Scotch Addict

I went from having never heard of Jura a few years ago to having tried several and enjoying them all. My first ever was a Jura 18 that I purchased in Heathrow Duty Free, my second was the Jura 18 followed by the Jura Superstition. I’m now able to add Jura Prophecy to the lineup.

Jura is very much a spiritual and superstitious distillery with much of their work referring to their storied past. Whether or not you buy into the little bit of fun marketing is irrelevant, they make a decent Scotch.

The Prophecy is a blend of their own whiskies and has a distinct medicinal, smokiness that pushes that side of the spectrum. It’s not as strong as a Islay but certainly makes you lean in that direction (it could not be confused for a Speyside, that’s for sure). The nose hints at what your palate will soon experience. The color is light copper, with more orange than yellow, and the finish is long and strong. It leaves your mouth feeling like you just walked into a smoky bar, a bit of that peat smoke but not so much it leaves you dry.

I was first introduced to the Isle of Jura after a trip back from the UK several years ago. I saw a bottle of the Jura 10yo in the Heathrow Duty Free store and bought it on a whim. All that I knew was that it came from the Isle of Jura and, as a whole, as supposed to be heavily peated like Islays. I knew to expect smokiness, as is the island style, and I wanted it to be a halfway point between a bottle of Bowmore and a Speyside I had purchased (I don’t remember if it was a Glenlivet, Macallan, or Glenfiddich… it has been several years). I was not disappointed in the least.

It wasn’t until later that I learned the more storied history of Jura and their 201 year history (2010 was their 200th anniversary). If you’re wondering why they have such clever names like Jura Superstition and Jura Prophecy, it’s because it ties back to the early 1700′s. You can read about it in their library.

So how is the Jura Superstition? (a disclaimer, I’m now starting to battle seasonal allergies so my nose and palate may be a bit off) It’s got a light smokiness that is reminiscent of their 10yo and it has some underlying floral and fruit notes that I can’t place. It’s got a bit of spice on the palate, not as aggressive as the ginger spiciness in Glenlivet 12yo, and strong rich nuttiness that lingers in the finish and something that I really enjoy.

Oh, and if you do get yourself a bottle, remember to pour it with the Ankh cross in the center of your palm or you’ll regret it.

I mentioned last week that having a Scotch Night was a great way to sample a wide variety of scotches without spending a wide variety of dollars. I must admit, the idea to write the article come from the fact that my friends and I would be having one of these Scotch Nights the very next day! (1/16/09)

So, the roster was:

• Jura 18
• Laphroiag 10 & a quarter casks version
• Glenmorangie 10
• Chivas Regal 18 (our only blend)
• Macallan 15
• Highland Park 12

The Jura 18 was a bottle I picked up coming back from England last Thanksgiving and I was eager to try it because it wasn’t available here in the United States. The Isle of Jura 18 Year Old is a 40% abv scotch and the only scotch from that island. My memory of the Jura is that it’s sweet and very soft, no doubt a product of its age, and it definitely captures the mood Jura tries to invoke, which is a celebration of the island life.

The Isle of Jura itself is 16 miles off the coast of Scotland, near Islay, and measures only 30 miles long by 7 miles wide, a population of only 185. The main settlement on Jura is a village known as Craighouse where they distill Isle of Jura. What’s most interesting is that there is no ferry connection to mainland Scotland, travel must be done through Islay, though that connection, or its heavy peat, doesn’t come through in the whiskey!

The Chivas Regal 18 was the only blend of the bunch and headquartered in Speyside. My novice palate had trouble with the Chivas Regal 18 because the spiciness tripped up the fruity flavors, having both really threw me for a loop. I could definitely taste both but I couldn’t get past the spiciness to really enjoy the fruit (I love spicy food) and spiciness isn’t something I typically taste in scotch, further confusing me a little.

A little bit of history, Chivas Regal is produced in the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland, the Strathisla Distillery.

Those were some notes I had from our Scotch Night. With each night, I’m slowly developing a better palate and a better sense of the scotches that I enjoy. In prior scotch nights, I discovered I enjoyed peatiness and smokiness in moderation (Laphroaig and Lagavulin!) but liked the fruitier and more vanilla-y scotches for longer stretches.

Oh, one other thing we did during scotch night, besides eat and drink, was watch The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly… which was a lot longer than we thought it was.