Jura 'Water' 12yo, 2007-2019, Old Particular
ABV: 53.7%
Region: Highlands (Isle of Jura)
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: Douglas Laing (The Elements Collection)
Cask type: PX Sherry Butt Finish (573 btl.)

 

Colour: Amber.
Nose: Subtly coastal with sea air, paired with a light herbal note and a nice honey sweetness. This is followed by vanilla cream and fruity notes of orange and ripe peach. Rum raisins followed by again slightly maritime notes and oak wood in the back.
Palate: Sweet and creamy on the palate with oranges, dried fruit and wild flower honey. Light oiliness paired with warming spices, such as ginger and cinnamon, and salted caramel. Maritime notes and freshness develop later.
Finish: The finish is long lasting with sweetish notes of barley sugar, some bitter almond and again salty caramel.
With water: The addition of water makes the Jura a little more lively on the nose with fresh sea air, orange oil and brown sugar. The sweetish honey notes take a back seat. Still sweet but also strong on the palate with honey, vanilla, cinnamon and some ginger. The finish is a bit shorter and less maritime, but more honey sweetness, creamy caramel and a touch of oak.
Comments: This 12-year-old Jura is the fourth and last bottling from the Old Particular Elements Collection by Douglas Laing. Finished in a Pedro Ximénez sherry butt, this single malt stands out for its excellent balance of sweetness, fruitiness, spices and maritime freshness. The diverse spectrum of flavours changes visibly in the glass, bringing out the individual layers to perfection. A great whisky, which is not overpowered by the sherry but underlines the distillery character of Jura. A dram that convinces all along the line and leaves a powerful impression.

 

I thank Douglas Laing for the photograph!


Jura 21yo, 1998-2019, XOP - Xtra Old Particular
ABV: 52.6%
Region: Highlands (Isle of Jura)
Price per bottle: °°°°°
Bottling: Douglas Laing
Cask type: Refill Barrel (# DL13518, 251 btl.)

 

Colour: Gold.
Nose: Quite lively on the nose. Fruity start with citrus fruits and pear sorbet. Freshness with sea air, vanilla sweetness, a light ginger spice and a touch of oak.
Palate: Sweet and spicy on the palate with malted barley, vanilla and toffee. Fruity notes of lime peel, star fruit, physalis and pineapple. Nicely warming and mouth-coating.
Finish: The finish is long with sticky fruit, honey, spices and a touch of dry oak.
With water: After adding a few drops of water, this Islander becomes more peppery on the nose and much less prickling, but remains sweet with lots of vanilla and orchard fruits. A lot of fruit on the palate with banana and creamy jam, slightly warming and prickling with subtle spices. The finish is somewhat shorter with a creamy fruit sweetness and a little dry oak.
Comments: This tasty single malt from the Isle of Jura has spent its whole life in a refill barrel, which offers wonderful notes of toffee, tropical fruits and lively citrus. The addition of water softens the warming alcoholic spiciness and pushes sweet and fruity aromas to the fore. A real pleasure after a good meal.

 

I thank Douglas Laing for the photograph!


Jura 12yo, 2006-2018, Provenance, Coastal Collection
ABV: 48%
Region: Highlands (Isle of Jura)
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: Douglas Laing
Cask type: Refill Butt (# DL12576, 383 btl.)

 

Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Fresh start on the nose with coastal aroma followed by lingering citric fruits, honey and vanilla. Apricots are coming through, nicely mingling with a touch of caramel and a whiff of spiciness in the back - pepper in particular.
Palate: Sweet with a creamy texture on the palate. Delicate fruitiness of apricots and redcurrant, accompanied by brown sugar, caramel and vanilla. Slightly warming with a hint of oaky spiciness and black pepper.
Finish: The finish shows medium length with creamy vanilla, citrus and slightly dry oak.

With water: There's more citric fruits coming through when a few drops of water are added while the sweetness and spicy flavours are a bit tamed. Still sweet on the palate with vanilla and brown sugar followed by a hint of oak spice. The finish is medium long to short, slightly warming, less sweet but more drying with oak.
Comments: Douglas Laing's 2nd Provenance Coastal Collection is a fresh whisky from the island of Jura, which has absorbed only a few sherry aromas from the refill butt, but has wonderful citrus and apricot flavours that are accompanied by a pleasant spiciness. Nicely balanced and with 48% abv it is very drinkable. An ideal companion for a walk on the beach of Jura.

 

I thank Douglas Laing  for the complimentary sample and the image!


Jura 1997-2012, G&M Connoisseurs Choice
ABV: 46%
Region: Highlands (Isle of Jura)
Price per bottle: °°
Bottling: Gordon & MacPhail
Cask type:
Refill Sherry Hogshead

 

Colour: Pale straw.
Nose: Soft and fruity on the nose with yellow apples, apricots and papaya. This is complemeted by lingering notes of vanilla, toffee and butterscotch. Hints of spiced oak and honey in the back.
Palate: The fruits continue on the palate with apples, melon and papaya. Warming spices emerge with oak, pepper and allspice. Sweet notes of honey and malt, with slightly dry cocoa powder and walnuts towards the finish. Round and mellow.

Finish: The finish is medium-long and oily with slightly warming spiced oak, pepper and allspice. Hints of peaches, butterscotch and a whiff of bitter orange peel on the tail.
With water: Clean, sweet and very fruity on the nose with green apples and plenty of vanilla. On the palate, however, water tames the delicate fruitiness bringing more spices and dry oak to the fore, nicely mixed with creamy honey. The finish shows medium length with a slightly oily and warming sweetness of acacia honey, spiced oak and a lingering nuttiness.
Comments: Wow, so many layers of fruit! This is a smooth, oily and very fruity single malt with a good spicy counterpart. It's more the yellow and exotic fruitiness than the dark cherries, dates and raisins derived from a sherry cask. However, this gives the filigree flavours of vanilla, toffee and discreet spiciness more space to evolve. Deliciously refreshing and dangerously quaffable.

 

I thank Kirsch Whisky - The House of Whiskies for the sample and the photograph (displaying the bottling of 2015)!


Jura 16yo, Diurachs‘ Own
ABV: 40%
Region: Highlands (Isle of Jura)
Price per bottle: °
Bottling: Distillery
Cask type: American White Oak (14 years) and Ex-Amoroso Oloroso Sherry Casks (2 years)

 

Colour: Bright amber.
Nose: A bit funky at first but improves very well over time. Malt sweetness emerges with fruity aromas of berries, redcurrant, gentle orange and a slightly floral touch. Sweet with Demerara sugar, caramel, and gingerbread. Creamy and rich with a gentle touch of almonds, dark chocolate and delicate cinnamon spice.
Palate: Round and mellow. Creamy and resinous with sherry like sweetness, lingering nutty flavours, complemented by a warm mix of soft spices - oak, white pepper, cinnamon and caramelised ginger. Sweetness again arrives with sticky orange jam and milk chocolate. Rich, mouth-coating and deliciously smooth.
Finish: The finish is long and sweet with tender warm spices, cinnamon and caramelised sugar in the back. Slightly drying with fragrant oak on the tail.
With water: Clean and lively on the nose with significant more pepper coming through. Sweet and creamy on the palate with less warming spices and some additional notes of prickling oak on the tongue. The finish is long, sweet, with a slightly warm spiciness and some bitter notes of grapefruit and orange peel, followed by a lingering nuttiness.
Comments: This is an exquisite dram. Many, many flavours to explore. Very well balanced, smooth and rich with a delicate fruitiness, soft and slightly warm spices, sweet with an underlying nuttiness. A well rounded and comforting malt with great depth. Sit, back, relax and savour slowly this dram of choice for the people of Jura. A very positive surprise to me!

 

I thank Joe Seidel from Joe’s Malt Shop for the photograph.