Jura vatting - 1960s and 30yo

Jura vatting - 1960s and 30yo

Personal vatting
Single malt - Islands
Orange brown 
About 45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Green tea, pencil lead, barley sugar, malted grains, honey, black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Pencil lead, barley sugar, malted grains,  white pepper, black tea, cloves, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Short. White pepper, black tea, pencil lead, barley sugar. 

Comments: 

A vatting of several 1960s Jura and a 30yo, done at a tasting. Quite feinty and little of that lactic note that seems to characterise Jura for me. Not as good as the sum of its parts.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura 27yo 1989/2017

Jura 27yo 1989/2017

Cask Strength Collection, Signatory
Single malt - Jura
Pale amber 
58.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, raisins, red grapes, peanuts, roast chicken, milk chocolate. With water, lemon zest, brass polish, smoke, peanuts. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, thickens, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Peanuts, brass polish, leather, raisins, milk chocolate, lemon zest, hints of orange peel. With water, malted grains, lemon zest, orange peel, raisins. 
Finish: Short. Smoke, peanuts, lemon zest, raisins. 

Comments: 

Cask 30743. Surprisingly sweet Jura, I often find them quite savoury. Instead, this one is sweet sour, lots of feinty fruit. The peat is barely a whisper, mainly manifesting itself in a leathery note. Water frees it up, however, whiffs of smoke start to appear.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Jura 34yo 1977/2012 Juar, The Yew Tree

Jura 34yo 1977/2012 Juar, The Yew Tree

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Golden
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Apricots, gooseberries, sour cream, peaches, creme fraiche, fresh cut grass, hints of raisins. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, loosens, cool. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Gooseberries, raisins, blackcurrant cordial, creme fraiche, cream, hints of palm sugar. 
Finish: Long. Palm sugar, cream, creme fraiche, blackcurrant cordial. 

Comments: 

A very restrained and gentle Jura. The butyric note, often described as ‘baby sick’ 😂 is not as obvious, it’s more like sour cream or creme fraiche. The floral sweet notes that are in Jura get a chance to come to the fore.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Jura 28yo 1989/2017

Jura 28yo 1989/2017

Old Malt Cask, Hunter Laing
Single malt - Islands
Straw
45.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Driftwood smoke, yoghurt, lemon zest, heather honey, sour cream, vanilla, lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, loosens slightly, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Leather, peat, lemon sweets, heather honey, black tea, driftwood smoke, charcoal ash. 
Finish: Long. Lemon sweets, heather honey, charcoal ash, leather, hints of sour cream. 

Comments: 

Cask HL13894. Savoury, but not salty, there’s the usual Jura lactic notes, but only on the nose and the finish. On the tongue, it’s more like an Islay, quite smoky and peaty, with a long ashy note. Highly enjoyable, as Juras go.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Isle of Jura 30yo 1990/2020

Isle of Jura 30yo 1990/2020

Thompson Brothers
Single malt - Islands 
Golden
46.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Hay, coffee, greengages, fresh cut grass, dark chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Coffee, blackcurrant cordial, dark chocolate, mint, hints of sour cream, hints of white peach. 
Finish: Long. Dark chocolate, mint, white peaches, greengages, hints of sour cream. 

Comments: 

An atypical Jura, quite a lot of sweet and darkly bitter notes on the nose, with little of that lactic tang. On the tongue the sweetness disappears, leaving quite a bitter and fragrant collection of notes. The characteristic sour cream note appears only fleetingly on the finish and the tongue. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Jura Distillery Cask 2441 18yo

Jura Distillery Cask 2441 (18yo)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands 
Golden
56.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, red grapes, strawberry laces, nectarines, leather, honey, hints of tobacco leaf. With water, sour cream, tyre rubber, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, expands slightly, syrupy, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Peanuts, peat, smoke, honey, sea salt, butterscotch, nectarines, leather. With water, lemon sweets, peanuts, tyre rubber, sea salt. 
Finish: Long. Ginseng, nectarines, peat, leather, smoke. 

Comments: 

Drawn from the cask in January 2021. Well, this is Jura on the nose, but on the tongue it resembles something else. High strength Ardmore perhaps. I especially liked the long bitter finish, very tasty indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Jura 8yo 1999/2007 Crinan Classic Boat Festival

Jura 8yo 1999/2007 Crinan Classic Boat Festival

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands 
Golden 
52.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peanuts, peat, leather, smoke, lemon sweets, honey, hints of grape jelly. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, airy, loosens, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Peanuts, lemon sweets, chalk, peat, smoke, cranberries, honey, hints of rolled oats, hints of wet stones. 
Finish: Medium. Bitter, chalk, wet stones, lemon sweets. 

Comments: 

Quite an unusual Jura, little of that sour cream funkiness is evident. Instead there is plenty of minerally flavour, chalk, stones, peat, alongside some citrus sweetness. But the overall flavour profile is bitter throughout. Challenging whisky, not easy to drink a lot of. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Isle of Jura 1977 (Juar) 34yo 1977/2012

Isle of Jura 1977 (Juar) 34yo 1977/2012

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands 
Golden, hints of bronze
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peaches, malted grains, watermelon rind, greengages, hints of cucumbers. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, slightly tingly, static. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. White grapes, ginseng, peaches, malted grains, pears, greengages, hints of sour cream. 
Finish: Long. Green tea, greengages, malted grains, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Another old Jura, but this one perhaps not so fine. This one is sweeter, the funk reduced to a little whisper, amid lots of fruit notes. It’s a little washed out, the flavours less well defined, less intense.

Verdict:

I like this.

Isle of Jura 28yo 1992/2020

Isle of Jura 28yo 1992/2020

Lady of the Glen, Hannah Whisky Merchants
Single malt - Islands 
Golden
41.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, white grapes, magic marker, sweet peas, hints of Brussels sprouts. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Sour cream, magic marker, white grapes, lemon zest, brass polish, hints of rhubarb and custard sweets, hints of Brussels sprout. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, lemon zest, nectarines, rhubarb. 

Comments: 

A fine old Jura, lots of vegetal notes, up to and including Brussels sprouts. It’s fairly weird, but also quite enjoyable. The typical funk is there, but it fades quickly to all manner of sweet things. And sprouts.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Isle of Jura 26yo 1988/2014

Isle of Jura 26yo 1988/2014

Rare Cask Selection, Pearls of Scotland 
Single malt - Islands 
Golden
51.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, leather, vanilla, cardboard, lemon sweets, dried mangoes, hints of musk. With water, leather, green apples. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, slightly sticky, thickens, cool. 
Tasting:  Bitter. Lemon sweets, musk, leather, sour cream, watermelon rind, white grapes, hints of pears. With water, green tea, pears, green apples, musk. 
Finish: Short. Leather, vanilla, musk, sour cream, pears. 

Comments: 

Very funky Jura, to the extent that the sour cream tips over into notes of musk and even rotting fruit. This one is more ‘green’ and vegetal than the other ones I had in this little tasting session. Those were more ‘red’, with notes of stone fruit and red fruit. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura Boutique Barrels 1996/2010 for Feis Isle 2010

Jura Boutique Barrels 1996/2010 for Feis Isle 2010

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands 
Amber
54% ABV
Dram

Nose: Mint, chocolate, honey, cream, vanilla, watermelon rind, hints of sour cream. With water, black tea, white grapes, lohan fruit. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Chocolate, honey, lemon sweets, white grapes, vanilla, lohan fruit, black tea. With water, sweeter, chocolate, dried apricots, dried raspberries, lemon sweets. 
Finish: Medium. Watermelon rind, white grapes, lemon sweets, leather, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Rather sweet, not in flavour necessarily but the notes that abound and are wreathed through the whisky. The funk is there, but faint, there’s much more cream and vanilla. But it’s not over-oaked, the vanilla is subtle and complex. 

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 31.29 (Jura 25yo 1989/2015)

SMWS 31.29 (Jura 25yo 1989/2015)

2015, SMWS
Single malt - Islands
Bronze
52.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, lemon sweets, watermelon rind, strawberries, white grapes, hints of overripe peaches. With water, white grapes, watermelon rind, photocopy paper, hints of cucumbers. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour bitter. Lemon sweets, malted grains, white grapes, sultanas, green tea, beeswax, hints of honey. With water, green tea, candle wax, bitter. 
Finish: Medium. White grapes, malted grains, green tea, hints of sour cream. 

Comments: 

Old-ish Jura, which has a pleasant set of fruit notes alongside the sour cream funk. That seems to be how Jura ages, the fruit notes start to intensify around the two decade mark, and it starts to become a little sweeter. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Isle of Jura 21yo 1998/2020

Isle of Jura 21yo 1998/2020

Monologue, Chapter 7
Single malt - Islands
Straw
55.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, ink, lime juice, breadcrumbs, linseed oil, hints of dill. With water, sea salt, roast chicken. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, expands, airy, loosens.  
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lime juice, sour cream, preserved lemons, evaporated milk, white wine, sea salt, hints of mint. With water, sour cream, malted grains, coriander, white grapes. 
Finish: Long. Lime juice, lemon juice, black tea, ginseng, hints of dill. 

Comments: 

Another herbal Jura, this time with mint and dill. It’s quite tart and citrusy too, and opens up beautifully into a wave of meatiness with a few drops of water. Again, very pleasant indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Isle of Jura 21yo 1998/2019

Isle of Jura 21yo 1998/2019

Hidden Spirits Whiskey Company
Single malt - Islands
Silver
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, fresh cut grass, sea salt, malted grains, lemon zest, hints of tarragon, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sour. Lemon zest, fresh cut grass, sea salt, leather, green tea, preserved lemons, hints of peach. 
Finish: Medium. Preserved lemons, green olives, peaches, tarragon, leather. 

Comments: 

In this whisky, the typical Jura funk is melded with herbal, slightly savoury flavours, reminiscent of tarragon and green olives. This is really excellent and unusual, not a regular flavour bomb. Very spirit forward and well aged, with flavours that I like. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Jura 18yo

Jura 18yo

Official bottling 
Single malt - Islands
Amber red
44% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, sour cream, red wine, cinder toffee, hickory, black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, mouth coating, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Sour cream, sea salt, orange peel, coffee, blackcurrant cordial, hickory. 
Finish: Long. Orange peel, hay, coffee, cinder toffee. 

Comments: 

It’s been a while since I had a Jura, and this is the first in a long series of them. Well, Jura is a little funky, and in this red wine finish, that funk tastes a little like sour cream. Lots of wood and toffee as well in this newish official expression.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura 12yo 2007/2019 Elements

Jura 12yo 2007/2019 Elements

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islands
Amber
54.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, cream, fresh baked bread, caramel, lemon sweets, cinnamon.  
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, tingly, slightly astringent. 
Tasting:  Sour. White grapes, pears, anise, lemon sweets, cinnamon.  
Finish: Long. Salted caramel, anise, lemon sweets, hints of raisins.

Comments: 

Cask 13814. This is a PX cask, so lots of sweet notes. Surprisingly the whisky isn’t that sweet, the main note is lemon. It’s at a good strength, but I didn’t feel the need to add water. It was good as it was. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Isle of Jura 21 yo

Isle of Jura 21 yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Orange
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon, glace cherries, malted grains, hints of smoke. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, slightly watery around the edges. 
Tasting: Sweet. Oak, orange peel, glace cherries, candied ginger, vanilla, hints of wood polish. 
Finish: Short. Oak, vanilla, orange peel, tangerines, candied ginger, hints of smoked beef. 

Comments: 

Soft, citrusy and gentle... but with a sting in the tail! On the nose it's a toasty smoky note just hovering below the surface. On the tongue, it's a meaty, smoky presence, right at the end of the whisky, which reminds me of nothing so much as grilled bresaola. What's that? You haven't tried grilled bresaola? Give it a go. Crisp it up beneath the grill, put it on a baguette, with good cheddar, and a handful of rocket. That's what this whisky reminds me of, just a little.

Verdict:

I like this.

Isle of Jura 22 yo 1992

Isle of Jura 22 yo 1992

Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single malt - Islands
Bright yellow
47.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Freshly baked bread, lemon zest, vanilla, orange peel, freshly mown grass, hints of leather.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, expands, turns watery.
Tasting: Sweet salty. Freshly baked bread, lemon zest, honey, vanilla, orange peel, hints of leather, hints of pomeloes.
Finish: Medium. Vanilla, freshly baked bread, honey, orange peel.

Comments:

Cask 10362. A Burns Night whisky, chosen mostly at random. This whisky is cereally, slightly burnt, and fragrant. The effect is rather like standing in front of an oven where a freshly baked loaf is about to be taken out. Not just any loaf though - this one is redolent with fruit peel and sweetened with honey. Good whisky, but it's a little low in strength I think. Bottled slightly too late perhaps (but that would be carping).

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura Elements (Water) 1989

Jura Elements (Water) 1989

Official bottling
Single malt - Islands
Amber
49.6% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, vanilla, winter melon, vanilla, pine, honey, hints of golden syrup, hints of coconut.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, turns watery, loosens, cool.
Tasting: Sweet. Winter melon, vanilla, honey, golden syrup, hints of brown paper, hints of walnut skins.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, brown paper, winter melon.

Comments:

For an expression styled "Water", the whisky doesn't actually need any water! There are few hints of its Jura origin, with some pine present only in the nose. The floral chemical notes have been transmuted to something resembling winter melon (not too sweet, harsher than say honeydew melons). Interesting Jura.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jura Experimental

Jura Experimental

Indie, Matthew Forrest
Single malt - Islands
Light gold
58.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, peanuts, honey, orange peel, leather, tobacco leaf, hints of pine, hints of raisins. With water, sweeter, tobacco, salt caramel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, slightly watery around the edges, hot.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Peanuts, peat, honey, leather, tobacco leaf, pine, raisins, hints of new plastic. With water, sweeter, more toffee, salt caramel.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, peat, new plastic, pine.

Comments:

Cask #1125, 705 bottles. This was vatted in 2002, half 3 yo with half 30 yo. It's hard to tell this is a Jura! The characteristic piney notes are very faint on the nose and on the tongue. There's a lot of peat and nuts.

Verdict:

I like this.