Scotch Whisky Review #478: Jura 18 Year (2002) Distillery Cask Fèis Ìle 2021

Distillery: Jura.

Region: Island.

Age: 18 Year. Distilled on October 30th, 2002. Bottled in May of 2021.

ABV: 57.1%.

Cask Number: 6665.

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Butt.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso.

This is the 4th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can check out previous editions as well (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022).

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Nose: It’s funky and boozey. Kirsch is the major note along with some marzipan. There’s a bit of something that reminds me of a greek yogurt with honey to go along with it.

Palate: Drinks significantly easier than 57.1% might suggeste it would but it is a little hard to discern flavor notes while it’s going at full bore. It’s more smooth and easy drinking rather than flavorful. Thankfully a little bit of water fixes that easily. It starts with a bit of mint, not like fresh mint but more of a mint jelly, the kind that you would expect to be served along side with some lamb. Some more herbal notes comes through as well, very much reminiscent of a chimichurri. Amarena cherry syrup adds some fruit to this. There’s a bit of something that reminds me of a coffee candy (kopiko anyone?) or a caramel cream, it swings from being a bit bitter to a bit creamy.

Finish: Long. Cherries galore in this finish, it’s almost as if you’re having cherries that have been dunked in a giant bowl of kirsch for ages. There’s a bit of something that reminds me of the cardboard-y marshmallows from a certain children’s cereal that involves leprechauns. It’s a touch sweet and almost styrofoam like in flavor.

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Conclusion: My notes for this Jura end with “This thing is weird. I can see someone really, really digging this. I don’t know how to rate it”. That was written when I tried this a bit ago and my thoughts kind of remain the same. There are a lot of really fun elements here. The greek yogurt and honey on the nose is a first for me in a whisky. The mint jelly and chimichurri notes are really fun. The sprinkling of cherry here and there is also nice. The children’s cereal marshmallows are a blast of nostalgia. But as a package? It is kind of all over the place. This level of chaos is what I’ve come to associate with Loch Lomond, perhaps even more chaotic than that distillery is in fact. Fitting really given the cask number.

Rating: 83.

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Scotch Whisky Review #478, Island Review #77, Whisky Network Review #640

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.