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| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
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June 18, 2018 |
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Isn’t that headline self-explanatory? And we’ll do that in a random fashion, as the ‘J’ box is nearly full these days, and knowing that Jura can be relatively weird (but not as weird as Neymar's haircuts). So, eenie meenie… |
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Jura ‘Destiny’ (44%, OB, +/-2018) 
NAS not cool, 44% vol. cool. So, neutral feelings this far – although you know, Jennifer Rush... Colour: gold. Nose: typical Jura. Tobacco, chicken soup, leather, garden bonfire, curry, earth, dried beef. There is a minty smokiness underneath, which is nice. Mouth: ginger, pumpernickel, leather, pipe tobacco, prunes, marmalade, smoky curry. Feels like they’ve used some smallish casks, or newish oak, or any other modern trick. Some peated malt for sure – or some ex-peater wood, who knows. Finish: long, salty, brothy, meaty. Salted cloves. Comments: good stuff, even if it does feel a tad ‘crafty’, so more a cooper’s whisky, if you see what I mean.
SGP:363 - 79 points. |
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Jura ‘Superstition’ (43%, OB, +/-2017) 
We’re following this expression, trying it every, say, three years. Liked it last time (WF 82). Colour: caramel gold. Nose: almost the same make as that of the Destiny (ta-dah-dah), just tenser and a little cleaner. Or less artificial, whatever that means. Nice sooty smoke and oranges. Mouth: indeed, it’s a brighter Destiny, in a way. I find it better defined, and a tad saltier, with less vulgar wood. Well wood’s always vulgar when you feel it, if you ask me. Finish: medium, fresher than the Destiny (ta-dah-dah – no, really, what a name). In short, better. Right, more to my liking. Comments: this, I could quaff, even if it’s NAS (so rather an unterwhisky in my book).
SGP:363 - 81 points. |
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Jura ‘Tastival 2017’ (51%, OB, Feis Isle, +/-2017) 
You do not need to tell me I’m at least one year late, okay? You know how many new whiskies there are each and every week, don’t you? As for this packaging, looks like they hired Compass Box’s agency. It all comes in waves, you know… Oh and this has seen Port wood, so very bad news in my book, but you never know… Colour: apricot gold. Ouch. Nose: awkward and clumsy. Strawberries and malt beer. Pass. With water: nicer, much nicer. Earth, smoke, strong black tea. Some nicer aspects. Mouth (neat): no no no no no. Terrible fruit syrups. I’ve got nothing against strawberry liqueur, but not in my whisky. With water: again, water saves it, kind of – well those are the wonders of dilution. But this is still strawberry eau-de-vie, and believe me, strawberry eau-de-vie is one of the worst. That’s why almost no one ever makes any. Finish: medium, weird. Salted strawberries and tobacco, then salted fruits. And we all know that salted fruits will make you… yeah, as you say. Comments: don’t get me wrong, this is acceptable, but you just cannot help asking ‘why?’ Well, even the name, ‘Tastival’, I mean, really!? PS, 2014’s Tastival (LOL) was better in my book (WF 78).
SGP: 572- 72 points. |
Good, let’s try to break out of the rut, with some ‘natural’ Jura from the indies’… |
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Jura 8 yo 2008/2016 (46%, Douglas Laing, Provenance, cask #11088) 
Jura as Mother Nature (and Delmé-Evans) intended, I hope… Colour: almost white. Yay! Nose: ah, there. Sure it’s a tad rough and beery, and perhaps has it got too much yeasty stuff and stuff and things, but that works. There’s some sea air – which you won’t find in any doctored Juras – and there are wild whortleberries, fresh almonds, putty, and just small flat oysters, Brittany-style. Mouth: this will be controversial, and I know I’ll be persona non grata on Jura for good from now on, but I deeply believe that Jura’s part of those distilleries that just slaughter their makes with their very unlikely official bottlings. The problem here is that the natural make is more than superb, and this cheap wee thing by DL is just another proof of that. Great young whisky! Finish: long, peppery, earthy, very coastal. This has depth! Comments: the brand name ‘Provenance’ says it all, dedicated Ardbeggians will understand.
SGP:351 - 84 points. |
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Isle of Jura 2006/2016 (59.1%, Malts of Scotland, refill sherry butt, cask #16012, 678 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: rotting lemons, that’s what I’m getting. Fresh white bread, baker’s yeast, something vodka-ish, Williams pears, tutti-frutti eau-de-vie (oh rootie). With water: wop bop a loo bop a lop ba ba! Really, it’s very young. Mouth (neat): this is almost newmake. So pear eau-de-vie. With water: indeed. It’s not bad at all, mind you, but it may need (a pile of) crushed ice. Finish: short, harsh, newmake-y. Comments: not quite whisky yet, but on a lot of ice, it’ll work. Seriously, this is pretty immature whisky, while DL’s younger Provenance just slaughters it.
SGP:631 - 71 points. |
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Isle of Jura 22 yo ‘One For The Road’ (47%, OB, +/-2017) 
Alert, alert, a Pinot Noir finish! The equivalent to a diesel Aston-Martin! So a very sad bottling, and what’s even sadder is that they’ve issued this to mark the retirement of Distillery Manager Willie Cochrane, who’s such a great guy! Seriously, no comprendo. Pinot Noir, mind you, the thing that will kill just any whisky! But let’s see, you never know… Colour: peachy gold. Nose: utter disaster at first - and this is even weirder than Laphroaig+Port, which says a lot - but indeed these preserved peaches do kind of work a bit later. Other than that, it smells of last year’s grouses and other dead animals, covered with strange jams. Raspberry and stuff. Mouth: better for sure, just too unlikely for me. Cigars in strawberry jam, or something… Netflix whisky, I shall say. Finish: no. I mean, you can’t escape it unless you immediately take two cans of Seven Up – which will further kill you. You see, there’s no way out. Comments: dear Willie Cochrane, I owe you a good dram of Brora – or of proper Jura – or even a bottle! But if I may, why did they do this to you?
SGP:551 - 65 points. |
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Jura 25 yo 1991/2017 (50%, Hunter Laing, Old Malt Cask, cask # HL13274, 168 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: ah, Jura. A stone-y, coastal, slightly medicinal start, with some beach sand, then leaven and other very bready elements, and then more and more fermentary notes. Yoghurt, bananas, grass, apple peelings. With water: muddier, I would say. Mouth (neat): all rather good. A few burnt notes, barbecued fruits, coffee beans, and a kind of salty/malty soup – the kind that our dear English friends seem to enjoy. No I haven’t dared mentioning Marmite. With water: indeed, malt extracts, bread, burnt fruits, salt, and other Jura-y notes. Okay I’ll say It, Jura’s not the easiest malt whisky ever. Finish: harder. Dry and bitter. Comments: not an easy make. After all, good casks seasoned with acceptable ‘sherry’…
SGP: 361 - 77 points. |
Let’s get to the bottom of this, for crying out loud! |
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Jura 25 yo 1991/2016 (50.2%, Douglas Laing, Xtra Old Particular, cask #DL11067, 269 bottles) 
That this would be very similar wouldn’t surprise us, would it? Colour: pale straw. Nose: a tad tenser, sharper, crisper. Other than that, it’s the same whisky. With water: notes of office coffee (as seen on Netflix) and undercooked bread. Not too sure… Mouth (neat): some weird burnt and rotten notes. Not too sure either, and after all, who would barbecue together marshmallows and bacon? I mean, except bored wealthy existentialists? With water: tings get ugly. And soapy. In my book, soap is one of bad-Juras’ main markers. Finish: hard, really. Comments: oh my, dear Douglas Laing team – are there greater people on earth – are you totally sure? Would you swear under hypnosis? Now only he who never tries never fails, and it would become a little boring when dear DL would issue only stellar whiskies. On second thought, I'm sure they did this on purpose, how smart...
SGP:261 - 50 points. |
This is getting bad, while I just love Jura’s palm trees. So let’s try to put an end to this with a little panache… |
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Jura 1975/2016 (51.7%, OB, for La Maison du Whisky 60th Anniversary, 784 bottles)
All right, this was matured in some ‘amoroso oloroso sherry butts’ (what?) and finished in a ‘tawny Port pipe’. Frankly, I totally love La Maison du Whisky, their people, their story, their smartness, and 99.99% of what they’re doing. But frankly, this rather st**ks. Colour: copper gold. Ha-ha. Nose: this is extremely troubling, frankly. It does smell very nice, it’s even got subtle notes ‘of sandalwood, incense, peach jelly, honeydew and old Sauternes’, but the single idea of some ‘tawny Port pipe finish’ is just, say unsettling. I mean, why would you finish (i.e. flavour) some 1975 Jura with the cheapest form of Port wine (and yes, I know that there are a few great tawnies)? Troubled indeed… With water: pipe tobacco, prune wine, and heather honey. But is that all natural? Mouth (neat): hate it that this would be very good. It is very good, I have to admit, although it would lose steam and become too tea-ish and tannic. With water: no, gets greenish, tannic, unpleasant. Finishes don’t quite swim, that is a rule! Finish: gets bitter and sour, pass. Williams pears in the aftertaste, that’s a little better. Comments: this disappointing baby hates the distance. I knew that would happen (really, I did, believe me…) Now I hope they’ve jailed the guy who decided to almost murder this 1975 Jura. Unless that was dear Richard P. of course. No, really, this is pure madness.
SGP:651 - 74 points. |
Good, nine Juras, that’s more than enough. Ciao. |
 Check the index of all Jura we've tasted so far
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