Jura 30 yo 1973
(55%, OB 2003, cask 3155, 468 btl.)

Nose: big notes of cigar boxes mixed with quite some wine and camphor. Interesting. Dried fruits. Makes me think more of Port wine than of sherry. Hints of mint. Mouth: too much wood which means the fruity side of the sherry gets drowned. Rum / raisins. Notes of nutmeg and ginger. It shows nice coastal notes (iodine)? Getting quite resinous and slightly bitter, on Seville oranges. Finish: dry and winey with some salty liquorice.

This Jura is interestingly different but a tad too old. The palate is too oaky for my taste and can’t match the otherwise attractive nose. Worth around € 350 now.

Score: 86/100

This Isle of Jura 1988 was bottled from a bourbon cask, although the colour could easily trick you into thinking it was a sherry cask. The final bottling in the Romantique series.

Isle of Jura 23 yo 1988 (52,9%, The Whisky Agency ‘Romantique’ 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, 201 btl.)

Nose: nicely aromatic. There are ripe fruity notes (oranges, berries) but overall it’s fairly dry, heathery and nutty and it shows a distinct coastal character. Very gentle peat, traces of iodine and light camphor. Hints of tobacco, leather and dried herbs. Cocoa. Great surprise. Mouth: good weight, starting on a herbal sweetness. Lovely old peat and smoke in the background. Light pepper. Faint medicinal elements again. Balances nicely with rounded chocolate, dried oranges and soft spices. Finish: long, drier and earthier, with oranges, cocoa and soft oak.

A great surprise indeed. I would have sworn there are traces of old-style sherried Islay whisky in here. A recent jewel coming from Jura, was anyone expecting this? Well priced as well: around € 110. Highly recommended.

Score: 91/100

Isle of Jura 18 yo 1990 (52,4%, Duncan Taylor 2009, cask #6401, 312 btl.)

Nose: a flintly / mineral profile, but much sweeter than the sharper flintiness as found in some Highlands whisky. Despite the sweetness it’s not really fruity (hints of citrus and apple candy maybe). Also a dusty maltiness with some soaked cereals and soft smoke. A little pepper. Not very sexy but interesting nonetheless. Mouth: develops on the same notes: first sweet notes (pear drops, ), then spicy malt and grains and finally a big wave of grassy and earthy notes. The grassy notes are rather sharp, rather bitter. Water highlights the sugary components. Finish: medium length, with a distinct leafy bitterness.

While the nose was quite positive, it took a nosedive in the palate and finish. Still available in some places. Around € 70.

Score: 78/100

Isle of Jura 11 yo 1999 Boutique Barrels (55%, OB 2010, Bourbon XU cask finish)

Nose: nice profile with obvious peat but also orange skin and lemon grass. Very enticing. A bit of camphor. Flowers and a hint of vanilla. A few sharp cider notes. Water brings out more lemon grass and citrus with a candied edge. Interesting variation on the peat theme. Mouth: a mineral start with apples, quickly taken over by a big wave of pepper, peat and deep smoke. A faint nuttiness in the background. Oranges again. Lemon cake. Some sweet vanilla and liquorice. Interesting wood (pine tree), bigger than I expected it to be at 11 years. Takes water well. Finish: ashes, sweet almond milk and vanilla, slowly getting drier. It takes a while before it has faded completely.

I especially liked the nose, which shows a nice balance between the oak influence and the fresh lemon grass. On the palate it’s a little less spectacular but still really nice. Modern and well crafted. Around € 60.

Score: 85/100

Jura Paps ‘Mountain of Gold’ (46%, OB 2009, Pinot Noir finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: slightly more dusty, with indeed some hints of mushrooms in the distance. Apart from that, lots of cocoa. Almonds and violets. Generally a more spicy profile. Mouth: rather spicy (aniseed, slightly peppery), the most prickly of the trio. Blackberry marmelade. Hints of tobacco and liquorice. Finish: slightly more woody. Drying and peppery.

Personally I think this one has the biggest influence of grapes. It didn’t impress me as much as the other two. Around € 100.

Score: 75/100

Jura Paps ‘Mountain of the Sound’ 
(46%, OB 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: very fruity again, but this one has a slightly nuttier / woodier profile. Hints of blackcurrant and cedar wood with almonds with whiffs of milk chocolate. Cantaloupe (hami melon). Cloves. Mouth: obvious red wine taste. Spicy taste. Orangettes (chocolate covered orange candy), toffee. Sweet and honeyed. Nutmeg towards the end. Finish: spicy cake aroma, nutmeg and chocolate again.

Isle of Jura really managed to get the wine finish right, which is not at all an obvious achievement. In general I’m not a big fan of wine finishes, but this is interesting. Around € 100.

Score: 80/100

Jura Paps ‘Sacred Mountain’
(46%, OB 2009, Barolo finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: fragrant and fruity. You certainly notice the grapes but they’re well integrated. Notes of red berries, tangerine and oranges. Pomegrenate. Lots of floral notes as well: rose water, honeysuckle, some lavender. Really elegant. Mouth: sweet. Slightly more wood influence now, and caramel (natural I guess). Toffee, still some berries and oranges covered in chocolate. Finish: sweet with some wood but still nicely balanced. Not too long though.

I like the nose very much. The typical Barolo aroma of rose petals works very well. Around € 100 which is too expensive though.

Score: 82/100

It’s a mixture of casks with different peat levels and peat styles, finished off by a 1989 oloroso sherry butt from Gonzalez Byass. It’s non-chill-filtered but coloured with caramel, I’m afraid.

Isle of Jura Prophecy (46%, OB 2009)

Nose: good integration of the sherry and the peat. There’s smoke (burnt leaves) but it’s not as profoundly peated as I would have expected. Slightly tarry and even some medicinal notes. Everything’s rounded off by dried fruits, chocolate, hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and oranges. A bit uncommon as a whole maybe, but very enjoyable. Mouth: much more peat now. Starting slightly sweet with fruity notes but soon getting (a lot) drier and spicier (pepper, cinnamon). A good deal of smoke. Overall punchy and clean. Finish: dry smoke coated with liquorice and spices. Medium length.

This new Jura Prophecy is a nice dram and although it’s typically Jura, it presents a new profile at the same time. Around € 55.

Score: 84/100