One can’t help but be intrigued by the Isle of Jura. The deer outnumber its human population (under 200) by a factor of 25 to 1. It has one main road, one hotel, and one distillery that shares its name. The Island also hosts one newly built golf course, Ardfin, which was created by a wealthy Australian hedge fund manager for his own use, and, unfortunately, will not be part of our fall golf trip that covers the Isles of Islay and Arran and the areas of Campbeltown and Glasgow. Jura Prophecy is a good name for this whisky because, frankly, I was totally mystified by this expression. Relatively unimpressed by a bottle of Jura Superstition recently drank, this whisky was a complete surprise. There’s a story behind the moniker, but I will leave that for you to investigate on its box. The distillery is currently owned by whisky producer, Whyte and Mackay, headquartered in Glasgow. This company was under the umbrella of Diageo plc for a brief period, and was sold off to Emperador Distillors and the Alliance Global Group, Inc. in 2014. Jura is another brand you will find everywhere in the UK, but rarely elsewhere for lack of good marketing and ability to grow. Had Diageo not been forced to spin them off over regulatory concerns of their market dominance, I’m sure this distillery would not have been a well kept secret for long. Despite this, production has still grown to 2.2 million liters per year, and Jura whisky is no longer sold as a filler for other blends. Jura Prophecy has been an annual release that only accounts for about 10,000 bottles of this amount. The packaging for this spirit tells you very little about the whisky itself, and their website makes no mention of this product leading one to wonder about its continuation. Prophecy is comprised of four different whiskies aged for up to 23 years and include Jura Superstition, 10 year old Origin, and 16 year old Diurachs’ Own. The latter of these three spends 14 years in American white oak bourbon and 2 years in Oloroso sherry. Now add final aging in French Limousin oak and you end up with a creation so complex it leaves the experts dumbfounded. In 2010 it received the Beverage Testing Institute’s Platinum Metal award. They described it like, “Drinking buried treasure!” The International Wine and Spirits Competition has awarded it Gold and Silvers for “Best in Class,” and it also received “Best in Show” at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Lastly, it has received multiple Silvers from the International Spirits Challenge. When nosing this whisky for the first time it presented a sophisticated elegance I had not previously experienced. I thought it possibly the result of marrying so many disparate parts, but I also wondered about the influence of French Limousin Oak. These casks are the most expensive in the world, and along with Troncais Oak are the only two woods used to age Cognac. The Limousin oak is culled from the section of a century old tree between the heartwood and sapwood. It is then allowed to age for up to three years to oxidize any remaining bitterness, and the wood is known for its rich vanilla properties. Limousin is also more porous than Troncais and Cognac will extract additional tannins from this variety to produce a stronger and better balanced spirit. This characteristic might also account for Prophecy’s rich copper-brown appearance, since there is no color added, according to Jura’s Visitor Center Manager. Additionally, the spirit is non-chill filtered with a healthy 46% ABV. On the box Prophesy simply states, “Heavily Peated, with fresh cinnamon and spicy sea spray”; however, those in the know find this spirit to be mildly peaty and I agree. Some claim this to be a function of the second tallest stills in Scotland, which limits the ability of volatiles to escape their grasp. A drying Glencairn will produce a plush aroma of sawn hardwoods difficult to match. On the nose I find honeyed vanilla, cinnamon, sherry fruitiness, bourbon spiciness, mild peat reek, earthy peat, citrus, maritime saltiness, and other unrecognizable elements. In addition, expert tasters find over 50 other aromas. The taste is medium oily, smooth and dry with everything going on. Buried treasure is a great description because if you are looking for something in this whisky, it’s there. Peppery effervescence, spices, citrus fruits, honeyed vanilla, almonds, subtle smokiness, toasted malts, sea salt, cinnamon, dried fruits, lemon cake and countless others I could quote from the gurus. The finish is enormously satisfying with very little hint of bitterness. This is a tremendous whisky that I rate at 4.25 stars. Its only flaw is a lack of advertised peatiness. Now that the new record is set at 814 words, I promise to cut down on future reviews. Sorry Generously Paul! :)