It was originally called the Small Isles distillery after the numerous islands located in Craighouse Bay, which the distillery sits on and overlooks. The Jura distillery is located on the Hebredean isle of Jura and was founded in 1810 by Archibald Campbell. The two pockets of stock have then been married together to produce the final whisky. The whiskies involved in this 21 years old have followed two different paths - regular unpeated spirit has matured in ex-bourbon casks before a period of finishing in virgin American oak barrels, while rarer peated spirit (which is only made at the distillery for one month each year) has been matured solely in ex-bourbon casks. The range was revamped in 2018 and this 21 years old is joined by other age statements at 10, 12 and 18 years old plus three other 'no age statement' expressions - the French Oak, Journey and Seven Wood. Please be aware that as an affiliate I can be paid commission on any purchases you make.This whisky forms part of the core range from the island distillery of Jura. If the whisky reviewed in this article interests you, you can buy it from Master of Malt at the link below. That isn’t something I’ve said about this brand very often. Having sampled it two or three times now, I would consider buying a bottle. At £126 a bottle it isn’t cheap but it seems to fare pretty well against similarly aged whiskies. It possibly lacks a little balance with the spirit somewhat swamped by the cask and comes across a little more like bourbon than single malt but it delivers enough flavour to make it a seriously satisfying sip. Some limited editions seem to offer something a little different though and I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say that I enjoyed this one more than any other Jura I can remember. That isn’t helped by the low bottling strength of their core range expressions. I think, for the most part, the spirit is too delicate for me to really fall in love with it. Thoughts: I’ve struggled with Jura in the past. Possibly the most robust Jura I’ve come across in terms of mouthfeel. Wee bit of oak char and a little bit of ginger on the finish. In fairness, those big bourbon notes come across really well. Taste: For such a big nose it takes a while to spring to life on the tongue. The casks are certainly the dominant factor here. There are red apples, berries, ginger and cinnamon. As always I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents. *Full disclosure: I was sent this sample so that I could take part in Jura’s open day for this year’s Islay Festival. I think, more accurately, it is a reminder of a marketeer’s ability to talk complete bollocks. It is, they say, an irresistible reminder of time’s power. The whisky was apparently named Tide because it’s easy to lose track of time on the isle of Jura but if you stop and listen to the silence, you’ll soon notice the sound of the tide. It was matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in virgin American oak casks. Jura Tide was released as a pair with Jura Time in 2018, following the relaunch of the distillery’s core range and were the oldest releases in the new lineup. Scrapping everything in favour of a slightly rebranded new selection that would feature a new house style with a lightly peated character. Whyte & Mackay oversaw a complete overhaul of the range. Despite finding a degree of success in the UK market. The first Jura single malt was released in 1974 but it wasn’t until the distillery was taken over by Whyte & Mackay in the 1980s that it became more widely known. Seeking to halt the decline, Robert Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith partnered with blender Charles Mackinlay & co and distillery architect William Delme-Evans to build a new distillery that would offer employment to the local population. When the original distillery was in production, the island was home to more than 1000 people. Jura was suffering a significant population decline. Over the years it became increasingly dilapidated until a pair of local landowners intervened in the 1960s. The equipment was stripped and sold and the roof was removed from the building so that no tax had to be paid. Jura’s first distillery was founded in 1810 but closed in 1901. It is a unique and fascinating environment in which to make Scotch whisky. There is one road, one village, one hotel and one distillery. Jura has a population of around 200 people. To the north is in the inhospitable waters of the Corryvreckan, the world’s third-largest whirlpool. To the west lies Islay, the famous whisky island. A mere 60 miles separates the island from mainland Scotland to the east. Thirty miles long and seven miles wide, it is completely surrounded by the Atlantic ocean. It is a land of wild mountains and stormy seas. Jura is a remote island off the west coast of Scotland.
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