Review by: dustbunna

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Distillery: Jura.

Bottler: Distillery bottling.

Region: Islands (Jura), Scotland.

ABV: 40%.

Age: 12 years. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: American oak ex-bourbon casks, finished in Oloroso sherry casks.

Price: Gift, goes for $45-50 USD locally for 750mL.

Color added. Chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 7 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: dead decaying wood, yellow fruits, pastry dough, wet forest decay, cherry jam.

Palate: thin mouthfeel ~ biscuits, driftwood, a bit of Kraft cheese in the background, cherry candy, moss, more wet forest decay.

Finish: short ~ caramel, dust, some hints of something floral, goes quite tannic and woody.

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Conclusion: Though I’ve tried a handful of independent bottlings, Jura’s own releases have never really been on my radar or generated much interest for me. A friend gifted me this bottle, and I thought it was a good opportunity to get to know what the distillery does. I’d say that for the first half of its life, it felt like perfectly fine whisky, but not exactly inspiring in its flavors or intensity. The woody, wet decay that takes over once the fill level drops is not exactly pleasant to drink, but it is oddly nostalgic for me as it brings up memories of the wet forests in the Pacific Northwest where I grew up. I think I might have enjoyed this element most when I first encountered it, and it became less and less endearing the more I sat with this whisky—Jura’s always a bit funky to me, but there’s something quite off in the decay notes here that suggests less-than-ideal casks were involved. Eventually I brought the last quarter of this bottle to a friend’s cigar night, where luckily it was a hit (I don’t smoke, so I have to take their impressions at face value.)

Final Score: 71.

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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.