Isle Of Jura Boutique Barrels 1999

55% abv

Score:  87/100

Mmmm.  Jura takes on Islay.  Not in terms of heft, but profile.  This is a malt that bears all the hallmarks of the peated beasts from Islay, but also doesn’t quite wedge itself into any one particular distillery’s mold.  It has a hint of that tangy Ardbeg citric note…a fair lot of the farminess so redolent in many of the Bruichladdich peat monsters…an elegance typified by the slightly more advanced aging Lagavulin uses to great effect…and the iodine medicinal edge of a Laphroaig.  Neato.  We like.

Having said all of that…this most closely reminds me of some sherried Caol Ila indies I’ve tried.  All of which would have likley been peated to Diageo’s usual Lag/CI specs of 30-35 ppm, I believe.  According to the bottle, this sits squarely in that phenolic range.

This is a young whisky, for all intents and purposes (11 years, I believe?), but that’s a good thing.  When you want to taste the true might of peat smoke, you want it young.  Peat is exceedingly sexy as it ages, but loses its pungency.  For those with a nose for the billows of hellfire and ash…this will be a malt you want to get your paws on sooner than later.  It fires on all cylinders in these regards.

Though it says ‘Bourbon XU Cask Finish’ I would not be at all surprised to find out there are some sherried casks in here before it gets that ‘finish’ they refer to.  There is a sweetness here that is not completely defined by the vanilla-heavy and spicy bourbon influence.  It’s more of a deep rich dried fruit sweetness.

An extra point or two for uniqueness.  One or two off for a slight topheavyness.  Should be a wash, but ultimately leaves us with a fairly high scoring Jura release.  I like this one.  Quite a lot.  Strong competing notes…but it works.  Harmony through dissonance.

Nose:  Peat and smoke.  A little cola.  Lemon and orange juices.  Some dark figgy fruits and a lot of hefty spice, pepper especially.  Kinda cheese-y (sharp cheddar and Parmesan Regiano).  Mild burnt notes…maybe rubber.  Tarry and iodine-rich.  Very barnyard and farmy.

Palate:  Of course the peat and smoke are first.  Sharp cheeses again.  Smoke.  Weedy and floral.  Nice finish.  Long and very vibrant.  Shines all the way through.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura Boutique Barrels 1993

54% abv

Score:  89/100

Jura Vintage ’93.  Bottle says Sherry JI Cask Finish.  If anyone can share what the JI means…please do.

I have to confess right up front here.  I did read Serge’s of this whisky over at his site Whisky Fun.  Occasionally the power of suggestion can be overwhelming, and we find ourselves being subconsciously led without even really knowing what we’re following, let alone why.

Where I’m going with this one is…

Serge mentions raspberries, and I simply can’t wrap my head (or nose) around this one without being drawn back to that note.  It’s a very unique nuance, and incredibly defining in this whisky.  Not only that…it’s really quite lovely.  Kinda makes me marvel this isn’t a Speyside malt from one of the sherry heavyhitters.  Either way…I could drink this frequently.  Very frequently.

Big, big, big sweet Oloroso is stamped all over this one.  The effects of this sort of maturation or finishing on malts are often irresistable to me.  From the nose to the palate, these whiskies leave me salivating.  Other sherries work, of course, but Oloroso and single malt were meant to be together.  Bonnie and Clyde…Mickey and Mallory…Sid and Nancy.  That sort of story.  Each walked their own path through this world, but when they finally came together…nothing was the same afterwards.

Nose:   Sweet honeyed florals and a touch of dunnage.  Jammy notes.  Raspberry, by the buckets.  Quite some fresh fruit here.  Freshly ground dark roast.  Hay…like following the swather on the farm.  Match (but not sulphur), and maybe even a faint waft of smoke.

Palate:  Juicy, but slowly dries along the back sides of the tongue, like arid ground swallowing rain.  A lot of honey, and quite some spicy bourbon-ish notes.  Oak and barley follows all in a rather dry finale.  A little too hard a thump on the landing here.  Takes us into a dry herbal territory, not far off the finish of somethign like an anCnoc.  Would prefer a more refined ebb and fade, but beggars can’t be chosers.  This is a really good dram.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura Mountain Of The Sound

46% abv

Score:  84/100

Hmmm…Cabernet Sauvignon wine finished single malts.  Not sure how to weigh in here in a politically correct manner, so let’s not even try.  These two libations, while often delicious in their own rights, are not good bedfellows.  There may be a correct balance to be struck between them, but in the few instances I’ve tried whiskies finished (matured?) in this manner the distillers have missed the mark.  Hate to generalize, but at this point I’m gonna go on record and say it really doesn’t work.

Having said that…I went into this whisky rather blindly.  Hadn’t read a label…seen a proper picture…or heard anything about the age/finish/strength/what have you.  I knew it was Jura, and one of three releases in the ‘Paps’ collection.  That’s really about it.

The paps, if you’re not fully aware, are the three peeks on Jura right near the Sound of Islay.  You can stare down their rather imposing physiques from the Northeast side of Islay, preferably with a dram of Caol Ila or Bunnahabhain in hand.  Trust me…I’ve done so a couple of times now.  ‘Paps’ is quite literally a reference to what you’d think it is.  Boobies.  Yep.  You’re smiling now, ain’tcha?

So…to recap:  limited release Jura…15 years old…finished in ex-Cabernet Sauvignon barrels.  I have to admit that what we ultimately end up with is not a bad whisky, it is simply outside my favored profiles (of which I have many).  Pick this one up (and the other two) for the story…for a neat range tasting…for a quirky offshoot from the Jura range, but do come in with eyes open that this is not typical of the distillery.

By the way…full disclosure:  I have not tried the other two in the series.  I’ve tasted this against other Juras, but not the Mountain Of Gold or The Sacred Mountain.

Found this on the Jura Info site:  “There has been many a dram fuelled discussion about the witch of Jura causing the deep glacial scar that runs down one fell.  And many debate whether it’s true that the Paps are the burial chambers of giant Norse warriors.”

Cool shit, huh?

Nose:  Oddly enough…buttery.  Fruity (yes…quite some grapes…and pepper!).  Salty tang.  Very vaguely, distantly, minutely, just hintingly lightly sweaty (but NOT in a bad way!).  More pepper and a bit of very fresh black tea.  Vanilla.  Gingerbread.

Palate:  Wine-ish.  Maybe some peat.  Can’t quite put my finger on it, but reminds me of another whisky I’ve tasted in the last couple of years.  Most probably a Bruichladdich of some sort.  Quite drying.  Puckers me a fair bit.  Also somewhat bitter, but mellows after some time.  In all honesty, that mellowing takes a fair bit of time.  Denouement into sugar cookies and fruit.  Very nice back end.  Again…salty, then into plum skins.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura Superstition

43% abv

Score:  83.5/100

This is sort of the ‘moderately peated’ Jura in the range.  The packaging says ‘lightly peated’, but I can’t help but wonder…is that simply based on acknowledging some of the ridiculous acrobatics of a few of the Islay heavyweights in recent years?  Not sure, but I believe this whisky has a legitimate claim to step up and declare itself a wee bit beefier than it’s letting on.  Hey…let’s face it…peat sells.  Ask Ardbeg.

Superstition is apparently a vatting of fiery young peated malt and some slightly older (though I’d be surprised if older than 12 or so) standard Jura.  Could be.  If so, it certainly integrates the two styles well.  I had assumed it was just a lid-level peating of the everyday Jura malt.

I’ve said it before, and will do so here again….these sort of entry level positioned Jura releases would benefit from bottling at a slightly higher abv.  Just seems a tad weak-ish when it comes to delivery.  Jura is still a wild, rugged and untamed island.  Let’s see some of that primeval might bottled in these releases, with which the distillery likes to play to some of the island’s lore.  (Do some research on Jura.  Neat stuff there and around).

If you dig this whisky, I would suggest taking the leap of faith and grabbing a bottle of Jura’s ‘profoundly peated’ Prophecy (their marketing, not my adjective prowess).  It’s most definitely a phenolic heavyweight, but not only the next logical step in the range, but also a damn fine dram in it’s own right.

Nose:  Malt-heavy and quite organic.  Some feinty new make notes still detectable, but that’s just the whisky showing its scrappiness, and shouldn’t much detract.  A mate said this was a peated version of the Origin (well…my words, his sentiments).  I see where he’s coming from, as some of the fruit melange and honey come through here, with a bit of a spicy and nutty character.  It does have a slightly old school vibe too.  I’d almost (I say ‘almost’…don’t crucify me) peg this as a w&M blend.

Palate:  Slightly off-kilter (but no more so than many of the rather charming oddballs that come out of Bruichladdich), though fruity and pleasant.  Somewhat slightly grassy.  Some of those young feisty feint notes here as well.  Not quite as good as the nose, but quite drinkable with a lot of individual character.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura Boutique Barrels 1996

56.5% abv

Score:  90/100

Yes!  Here we go.  A Jura to seriously build a long-lasting relationship to the distillery with.

Jura and I never really cozied up together at first.  I found ‘er to be a little snarky and unpleasant.  She probably found me somewhat aloof and stand-offish…maybe even snobby.

We’re working on it though, and day by day (ahem…dram by dram) putting our differences behind us.  Let’s not call it love yet, but we’re certainly ‘in like’.  A very pleasant experience with a 25 year old Jura while touring Islay a few months back helped.  A recent bout of make-up sex with the 10 y.o. Origin moved us closer still.  And finally…a revisiting of the heavily peated Prophecy (of which I am a fan) brought me to the point of being ready to sit down and work things out.

This 1996 Boutique Barrels expression was one eighth of a recent Jura tasting I and a mate did.  It was a top three finisher of the eve.  Being as I believe this one is still relatively accessible on the open market, it seemed a great time to share a few thoughts on what is a rather impressive outing from Jura.

This range of Jura releases is exciting in that it is taking the distillery away from the generally low strength standard releases they are more famously known for, and throwing them up against the heavyweights out there already acquiescing to discerning consumer demand for stronger, better and craft presentation.  Not only are they now playing along…they’re viable and earning accolades.  Rightfully so.

Good whisky.  Good presentation.

Nose:  Slightly synthetic sweetness, but very pleasant.  VERY pleasant.  Some peach and other fruits.  York mint patties.  Nice spices…cinnamon, nutmeg.  Not far off some of those Amrut profile zestynotes.  Some rising bread dough.  Glue/putty/fluor paste.  Stewed tomato.  Very cool…very singular nose.

Palate:  Quite some peach again.  Pepper.  A lot of sweet and spicy vanilla notes.  Fresh vanilla pod.  Stays juicy through full development.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt