Jura Origin 10 Year

Tasting no5

One of the stops on our little group's Scottish malts tasting journey, this one courtesy of Lee (thank you Lee!). Nose: a bit weak, honey and floral? How is this an Islander? I imagine Islanders bursting with brine and salt. Taste: better, now getting some Island DNA. Still, disguising itself as a Speysider. Finish: quick, and bitter. Interesting. Tasted blind, I'd think a young Speysider.

A cold and crisp Sunday evening finds me in front of the wood stove where streaming 1980’s music is playing. And so, I find myself reminiscing about my days of yore with the Jura 10 in my hands, provided through a small group of mates on a scotch journey: the SDT (thanks Lee). The atmosphere is all perfectly set for a nice, complex, contemplative dram. Alas, this would not be the case. The nose is rather faint. An earthy, mineral quality forms a soft aromatic foundation. Honey, sweet tea with a slight maltiness are most dominant; the qualities one may find in a Highlander, not an Islander. The liquid has a very thin mouthfeel with the simple flavors of honey, sweet tea, with oranges or tangerines. A small amount of maritime saltiness can be detected. All this simplicity leads to a short finish. Small amount of oak-drying tannins remain, with a touch of orange bitters and toffee. This is a rather simple whisky that does venture much beyond the parameters of itself, from nose to finish, it is the same profile: tea, honey and citrus. This would possibly be slightly improved and a bit more complexity with a punched-up ABV, say 43% to 46%. It’s not a bad dram, just not a sophisticated one. It makes a nice summer sipper or an introductory single malt. [Dry Glass: Sweet tea with lemon][84/100][Tasted: 3/5/17] *200th Distiller Note.

Stop number 4 on the SDT is Isle of Jura. This is the only distillery on the island of Jura, which is sparsely populated (under 200 people per Wikipedia). It is a minimum 40% ABV, it is chill filtered and has colorant added that creates a deep amber color. The nose is quite malty with a good amount of honey. Light fresh oak and cardboard. Earthy and vegetal with underripe fruits like berries or melon. Thick toffee and syrup with a bit of roasted nuts and vanilla. There is also some lemony citrus. After time in the glass I got a brief hit of coffee grounds. Light and malty on the palate. Light fruitiness and pepper. Semi sweet. A hint of smoke but not nearly enough in my opinion. A fairly boring dram. More oily than expected for the mouthfeel considering that its chill filtered, but it is light bodied. The finish is medium short with light oak and toffee. This was my first offering from Jura so I didn't know what to expect. Everything about this single malt screams Highland or Speyside. Not at all like an Island whisky. It's very light and kind of jumbled. I would not recommend this to anyone that is a peat head or likes stronger flavors. Not a bad option to keep in the bar for your friends who want a whisky but don't want a WHISKY lol. Thank to Lee for the sample.