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3rd June 2013 |
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I recently got the
chance to taste some of the finest malts
Jura has to offer. This is what I
thought:
At this years "Fèis Ìle" (Islay
Whisky Festival) the Jura distillery
celebrated its 50th
anniversary. I thought Jura was much
older than 50 years I hear you say, you
are correct Jura was built in 1810, and
was rebuilt in 1876. Like many other
distilleries Jura closed in 1913 during
World War I but it did not reopen after
the war due to a dispute between the
building owner and the distillery
machinery owner.
The distillery lay silent until 1958
when two local estate owners, Robin
Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith set about
rebuilding the distillery. They employed
architect William Delme-Evans who
introduced tall, elegant stills into the
distillery and it is those very same
stills that continue to produce Jura
malt whisky to this very day.
The distillery reopened in 1963, so
technically they are celebrating 50
years since the Jura distillery
reopened.
Last Thursday evening (30th May) as part of the Jura 50th
anniversary celebrations I was invited
to take part in a very special Tweet
Tasting hosted by Steve Rush of thewhiskywire.com. What made this
tasting so special was the line up of
Jura whiskies which I got the chance to
taste.
 The
Jura 50th Anniversary Tweet Tasting line
up included:
- Jura
Turas Mara
- Jura
1977
- Jura
Delme Evans
- Jura
30 Year Old
- Jura
39 ¾ Year Old
A very unique line up of Jura whisky,
ranging from the Jura Turas Mara which
is the latest addition to the Jura range
to the oldest and rarest Jura 39 3/4
year old which is currently still
maturing in its cask at the Jura
distillery where it will be bottle next
year at the grand old age of 40 years.
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Jura Turas Mara Tasting Notes
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 The first whisky of the
evening and the newest addition to the
Jura range. Just recently released the
Jura Turas Mara (Gaelic for "long
journey") which is a very good name
considering it is for sale exclusively
in selected travel retail stores
throughout 2013, with a RRP of £40 or
€50.
Jura Turas Mara
was inspired by the Diurachs who were
forced to emigrate during the 18th &
19th centuries. Kentucky bourbon
barrels, Spanish sherry, French oak &
Portuguese port pipes give this whisky
it's flavour, it is bottled at 42% ABV.
It's definitely a world traveller.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Sweet vanilla, raisins, coconut ice, wee
hint of orange. More coconut coming
through now.
Taste:
In the mouth sweet vanilla, raisins,
cherry, toffee, some dry oaky spice.
More orangey and toffee'd after a few
mouthfuls.
Finish:
Medium length, vanilla, some grape, bit
of cherry and oak.
Comment:
A lovely vanilla, honeyed, raisiny dram,
a very easy to drink Jura for any
occasion, just a
pity you need a passport to get hold of
it.
SMW Score
89/100
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Jura 30 Year Old Camas An Staca Tasting Notes
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 The
Jura 30 Year Old Camas An Staca was released near
the end of 2012.
Called the Jura Standing Stone, or
‘Camas an Staca’ in Gaelic, the new
expression takes its name from the
largest of Jura's eight standing stones.
Known as ‘The Bay of the Protecting
Rocks’ this imposing 12 foot obelisk is
reputedly all that remains of a stone
circle laid some 3,000 years ago by the
earliest Diurachs to appease the
spirits.
Matured in American white oak before
spending a further 3 three years
finessing in Oloroso Sherry butts
from Gonzalez Byass. Due to its rarity
it is limited to 2500 bottle available
per year, bottled at 44% ABV, it is
priced around £415.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Jura 30 is a bit shy to show me what it
has at first, it starts to reveal
itself, some orange, sultanas, vanilla,
creamy toffee.
Taste:
A lovely rich palate, burnt orange and
sweet barley sugar dance around the
mouth coated in creamy toffee. After a
few mouthfuls more juicy barley and
fruit (cherry, orange, raisins) some oak
spice in the background. Getting
spicier, love it.
Finish:
A lovely lingering toffee'd, dried
fruits, spicy finish.
Comment:
It was a bit shy at first but the good
ones often are.
Very lively given its 30 years love it!
SMW Score
92/100
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Jura 1977 Juar Tasting Notes
|
 The
Jura 1977 is a limited-edition vintage
port cask finished expression which was
only launched in February 2013, which by
my calculations makes it around 35 years
old.
Filled to cask in 1977, this vintage
release was originally matured in three
first fill bourbon casks before being
finished in a ruby port pipe for 12
months.
Jura 1977 is limited to 498 bottles, it
was bottled at 46% ABV and
available to buy from specialist whisky
retailers currently priced around £700.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Sweet coconut, packed with exotic fruit
- kiwi, tangerine and peach, creamy
vanilla toffee.
Taste:
Smooth in the mouth, delicious barley
sugar, lovely peach fruitiness, creamy
vanilla toffee, some spice peeking
through.
Finish:
More peach and juicy grape balanced with
oak spice, an outstanding rich fruity
port cask matured dram, love it!
Comment:
The port cask lends an incredible rich
juiciness to this smooth mature Jura
expression. I do like a decent port cask
finished whisky and this is a very
decent mature Jura finished in a good
port cask.
SMW Score
92/100
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Jura Delme Evans Select Tasting Notes
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 Delve Evans is a very special bottle of
Jura, named in honour of Mr William
Delme Evans who re-built the Jura stills
50 years ago.
Distilled 1988 matured in
American oak then re-racked into a Gonzalez Byass Oloroso Sherry butt Cask
No. 1796 and bottled in 2007 at 59.98%
ABV.
Just over 500 bottles of the Jura Delme
Evans Select were released in 1988 and
it completely sold out. But the
distillery held some bottles back, and
visitors to this year’s festival
and participants in the Jura 50th
Anniversary tweet tasting (including
myself) will be the last in the world to
enjoy this rare expression of Jura which
was created using the very stills
designed by the man whose name is on the
bottle.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Wee touch of sulphur on the Jura Delme
Evans nose, big dark sherried fruitcake.
Some nuttiness coming through, almonds,
some banana.
Taste:
Big thick dark sherry on the palate, no
sulphur on the palate. Dark treacle
toffee, burnt raisins, starting to
really like this. Getting sweeter (Demerara sugar) and drier with each
mouthful.
Finish:
A long finish. Nutty, coffee, raisins,
honeyed mildly drying.
Comment:
Pity about the touch of sulphur on the
nose but it didn't spoil it, still a very
entertaining whisky, loads of dark
sherried fruitcake notes, marmalade,
treacle toffee. At 59.98% a drop of water
certainly opens it up.
SMW Score
89/100
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Jura 39 ¾ Year Old Tasting Notes
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 This
rather unusual 39 ¾ year old whisky is a
pre-launch of the Jura 40 year old which
will officially be launched some time in
2014.
Matured in second fill sherry butt then
transferred to amoroso sherry casks for
the final year of maturation.
This pre launch sample is 51.4% ABV and
I doubt it will drop much more between
now and being bottled but it could still
take on some more sherry between now and
being bottled but here is what I think
of it now.
William
Morrison's Tasting Notes:
Nose:
I could nose this 39 ¾ for hours. Big sherried Dundee cake come to mind. Dusty
vanilla, Demerara sugar, burnt raisins,
orange, crushed almonds, definitely old
sherried Dundee cake.
Taste:
In the mouth, loads going on, brilliant,
this has aged well a delicious mature
sherried Jura. Luscious sherry, some
spice, dark chocolate. Getting drier by
the mouthful. Grape, vanilla and wood
spice combine wonderfully.
Finish:
Long. Cadburys fruit and nut, cocoa,
vanilla and mature oak all slowly
fading.
Comment:
Simply gorgeous, lovely balance of oak
and sherry all with the Jura DNA.
Brilliant my dram of the evening. And
what a dram to finish the evening with.
The price of Jura 39 ¾ (40 year old
when it will be released) is yet to be
confirmed. I am
told it will potentially be launched in
the Spring 2014. Definitely amongst the
best big sherried drams in this age
group which I have had the pleasure of
tasting. Highly recommend it if it is
within your budget.
SMW Score
94/100
I was very pleased to have been invited
to take part in this very unique Jura
50th Anniversary Twitter tasting. A
fantastic and probably never to seen
again line up of Jura whiskies varying
from the newest to the oldest and
rarest. With good quality cask selection
Jura really does age well. It is
difficult to pick a favourite as all were
good, the 30 year old and 1977 were
outstanding but if forced to choose one
dram it would be the Jura 39 ¾
year old.
Look out for
it when the Jura 39 ¾ year old comes of age,
it is scheduled to be released as a 40 year old next
year, it really is an outstanding big sherried
mature Jura.
A big thank you to the Isle of Jura and
Steve @ The Whisky Wire who organised
the tasting, I doubt I will get the
chance again to taste such a unique line
up of Jura whiskies at the same time. It
was a memorable evening. If you want to
know what others thought of the five
whiskies then check out
#Jura50TT over
at Twitter.
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Where To Buy Jura Whisky Online
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of specialist Whisky shops who delivers
to you:
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