Jura 27 Year, WhiskySponge No. 46 "Isle of Jura"
Whisky: Jura 27 Year, WhiskySponge No. 46 "Isle of Jura"
Country/Region: Scotland/Islands
ABV: 52.1%
Cask: Refill Barrel, Refill Hogshead
Age: 27 Years (Distilled 1991/1994)
Nose: Apples and quince, a kiss of salt, faint tobacco, used books, citrus, yellow straw/hay
Palate: Medium-bodied, mellow salt, herbal, quince, old tobacco, tamarind, tart apples, cardamon, herbal funk and mild sourness at the end.
Finish: Lingering sour fruits with a kiss of salt.
Score: 5
Mental Image: J. Appleseed’s Used Paperback Emporium
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was fragrant and stuffed full of delightful orchard fruits and quince past with hints of rose hips and pomegranate. The fruit slowly faded as a subtle salt and leather joined with yellowed book bindings and dry pages. A second-hand book shop came to mind with tobacco-infused paperbacks and citrusy air freshener. The palate had mellowed with age as an herbal, almost hoppy, funk lingered after an initial hit of salt, tamarind, and quince. The mustiness of old tobacco and tobacco-infused papers faded to a mild sourness on the finish with tart apples, butter, tarragon, and cardamon. The finish was long with an herbal-fruity sourness.
An herbaceous undercurrent ran throughout this dram and clung to the palate as the last man standing with every sip. I suspect one’s love of this whisky will depend on how one interprets or understands those herbal notes. To me, they were a bit dank— hoppy, almost the aftermath of an IPA explosion— and verged on stale tea or a marijuana-infused beverage. The back end of the dram and my own wrestling match with the overarching herbality reminded me of an older SMWS Ardmore (66.195).
I find a lot to love with Jura, especially when it has a funky maritime edge or the aroma of rotting tamarind pods. There is something deliciously nostalgic about those notes, though this only hinted at them. The funk here ran in a different direction, and while I can understand why some reviewers enjoyed it, I was less enamored with the experience.
Overall, the artwork on the bottle was top-notch, and I would gladly hang a print of it in my home. I believe I am firmly on the lower end of scores and reactions to this whisky, so YMMV.
