Isle of Jura 10 Year Old

Jura 10 was, I believe, the first whisky produced upon the reopening of the distillery a handful or so of decades ago (that rhymes, by the way). The symbol it carries is apparently of ancient Celtic design and is the sign of “birth, beginning and the forces of nature” (that’s straight from Jura, that). Fascinating stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree. They seem big on the whole “ancient mysteries and magical hokum” stuff out there on Jura. Probably some form of isolation induced island madness.

The whisky itself seems to evoke rather mixed reactions – and, unusually, it seems similar to marmite in that people either love it or hate it. That’s my experience, anyway, and I can’t for the life of me see where these rather strong emotions stem from. Is it one of the best whiskies I’ve had? No, and far from it. Is it one of the worst? No, and far from it. Does it offer good value for money, and is it an excellent choice as a daily ounce? Yes, and yes. Available around the $31-37 mark, in my opinion Jura 10 is perfectly priced, and offers good bang for your hard-earned buck.

At a market, a couple of years back now, I stopped at a stall where an elderly lady sold a wide range of homemade jams and pickles. Based on nothing but stereotypes I expected nothing too adventurous, but I was quite wrong. Unfortunately I can’t remember all of her concoctions, but I do remember buying a strawberry/chili jam as well as a pear/whisky conserve. The reason I’m telling you this is that the nose of Jura 10 reminds me of the former – pear and whisky conserve, along with a bit of pepper, a salty sea breeze, a slight floral quality, and coffee. On the palate, focus shifts slightly more towards the coffee side of things and away from the pear, and the peppery and salty remain virtually unchanged, while the floral quality is replaced by heather. There’s also a touch of oak, and a dollop of sweet honey. The coffee and honey carry through to the finish. All in all, I’d say this is a very pleasant whisky indeed. The main criticism I’ve heard against it is that it can be a bit ‘harsh’ and ‘alcoholic’ – while I can see where they’re coming from, I personally don’t think these qualities are as pronounced as some make it sound.

Color: Gold.

Nose: Pear & Whisky conserve, pepper, salty, coffee.

Taste: Coffee, salty, pepper, heather, oak, honey.

Want to buy this whisky? Available in: USA & World (click), UK & Europe (click)