Putting the Isle of Jura to the test
When you visit meme-pages that mock the world of whisky, chances are that you have seen the whisky I am going to taste today ridiculed with devilish pleasure. Jura and its much more famous companion in the Whyte & Mackay portfolio, The Dalmore, are a source of fun for the whisky snobs out there. Fact of the matter is that Jura has steadily risen to the top spot in the UK as one of the bestselling single malts. I am curious to find out why. The very accessible pricing on their core products probably does not hurt, but what about the whisky itself?
By asking these questions, I probably reveal already that I am not a regular Jura drinker. Maybe I have grabbed a sample here of there of an independently bottled expression, but that must be it. I do actually have one official bottle in my whisky stash here at home. That one was purchased during the Feis Ile 2016, when we hopped over from Islay to Jura to do a tasting at the distillery. This “Tastival” bottling, which was around then a yearly release, was quite alright, consisting of a mix of different sherry cask aged Jura vatted together. Then, at the distillery, I tasted several core range expressions and they certainly did not throw me off.
Since then, the range has changed, and several NAS bottlings and age stated versions have been released and somehow Jura got into the spotlight. Today I will taste the Journey NAS expression, which was recently discontinued and replaced by a version that is simply called “Bourbon cask”. Judging these books by their cover, both are practically the same whisky. We will put them head to head nonetheless!
Jura Journey, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. Bottled around 2022.
Upon Sipping: Surprisingly charming, with quite some yellow fruit and obviously loads of vanilla. Hints of sea salt sprayed on rainy tarmac on an autumn day. Some baked apples. On the palate, there is a mix of sweet ‘n sour notes. Mostly on yellow apples. The finish is bitter and only the vanilla keeps it going. Very straightforward, but with a faint hint of cardboard as the finish lingers. On repeated sipping, it becomes too simple, and the 40 % abv does not help.
Word to the Wise: My previous blog this week was about The Balvenie. I was quite disappointed about that expressions, that costs over 70 euro in mainland Europe. This expression of Jura will set you back 30 euro. Quite the difference, but the taste is much more authentic in a sense that here, you are actually drinking a Scotch. A very simple one, granted, but certainly not a bad one.
Score: 73 points.
Jura Bourbon Cask, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. Bottled around 2022.
Upon Sipping: So, the question is … is it the same whisky with just a different name? It certainly shares some characteristics, but it comes off a lot drier, less juicy. More wood forward, it seems. Some hints of sponge cake, with buttery cream on top of it. Again, not without charm, but less charming than the Journey. Taking a sip, the line continues alongside a rather woody road, with lots of bitterness on the finish. It really misses the juicy freshness that the Journey did have. The bitter note is really not to my liking.
Word to the Wise: A humbling experience to taste whisky at this very, very entry level. Where the Journey surprised me, this Bourbon Cask has little to offer. The composition of the whisky is not really bad, but you need to like your whisky with a bitter note. If you can still find it and want an easy-going malt, I would recommend first ridding the shelves of the Journey expression.
Score: 68 points
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