Origin: Isle of Jura (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Emperador Inc. (Whyte & Mackay Ltd.)
Average price: € 50.00
Official website: jurawhisky.com
Part of Jura’s 2018 relaunch of its core range (the Signature Series), this 12-year-old is second on the distillery’s list of declared ages, which starts at 10 years and goes up to 21, along with several NAS (non-age-statement) expressions. As always, it is presented at minimum strength with some colouring and filtration.
Matured in ex-bourbon barrels, followed by unspecified finishing in ex-oloroso sherry casks.
Tasting Notes
The nose reveals sweet and enveloping tones, on the one hand vanilla, acacia honey, marzipan, fruit (peach, apple, cherries, ripe pear, dried apricot, melon), on the other hand spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), sandalwood, coffee candy and flowers. The latter tend towards the withered, if not quite rotten, at the bottom of the nose, giving an unexpected twist to the experience. There is a massive presence of nuts, including hazelnuts and pecans. Impactful.
It has a good consistency in the mouth for its low alcohol content, although most of the sweet and pastry-like notes fade into the background to make way for bitter and pungent tones, from spices that raise the bar with black pepper and ginger to herbaceous notes of liquorice root, tea leaves, bay leaves and cloves. There is a slight hint of coffee and milk chocolate, while the presence of nuts and that mouldy sensation, veering towards wood and wet paper, is confirmed.
The finish is not very long, spiced with cloves and ginger, with vegetal notes, nuts, chocolate and wet wood.
Review: Jura certainly cannot be said to lack personality, recognisable in that note between wet wood and macerated paper, not exactly pleasant and which is also noticeable here. All in all, it is not an unpleasant drink, certainly inexpensive for a twelve-year-old, but difficult to place.
Vote: 80/100