Jura Seven Wood

So I've been meaning to write up a review on this for a little while but have put it off. Circumstances have forced my hand as a friend left an excellent bottle of RUA from and took this bottle in return. Jura Distillery is located on the Island of Jura. Fun fact, George Orwell wrote the novel "1984" while staying there. I purchased the bottle when it first came out as I was fairly new to whisky and was intrigued on the premise of seven different types of oak barrels being used in maturation. I've never heard of Jura before and went on their website, which looked a lot different then it does now. I distinctly remember the website implying that the distillery was owned and operated by the small community residing on the island. The truth is that the current distillery was rebuilt in 1963 by the island's owners as a way to stop further decline in population of the island. The distillery has been owned by Whyte and Mackay Group since 1995, which was acquired by Emperador Distillers Inc. in 2014. The distillery is pretty much the only source of work for those who live on the Island of Jura. On the nose there's some citrus and baked apple notes with touch of cinnamon. On the palate it starts out sweet like honey and candied apple, slight nuttiness then there's a bit of citrus and ginger notes with black pepper spice followed by bitterness and slightly metallic finish. It's interesting to nurse this and almost taste the influence of the different types of oaks, however, there's nothing that really ends up happening. It feels like this was rushed and not enough time given in European oaks. Interesting premise that is flawed in execution. It's not bad, but I had much higher expectations for this. Maybe future releases will show improvement.

I did a lot of homework before tasting this whisky. This particular expression has been matured in the following Oak Barrels: Ex-Bourbon, Vosgues, Jupilles, Allier, Les Bertranges, Limousin and Tronçais. Most of them are casks used in the maturation of red wines like Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Franc; Cognac and Champagne. They actually come from different forests and forest's subzones of France. But, are the seven different barrels giving this expression the complexity it promises? At only 42%abv? The answer is yes. It is a Rollercoaster of diverse flavors and aromas. It is not that expensive and it is worth trying. Let's decode the aroma and tasting notes: On the nose, it is amazingly complex yet very balanced. Starts with burnt grass, then becomes toffee and white chocolate. Old oranges, wet grass, sown land, freshly baked brownies, caramel, fancy vanilla, chocolate milk formula, almonds..... Crazy good. Crazy stuff. After first sip, it gave me chocolate fudge, perfumed peat and wet clothes. On the Palate, it is a little plain: vanilla, grassy, wasabi rises after 3 seconds. Second sip gave me peated water. Very dry. Aftertaste is good. Rewarding. Smokey, peppery. Bonfire wood. Salty, pleasant smokiness. Overall this is a very easy drinkable whisky, very well balanced and beautifully crafted. I would say this is a great offering from this distillery, that you can give to an unexperienced drinker to show how diverse a whisky "pallette" can be, without throwing off-putting flavors to the person enjoying it. My score for it is 88 over 100, most points come from the nose.

My child has a soccer video game where fancy dribbles can lead to scoring like top players. But in real games, he'd lose the ball after a few moves. I try to tell him, 'Get the basics right before fancy stuff.' He excels in math, so not being a dribbling star is okay; he'll do well. I'd give Jura similar advice. Master one thing before experimenting with seven wood finishes. I opened this sample hoping the seven woods would boost complexity and depth. Instead, it just got worse over time. Weak aroma of shortbread, tasting of chocolate and baked goods. On the good side: Jura is still the only distillery whose products I haven't enjoyed, and this one continues that pattern for me.

Got Wood? Yup. Bourbon Barrels? Yup. Wine barrels? Yup, yup. Whiskey Barrels, you know it! All sounds spectacular, but is it?? On the nose: some floral notes strike first. Followed by a note of vanilla spice, leather, and a touch of honey. Green grape with Oak come in at the end. On the palate: Chocolate and spice. A soft palate with a little kick; sea salt and coffee opens the show with chocolate being the main event. - taste of Oak and Pine make an appearance. The feel is rich, but lighter than that of other offerings from this distillery. It coats the mouth nicely, but doesn’t last long. The finish returns some salt and light vanilla, but doesn’t stick around. Bottom line: This distillery has a lot of controversy from its fans - you either love it or hate it. Some bottles are great, others forget about it. I respect that they try new and different things, but this bottle is forgettable in my opinion. Some unique offerings yes, but far too light and nothing memorable IMO. Give it a try if you want to quiz your palate, but I think this distillery has better variations to offer in their 10 & 12 year.

COLOUR: Bronze LEGS: Thin streams with numerous small dots; every third dot merges into a larger drop that descends the glass very slowly, appearing thick and coating. NOSE: Rich and malty; moderately intense (4/5); notes of caramel, toffee, and maple syrup sweetness; orange chocolate; a very faint black pepper at the end; also slightly salty. Very pleasant. WITH WATER (5 drops into 10mL): slightly subdued, but the sweetness becomes more apparent, and some smoldering tobacco emerges. Score 8/10 TASTE: Thick and rich; sweet liquid caramel toffee; brine. WITH WATER: much more subdued and diluted; sweetness decreases; saltiness becomes more prominent at the end. Score: 8.5/10 FINISH: Medium; sweetness lingers; slightly drying. WITH WATER: sweeter and longer. Score 7/10 OVERALL: A very nice and lovely dram. Heavily sweet and lightly balanced; sweet, thick, mouth-coating without any burn; delicious; better without water. Weighted Score 8.2/10 IMAGERY: Back at the B&B after touring the coast of Jura -- there's a hint of the sea, but it's mostly a warm and cozy room.

My questions are: Why? Did we need to mix this many barrels? Was the name and idea a marketing gimmick that someone really thought was supposed to create something special? It all supports previous assumptions that over-blending and mixing of young and/or lower quality, especially when paired with various random finishes, will always be a sum equal to its parts. The amount of places this goes and how quickly it goes really gets distracting. Vanilla, ginger, hot plastic, sawdust. Finishes quick with lemon rinds, brine, and a bitterness (bitter coffee?) that isn't pleasant. There's an overall "funk," but I'm still not sure if the various wood fighting each other for space or just lower quality whisky. It's not hot from a lack of maturity. I'm lost. I find it close to Springbank 10, where I almost like or dislike it every other sip.