Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Jura.

Bottler: Cadenhead’s.

Region: Islands (Jura).

ABV: 57.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 13 years. Distilled in 2009. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: 11 years in refill ex-bourbon, 2 years in an ex-Manzanilla hogshead.

Price: Seem to recall £15-20 for 200mL, though I’ve lost the receipt.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.

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Nose: chocolate, hazelnut, allspice, turmeric, pastry dough, Pixy Stix, purple candy, a hint of Kraft cheese powder, juniper, some ripe yellow fruits.

Palate: medium body ~ lots of spices, tons of black pepper, salt, yellow fruit, curry powder.

Finish: medium length ~ more pepper, sharp cheese, minerals, more purple grape candy, some more yellow fruits.

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Conclusion: Super bizarre, in keeping with most Juras I have tried thus far. I actually really liked this, and don’t know what to do with that…because on paper, these notes shouldn’t work together at all, and frankly, they almost don’t. zSolaris tried this blind and couldn’t decide if it was one of the more divisive whiskies he had tried, or the best gin he’d tried. Though our palates are quite different, I know the juniper and spices certainly could make me lean in the latter direction as well. I also just don’t know what to do with the unusual spices paired with an almost Nutella-like first impression on the nose. It is very easy to drink even at 100 Imperial proof, and water didn’t really unlock anything appreciable when I experimented with it. The low bottle count of 72 in this release makes me wonder if something strange happened to this cask, but obviously that’s pure speculation.

In short, it’s good, and that’s weird. Or maybe it’s weird, and that’s good.

Final Score: 80.

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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.