and with a large stash of oysters) that we got to the famous palm trees to crack these three wee babies open. Please note that these notes haven't been taken on location though...

Jura Whisky (43%, OB for the Jura Hotel, twist cap)

Not too sure when this little baby was bottled, neither do we know how old it was. Early 2000s? Colour: gold. Nose: it’s got this typical oily touch, notes of sour wood, some leather for sure, slightly rotten oranges and then whiffs of old newspapers, carbon paper, sour apples… In short it noses very ‘authentic’, without any wood influence. Mouth: some body and some substance, with a blend of apple juice, grape pips oil, maybe one caper, some bitter oranges and this very particular leatheriness that screams ‘Jura’. Excellent mouth feel at 43% vol. Finish: good length. Apple juice with a little mustard. Comments: I find this pretty excellent. No wonder the owners of the Jura Hotel managed to select some excellent cask(s), all they had to do was to cross the only road up there ;-). SGP:452 - 85 points.

Jura 18 yo 1966/1984 (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy black label)

Jeroen’s Jura 18 yo 1966/1984 (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy black label)

We’ve tried a 20 yo 1966 by Duthie last year that was amazing (WF 93). Probably from the same stash… Colour: pale gold. Nose: Jesus Mary and Joseph! What an extraordinary blend of pipe tobacco, cigarette tobacco, leather cream, kumquats (however little some dentist over there in Holland likes that), shoe polish, a box of thin mints, apples and old engine oils! Crates of overripe apples forgotten in an old garage, near an abandoned old Jaguar. No, any old Jaguar. Lovely lovely lovely.

Mouth: phew! Starts extremely sooty, ashy, both a little astringent (old walnuts) and jammy (marmalade), before plenty of greases and oils are kicking in. Also cough medicine, sweet mustard, quince jelly (that’s really loud and clear), leather, more tobacco… It’s the spirit’s fatness that’s really impressive here. Finish: very long, with the walnuts singing louder – together with this spicy marmalade. Comments: these 1966 Juras were all fantastic. Best Juras ever if you ask me – to think that they had just built the distillery (in 1963). SGP:462 - 93 points.

Jura 20 yo 1965/1986 (56%, OB, private bottling for Jane Prosser)

Angus’ Jura 20 yo 1965/1986 (56%, OB, private bottling for Jane Prosser)

This sweet Jura was bottled by Willie Tait, Distillery Manager, in March 1986. It was entirely aged on the Isle of Jura. Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one’s much more a ‘classic’ Jura, less phenolic and sooty than the 1966 – but it is quite sooty and phenolic – that would rather display bags and bags of fresh almonds, small fruit stones, plum spirit, touches of maraschino… In short, it’s almondy. There are also very lovely medicinal notes in the background. Camphor and eucalyptus. This nose grows on you – so to speak.

With water: Campari-apple juice plus a little fresh butter. Gets narrower but swims well. Some wet wool too. Mouth (neat): this is ‘inky’ and medicinal, in an unusual way. There’s plenty of dry cider Breton-style, some iodine, some bitterish eucalyptus, certainly quite a lot of peppermint, and then a spoonful of seawater mixed with ink. Pretty salty! With water: not quite, the oak’s bitter tannins come out. Not a good swimmer this time, but isn’t it well known that some islanders do not like water too much? Finish: rather long, very good when neat, a little too drying when reduced. Comments: some great, great moments, but water may not this baby’s best friend. SGP:362 - 85 points.

Check the index of all Jura I've tasted so far