Jura Prophecy

The Isle of Jura is certainly captivating, with deer outnumbering people and a single road, hotel, and distillery. The island also features a new golf course, Ardfin, built by a wealthy Australian for personal use, which won't be part of our upcoming golf tour covering Islay, Arran, Campbeltown, and Glasgow. Jura Prophecy is a fitting name for this whisky, as this expression left me completely perplexed. After being underwhelmed by a recent Jura Superstition, this bottling was an unexpected delight. The story behind its name is something you'll need to uncover on the box yourself. The distillery, owned by Whyte and Mackay in Glasgow, was briefly under Diageo before being sold in 2014. Jura is common in the UK but scarce elsewhere due to limited marketing and growth efforts. Had Diageo not divested them due to market dominance concerns, this distillery's obscurity would likely have ended sooner. Nevertheless, production has climbed to 2.2 million liters annually, and Jura whisky is no longer relegated to blend fillers. Prophecy, an annual release, constitutes only about 10,000 bottles of this total. The packaging offers minimal details about the whisky, and the website omits any mention of this product, raising questions about its future. Prophecy combines four distinct whiskies, aged up to 23 years, including Jura Superstition, 10-year-old Origin, and 16-year-old Diurachs’ Own. The latter spends 14 years in American white oak bourbon casks and two years in Oloroso sherry. An additional maturation in French Limousin oak results in a creation so intricate that it leaves experts bewildered. It earned the Beverage Testing Institute’s Platinum Medal in 2010, described as “Drinking buried treasure!” The International Wine and Spirits Competition awarded it Gold and Silvers for “Best in Class,” and it also received “Best in Show” at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Multiple Silvers from the International Spirits Challenge have also been bestowed upon it. Upon first nosing this whisky, I detected a refined elegance I hadn't encountered before. I considered it might stem from the blend of diverse components, but also pondered the impact of French Limousin Oak. These are the priciest casks globally, and alongside Troncais Oak, they are the sole woods used for aging Cognac. Limousin oak is sourced from the middle section of a century-old tree, between the heartwood and sapwood. It's then aged for up to three years to mellow any residual bitterness, and the wood is known for its rich vanilla notes. Limousin is also more permeable than Troncais, allowing Cognac to draw more tannins, yielding a more robust and balanced spirit. This characteristic might also explain Prophecy’s rich copper-brown hue, as the Visitor Center Manager confirmed no coloring is added. Furthermore, the spirit is non-chill filtered and boasts a robust 46% ABV. The box simply states, “Heavily Peated, with fresh cinnamon and spicy sea spray”; however, those familiar with it find the spirit mildly peaty, a sentiment I share. Some attribute this to Scotland's second-tallest stills, which restrict the escape of volatiles. A drying Glencairn reveals a luxurious aroma of sawn hardwoods, quite distinctive. On the nose, I detect honeyed vanilla, cinnamon, sherry fruitiness, bourbon spice, mild peat smoke, earthy peat, citrus, maritime saltiness, and other elusive notes. Experts also identify over 50 additional aromas. The palate is moderately oily, smooth, and dry, offering a multitude of sensations. The “buried treasure” analogy holds true, as anything you seek within this whisky is present. Peppery fizz, spices, citrus fruits, honeyed vanilla, almonds, subtle smokiness, toasted malts, sea salt, cinnamon, dried fruits, lemon cake, and countless other elements mentioned by aficionados. The finish is exceptionally pleasing, with barely a hint of bitterness. This is an outstanding whisky, earning a 4.25-star rating. Its sole drawback is the less intense peatiness than advertised. With this review setting a new record of 814 words, I'll aim for brevity in future assessments. My apologies, Generously Paul!:)

This was reportedly discontinued in 2018, making it a challenging find when I acquired a bottle late last year. This marks my initial encounter with Jura, and I understand a heavily peated malt like this deviates from their typical style. Regardless, this is my introduction to the distillery from the Isle of Jura. Nose: Peat, sea salt, seaweed, brine, rubber, band-aid, ash, and iodine are prominent. Smoke is absent. Honeydew, lime, and orange notes are present. Hints of mint chocolate and sundried tomato. Caramel, nougat, and vanilla. Cranberry and raspberry. Black pepper and other baking spices. A solid aroma. Palate: Some bonfire smoke appears, along with a strong presence of iodine and rubber. More sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Honeydew, cranberry, raspberry, and apple. Milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla. Honeydew again. A jelly-like note provides a thick viscosity. Cinnamon and some baking spices. A subtle hint of black bean and red pepper chili. Still solid. Finish: The rubber from the nose returns, accompanied by earthy peat. Iodine and band-aid notes are also present. Honeydew. Caramel, milk chocolate, and nougat. Cinnamon, black pepper, and other baking spices. A moderately long finish. Excellent. An outstanding whisky. My first impression of Jura is very positive. It's unfortunate to learn this is being discontinued in favor of less peated expressions. The approach taken here resulted in a distinctive and high-quality Scotch. In my view, it warrants continued production. At $69, it was a worthwhile purchase. Rated 4/5. The bottle states "Sipcy Sea Spray," a fitting description for this malt. Following this, I will be paying more attention to Jura. I am certainly a fan of this particular bottling. Revisiting over 4 years later. The tasting notes remain virtually identical. Score unchanged. An excellent discovery.

Nose: Smells like sawdust, with an underlying subtle dusky aroma - sandalwood sawdust. It's like a layer of autumn leaves. There's also sea salt and gym sweat (!), alongside warm, earthy sweet spices (cinnamon, anise, cardamom, licorice) and hops. A bit of tarry smoke is present, but not much of the "intense peat" I expected. This nose is quite interesting, revealing some intriguing oily (almost buttery) vegetal notes as it sits. Palate: A wonderful, smooth, honeyed initial taste, and then... ah! The peat emerges, serving as a base that's almost unnoticeable until it tries to dominate the honey, but it's well-matched. It's more herbal than fruity, with notes of thyme, lemongrass, mustard greens, sage, and arugula. Grassy and fresh, perfectly balanced with the honey, and an overall oiliness that gives it a very pleasing texture and mouthfeel. Finish: Long and gently lingering, it smoothly continues the palate's profile and fades with sweet and salty vegetal notes. The honey and peat that were present throughout echo into the distance. Delightful. The sweet honey and fragrant dry herbs are very well combined here, a skillfully executed pairing that moves over a foundation of perfect peat. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, having been quite let down by the 10-year expression last year, but this is in a completely different class. Well done to Jura distillery for creating an interesting, unique, and quite delicious dram. It is indeed heavily peated, but definitely not a "peat monster". A drop of water brings out the sweetness, but I'd suggest drinking it neat – it's so smooth, you'd never guess it's 46% ABV. "Very Good": 86/100 (4 stars)

It's difficult to believe this is no longer produced. I was astonished upon learning this. Because after about the third sip, I had resolved to acquire a bottle. I was momentarily entranced, similar to a crack addict in a joke, the one that asks: "Why did the crack addict gaze at a carton of orange juice for 20 minutes?..." "Because the word 'Concentrate' was on it." Moving on to the review! Odors of peat and sea salt rise to greet the nose. The peat aroma is well-integrated as the sea salt transforms into an oily sweetness on the palate. The sweetness transitions into bourbon cask notes but is quickly overtaken by the peat smoke. Subsequent sips highlight a sweet citrus note that leads to the finish. The finish is delightfully spicy at 46% ABV, rather than tasting strongly of alcohol or being harsh. The Jura Prophecy sits between two of its island counterparts – the Ardbeg 10 (without the intense heat) and the Ledaig 10 (without the savory qualities). Highly recommended. If you are considering spending money on a bottle from the secondary market, I would advocate for anything under $70. Thanks to a friend for the excellent dram. It's time to search for a bottle! Cheers!

Remarkable peat. Earthy, herbal notes appear immediately on the nose, developing with spices (cloves, hints of nutmeg). With time, a maritime character emerges, fresher than before. Waiting longer, seaside blends with forest. This is Scotland, this is Jura. Otters or deer might appear at any moment from my dram. The mouthfeel is consistent with the nose, with the addition of some bitter oak notes – not the most pleasant I've encountered, admittedly, but not overpowering: you can easily overlook them and continue sipping. Allow this dram more time in your mouth, and the peat smoke emerges, masking the oak. The choice is yours. Alcohol is not detectable at any point. It's not a boozy dram at all. Serve me some fresh oysters, please. Out of stock? Oh, steamed mussels will suffice, thank you.

This is precisely what one seeks in a whisky. Flavor and aroma that are pleasant and enjoyable. Bottled at 46%, with a russet muscat hue. On the nose: PEAT. BUT THE SWEET, SULFURIC KIND: Chocolate Peat Fresh morning Coffee Burnt rubber Shoes Tennis balls. Truly. Amazing. On the palate: Very potent, chewy oranges, Spicy explosion that makes you cry in a pleasing, rewarding manner. Rubber Finish is long, like tasting ¿tennis balls?. It's a Rambo movie on your tongue. Not complex, but delicious. Overall, based on my rating system, I give this: 100 out of 100!!! (But it feels like a 96) GO GET IT