Jura 16 Year Old

Isle of Jura Single Malt Scotch Whsiky

Diurach’s Own 16 Year Old

40% ABV

I’m on a little streak here with whiskies of the Scottish Isles other than Islay.  We’ve looked at Arran, Highland Park, and Scapa.  With 790 islands off the coastline on Scotland, it's not surprising that more and more are waiting out there:  Talisker (Skye), Tobermory, which used to be known as Ledaig (Mull), the soon to be bottled Abhainn Dearg (Lewis) and Jura.

I’m reviewing the 16 year old Jura today, known as Duirach’s Own, from the Gaelic name for the inhabitants of the island.  Jura is an island of the west coast of Scotland.  It’s separated from Islay by less than a mile.  Before you even crack the bottle, you notice something different – the bottle.  I love the shape of the bottle.  You’ll see the silhouette on the box in the store and it is distinctive.  Along with Glenrothes, I think the bottle of Jura is the easiest to recognize at any far away restaurant bar.  And that’s important, right?

When you open it, you may expect the peat ladled into your glass.  But, while the smokiness is there, it’s much more subtle than Jura’s Islay neighbors.  The color is lightly golden, and the aroma has a pretty complex combination of slight smokiness, sea air, and flowers.  The taste was something very different for me.  I tried to figure out how to describe it for the longest time.  I finally settled on the taste of those old candied wax lips we had when we were kids.  Kind of sweet, but with a slight waxy dryness.  Maybe a reach there? 

Putting words to the taste of these whiskies is definitely the hardest part of writing this blog.  I’m always amazed at how the great ones like Jim Murray and the late Michael Jackson (no, the other one) can do it so well.   Mr. Jackson has an excellent summary of Jura with which I completely agree, “For an islander Jura is often thought to be something of a lightweight, but it has hidden depths.”

Overall, I can’t say this is a great whisky, but it’s safely on the very good list.  It is something different.  It defies categories.  I have noticed something slightly different every time I’ve tried it.  I’ve learned something.  And most of all, I’ve enjoyed it.

Try some Jura.  It’s a good addition to the cabinet.  And the bottle looks sweet.

You know what would go with this?

Ah what whisky to have right now? Always a good question, and never really a bad answer. But, there are certain whiskies that lend themselves to certain times of day, or the year, certain experiences, or even meals.
I’m not ready to go down the whisky pairing route. There are whisky experts (and gourmet chefs) doing great work in the development of pairing specific whiskies with specific meals. Many distilleries now offer four course meals to their visitors, complete with an expertly paired whisky for each course. And there are chefs who are starting to develop delicious, elaborate, gourmet dishes with whisky as a key ingredient (which would be my favorite episode of “Iron Chef” ever).
No, what I’m thinking about are specific whiskies for specific occasions:

• The outdoor barbecue dram – I’d go with something lighter for this one, probably a Glenkinchie 10 year old. A nice Japanese Whisky, like Yamazaki, would also go well here, and would be a good conversation starter.
• Tailgate flask – let’s go with the late fall version of a tailgate here. Crisp, fall day, waiting to go into the stadium – this is the time for Highland Park 12 year old. Honorable mention: Bowmore.
• Golf course – if you don’t bring your own, and you're asking the cart girl, pick the Dewar’s over the Red Label, and add a lot of ice. If you’re bringing your own, one of the lighter Glenmorangies, like a Nectar D’Or or the original is the way to go.
• 19th hole – you cracked 100. Well done. If the clubhouse has a single malt, it’s probably Glenlivet. Enjoy it.
• Dessert (restaurant) – Lagavulin 16. Shut the dessert menu briskly. Hand it back to the waiter. When he asks, tell him you want it neat. Try not to laugh. You’ll be smiling soon enough.
• Dessert (home) – you have time to kick back and savor the flavor. Pour a Jura or Dalmore here.
• The evening, crackling fire – something beefy and a little smoky. How about we say Oban, here? Scapa’s always a nice option in this spot as well.
• Showing friends your whisky collection – give them an Ardbeg
• Someone likes the peatiness of the Ardbeg? Show them the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or better yet, the Compass Box Peat Monster.
• Christmas whisky – A few come to mind for this special occasion. I mentioned in my last posting that Arran had a Christmas pudding nose, so that’s certainly a possibility. But two others stand out as truly special for a special day – the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Macallan 18.
• Wetting the baby’s head – A nice tradition of having a dram to toast your newborn baby. In my case, I chose the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist for both of my kids. I still have a bit of my son’s bottle left! But just choose your own memory here.

So, did I miss any occasions? Was I way off on any of my recommendations? Let me know . . .