There are fewer releases in a distillery’s output that can get people as excited as an 18 year old age statement. Here, the Jura 18 year old sits very much as the jewel in the crown of their Signature Range and it has the global notoriety as the Diurach’s finer offering.
Under the moniker of “Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky”, this release has spent 18 years maturing in American white oak ex-Bourbon barrels before several months of finishing in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux red wine barriques from the south of France.
The final whisky is handsomely presented in Jura’s signature hourglass-esque bottle at 44% ABV, and is readily available at RRP £80.25 GBP in the UK.
Nose
Sweet red fruits and berries on pancakes with maple syrup. Lots of maple syrup. More specifically there’s raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, melon, brown sugar and cinnamon. Good mixture of baking spices actually. A decent musty leather and oak backbone.
Taste
A good dollop of raspberry jam on toast at first, There’s a good chocolate note to it too. Like a rich and dark chocolate cake. A little cherry hit too – with those combining to bring Black Forest gateau to mind. But for all the red berry sweetness and dessert-like tasting notes, the spices do then start to build with ginger and white pepper.
Finish
The red wine finish brings a tannic and drying finish which really salutes the 18 years in a cask. A teeny tiny touch of smoke in amongst the oak too.
Verdict
Well that is really rather enjoyable. Decent body. Lots of little flashes of fruity flavours. It may be a little light compared to other 18 year old single malts but it certainly has the most body and warmth of the Jura signature series. It builds in their signature ex-bourbon cask base and the red wine barriques must be giving it a real fruit injection after however many months.
I found it interesting that this is one of the few of their range that venture above the 40% ABV minimum and it is noticeable has the whisky has some good body which works well with the red wine fruit influence.
It always seems to be one of the cheaper 18 year old single malt scotch whiskies on the market too and it is a decent step up from their younger fare. That also seems to be a reason it gets short shrift from your snobbier whisky drinkers, but for me this ticks many boxes. As ever, a tasty drink is a tasty drink. If you’re after an 18 year old Macallan experience, you’re not going to get it. There’s no sherry here, and you’d certainly never get one at the price that Jura make their whiskies available at. It’s a shame that I feel that I have to defend it tbh. What you have have here is a well-aged bourbon cask malt with a decent shot in the arm of red fruits and baking spices from the final red wine cask. It works for me.
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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