It seems that the innovation and variety of outputs from the team at Jura shows no sign of stopping. Since the 2018 rebrand, their Signature series has grown from an initial 5 offerings to now contain some 14 expressions (at the time of writing!). We recently looked at the Pale Ale Cask Edition here, but for this post we’re looking at one the handful of age statement releases that have joined that ever-expanding roster: the American Rye Cask / 14 Year Old.
Added to the line up in April 2022, this expression has started its tenure with the standard Jura recipe being housed in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. Here it has sat for 14 years before then receiving a final transfer for maturation in American rye whiskey barrels. The final product has then been bottled at 40% ABV.
Since it’s release, the bottle has become a mainstay in the big UK supermarket shelves around the £44 GBP mark.
Nose
A lot of familiar dessert smells are popping out of the glass here. Honey, treacle tarts, maple syrup, cereals, biscuits, buttered popcorn, crème caramels, sugared almonds, and a final fruity burst of mango chunks. A good little dose of cinnamon and baking spices bring Danish pastries to mind at the end of the sweet treat medley.
Taste
A noticeably soft, silky, and oily arrival. There are honey and cereal notes aplenty. Apple crumble flavours emerge too before the rye and oak spices start to take hold and bring some big warming cinnamon and peppery energy. Rye bread seems too obvious a note to add but it’s there. Maybe toasted. And with a bit of jam. Lovely.
Finish
Rye bread and spice flavours linger with a little apple and cinnamon turnover on the side.
Verdict
I was expecting this to be really quite spicy and have that distinctive aniseed/rye note that I’ve come to expect from rye whiskies. Instead, I got a real plethora of tasting notes that all complement one another really well. Loads of fruits, cereals, and sweet dessert notes all meld together. The rye and oak spices do take hold and swing the lighter fruity nose to a peppery finale, but its a good transition along the way.
Another feather in their cap and reasonably priced whisky for anyone set on expanding their collection. Speaking of collection, I’m not sure why this release doesn’t come under the title of “cask edition”. Maybe as its got an age statement. Maybe because it will be around for longer that the cask editions?
I don’t want to become one of those whisky fans that can’t feel or appreciate a whisky unless its at 46% or 50% ABV, but this one did feel like it could do with a bit of a boost to maybe really make those sweeter flavours pop and turn up a notch to balance the rye and oak spices, but they have made their choice and that’s what’s o the market, and still really quite enjoyed.
M
Sample disclosure: This sample was received as part of a promotional Tweet Tasting event for Whyte & Mackay using #BeachsideDistillery on Twitter. All notes here are not intended as promotion but as an honest, fair and independent review of the whisky itself. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
whisky unplugged 
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