
November 4, 2019

Little duos, today own Jura

Isn’t Jura truly Orwellian? Discuss… Seriously, we had some ups and some downs the other week, while I still can’t stop laughing thinking about their recent ‘Seven Wood’ bottling. Seven, no less. Maybe is it time to try to do a little reset?

Jura 13 yo 2006/2019 ‘Two One Two’ (47.5%, OB, Limited Edition, 6,000 bottles)

Jura 13 yo 2006/2019 ‘Two One Two’ (47.5%, OB, Limited Edition, 6,000 bottles)
A story about oak yet again, this time it’s about bourbon barrels and a pretty Glenmorangian Chinkapin cask finish. Chinkapin a.k.a. Quercus Muehlenbergii (big up to Wikipedia)- but I suppose adding ‘Quercus Muehlenbergii’ to a label would be an instant killer – is a kind of white oak that rather grows in Eastern America. But enough said about Chinkapin… As for why ‘two-one-two’, no ideas I’m afraid. Colour: gold. Nose: oh nice! It’s a rather cleaner Jura, rather wood-driven indeed but they did it well, with good coffee (rather Ricoré) and chocolate, roasted malt, something between Twix and Mars, then rather toffee and fudge, without any heady notes, rather tobacco and earl grey after a few seconds. Wee notes of leather and fresh sliced ginger too, this is Jura, after all. Mouth: good, this is unmistakably modern, driven by oak and toasting/charring, but again, I think they did that very well. Rather gingerbread and caraway this time, rather than coffee and chocolate, but there, that works, without any obvious feeling of oak juice or plankiness. Finish: medium, with some lovely oranges working their magic as in many very good whiskies, and a pleasant bready/malty side in the aftertaste. Chicory again. Comments: an excellent new Isle of Jura, about wood but not just about wood. Now, isn’t it great that the SWA, or whoever’s actually in charge, made it mandatory to use only oak?
SGP:451 - 86 points.

Jura 1989/2019 (53.5%, OB, Rare Vintage, bourbon, 1,500 bottles)

Jura 1989/2019 (53.5%, OB, Rare Vintage, bourbon, 1,500 bottles)
A distillate, some barrels, and thirty good years. Aaahhh… Colour: gold. Nose: no obvious re-racking, rather some fresh-cut grass, walnut peels, a metallic touch (copper), then ale and bread, gingerbread, a touch of earth, moist pipe tobacco, cigars… I find this very elegant, just the opposite of a contemporary pushy whisky. With water: a Cognacqy side, notes of bone-dry Madeira wine, a newly-opened box of Cubans, and just a marvellous earthiness. Fantastic nose once reduced down to +/-45% vol. Mouth (neat): yess, lovely. It’s kept some of Jura’s leathery wackiness, including these metallic and Marmite-y notes indeed, but it’s also achieved balance, with a rather perfect spiciness, between cloves (very Jura) and nutmeg, with bitter oranges mounting guard. With water: yes, salt and mustard! And Madeira sauce, cigars, bitter oranges… Finish: long, mustardy, dry, rather perfect. Bags of walnuts in the long aftertaste. Comments: perhaps the best fairly recent Jura I’ve tried since, what, 2015? I mean, my favourite; I’m sorry, Mother. Now, the price is north of 700€…
SGP:472 - 91 points.

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