Penny for Your Thoughts - Jura Tasting Pack
On the way back from vacation, we bought a three-sample tasting pack from this distillery, which is the only one on the Isle of Jura (hence the name). The pack consisted of two of the distillery's baseline expressions, Jura Superstitution and Jura Origin, along with a dram of Jura Diurachs' Own, a 16-year old single malt. Although not technically the distillery manager, the famed Richard Paterson has some involvement with the brand because of common ownership with The Dalmore, where he spends most of his time. Let's see if his Midas touch turns these single malts to gold as well!
Jura Superstition (43% ABV) - Superstition is a very lightly peated, if peated at all, variant on the core Jura single malt. According to most sources, 13% of it is heavily peated, which is not much from a flavor standpoint. As a result, it is the sweetest and most Highland in style of the three Juras that I tried. For some reason I've been pulling this note from a lot of scotches recently, but Superstition's nose struck me as almost pure apple, with some molasses or syrup ladled on top. On the palate, exotic fruits and sticky toffee amp up the richness. The peat manifests itself as some earthy, mossy notes in the background, but there's no smoke, like a damp driftwood that won't ignite. That might be the rearguard of that small proportion of peated malt. The texture is full and thick given the moderate ABV. For what it's worth, this scotch doesn't betray the typical flaws of youth, like a short, bitter finish or an aldehyde scent, so I'm intrigued by the lack of age statement on it. It doesn't feel significantly younger than the 10-year old Origin. The fruity but rich finish almost seems lightly sherried to me, although I'm not sure to what extent this dram (or what proportion of this dram) is sherry-finished or sherry-aged. The strange thing about this single malt is that I've looked at some reviews online and it seems like everyone gets a completely different experience from it, with some sites even describing it as heavily peated in flavor and others rattling off notes that I did not notice at all (while not mentioning that almost overpowering apple cider scent). I wonder if Jura has changed the composition over the years or if they just have spotty quality control. From the sample I tasted, the bottle price of $50-60 seems fair. B
Jura Origin (40%) - Origin is a 10-year old whiskey that has a similar price point to Superstition, its sweeter, richer cousin. Compared to Superstition, Origins seems not to have as much (if any) sherry-cask aging. Its sweetness is mellower and features a variety of fruits, including caramel-covered green apple (think Halloween) and pear. Although it's considered unpeated, there seems to be a touch of smoke on both the nose and the palate. In contrast to the fruit-forward nose, its flavor profile isn't far off Bowmore 12, with a slightly dull or almost metallic quality to its maltiness, just less smoke. I noticed some notes in the tea vein, with dried, vegetal, slightly bitter, aromatic properties. At around $50 a bottle, Origin is an interesting and unusual expression, not easy to categorize. I prefer Superstition among the two entry-level Juras. B-
Jura Diurachs' Own (40%) - Diurachs are the inhabitants of Jura, and this whisky honors them. It's a higher-end expression from the distillery, aged a somewhat atypical 16 years. That age is immediately evident on the nose, which has a rosy musk that isn't present in the younger expressions. Leather, rosewater, grapefruit, and cereal. This would make a decent cologne. The first thing I noticed when sipping it is its oily texture, which is much fuller-bodied and flavor-packed than I'd expect at just 40% alcohol. It's lavender-infused oil, candied sweets, oak, and floral malt again. The finish features café au lait and caramel corn for a lovely coda. The three phases don't quite cohere for me, as the floral nose transitions into a very sweet and woody palate, whereas the finish seems like a great combination of sherry, ex-bourbon, new oak, and malt flavors. Those final notes are the high water mark of this whisky and, in my experience thus far, of this distillery's single malts. I wonder what the effect of upping the ABV would be, or perhaps peating this whisky. Some of these flavors are reminiscent of Highland Park to me. $75 is a pretty good price for a 15-year-plus single malt, although I'd prefer Highland Park 15. B+