Review by: The Muskox

This is another dram from a Toronto Whisky Society tasting I was at last week. u/devoz, who picked the whiskies, has never been one to turn down a funk-fest, so here we have an indie-bottled Jura.

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Distillery: Isle of Jura.

Bottler: Edition Spirits.

Region: Islands.

ABV: 50.1%, cask strength.

Age: 14 years old. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2021.

Cask type: Cask #HL18376, a sherry butt.

Price: $145 CAD for 700 mL in Alberta.

Color: Gold. No colour added, un-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sweet and funky. Sort of a stale, musty, slightly sulfurous, almost cardboard-y funk. Maybe even a bit butyric. It’s not all bad though – there’s creamy butterscotch, baked apples, rum balls, and holiday-spiced fruitcake. Moderate sherry influence overall. Earthy notes of tobacco and forest floor. Sugar shack and pencil shavings.

Palate: Arrives sweet with tangerine, ginger, cream soda, and rum-raisin ice cream, then gets much more bitter. Heavy wood notes, as well as Angostura bitters, leather, sandalwood, and clove. Slightly piney. Another hint of sulfur and cardboard.

Finish: Short, sweetening up a little. Sweet dark fruit, cream soda, star anise, and old oak. A bit sulfurous. Blue cheese funk.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Last year’s gingerbread house found in the back of a closet”

Notes: It might not have been the worst at the tasting (in my opinion), but it’s not great. There’s serious funk throughout this dram. Thankfully, it isn’t the extreme cask-sulfur that instantly turns me off, but more cheesy and musty. Which is its own kind of bad. And of course, there’s a bit of sulfur in there too, just for good measure. That said, there are some reasonable flavours in here, like that cream soda and butterscotch, and especially on the palate you almost forget that you’re drinking a Jura. It’s almost enjoyable.

Final Score: 68.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.