Jura 1984

Jura is a strange place by all accounts. There’s one bar, one hotel and, allegedly, one brothel. And, of course, there’s one distillery. But it’s best claim to fame is that it’s where Orwell wrote 1984. Orwell is one of my literary heroes (every student of English should read his essay on how to make a cup of tea) so this whisky had a lot to live up to when it was poured at an epic Jura vertical tasting this week. It was not the 30-year-old listed year but an earlier version released in 2013 at 19 years old. This one was finished in Palo Cortado sherry casks and limited to 4,800 bottles at an ABV of 42%. Fortunately, it was very good, but alas I did not take notes and my memory of the details has faded. Suffice to say it was complex and well balanced and not overpowered by the sherry finish (unlike the red-wine cask lipstick slapped on Jura’s 18-year-old pig). Jura does make a decent distillate - I liked the 10 - and clearly it can age well. Some of the older independent bottlings we tried on the night were very good. This makes me suspect they have had a problem with their cask management over the last couple of decades, which in turn suggests they have potential to redeem themselves in time as the older generation at owner Whyte & Mackay hands over the reins to the likes of ex-Compass Box blender Gregg Glass. If so, we may be nearing the end of Jura’s dystopian days.

Big fat Greek wedding with allot of cash... Ahyeah