Another little trio of Jura


October 26, 2026

Another little trio
of Jura

As you may know, we always enjoy tasting Jura, as the malt often springs surprises, sometimes delightfully odd and sometimes rather magnificent. Except, perhaps, for the official wine-finished NAS versions bottled at 40%, which we shall probably manage to avoid today... Or shall we…

Jura 15 yo (46%, OB, sherry cask finish, 2026)

The last 15-year-olds we tasted, the ‘Paps’, had been finished in pinot noir, cabernet-sauvignon and Barolo. That was more than 15 years ago, and they hadn’t exactly set the Hebrides alight (WF 73 to 78). This time, however, it’s a manzanilla finish, which is quite another matter than red wine! I mean, in whisky… Colour: pale gold. Nose: wet stone, limestone, I was almost going to say albariza, porridge, green walnuts, slightly sweet-smelling seaweed… It does feel a little like a concoction, admittedly, but I think it works. We love manzanilla at WF, even in our whiskies. Mouth: lovely tension, very saline and delightfully bitter, with green walnuts returning alongside ashes and chalky notes, then a little candied lemon zest to round things off slightly, although there’s also more and more green pepper. Finish: long, holding its course. A little suggestion of peat in the aftertaste, but that may be the manzanilla. Comments: charming and clever! But we’re still waiting for a Jura with a Jura finish (vin jaune, ha).
SGP:352 - 86 points.

Jura 12 yo 2014/2026 (58.9%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection, bourbon barrel, cask #700377, 211 bottles)

This ought to be proper Jura through and through. Colour: pale gold. Nose: very, very dry, with plenty of varnish and even touches of acetone, before custard with acacia honey gradually begins to coat it all. There’s also a slightly earthy side, which certainly recalls the limestone mentioned above. With water: quite surprising, we’re staying in the same taut, earthy vein as the official 15-year-old, with that little touch of mustard we sometimes unearth (right) in Jura... Mouth (neat): very lively, on pepper and vanilla, the pepper almost stinging your lips and the tip of your tongue. Unless that’s the high strength. With water: much fruitier now, but that mineral, almost prickly character remains. Finish: long and peppery, with a few liquorice allsorts in the background. Comments: a real Jura with character, more energetic than the official bottling but at the same (high) level for me.
SGP:562 - 86 points.

Jura 20 yo 2006/2026 ‘Pride of the Hebrides’ (52.2%, Thompson Bros. for The Whisky Show London, 2nd fill barrel)

The old G&M labels continue to inspire the younger top-flight independent bottlers, which, as they say, is probably the sincerest form of flattery. Or tribute. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a peated version, very heavily peated indeed, in a pure, very mineral style, with just touches of grilled bacon in the background and a little Ardbeg-like tar. With water: an abundance of flint and basalt. Are there volcanoes on Jura? Are the Paps ancient volcanoes? Having checked, no, not at all, for volcanoes you need to head to Skye or Mull. Some very lovely grapefruit too. Mouth (neat): very clean, peppery, very smoky, again on bacon but also Korean-style smoked oysters. Touches of horseradish and kimchi, since we were talking about Korea. With water: superb, saline, on a sort of mixture of gherkins and peppered lemon. Finish: long, fresh, peppery and lemony, and even medicinal (antiseptic). Comments: a peated Jura! With a little wave to Dawn, Dave and Sukhinder, my fellow conspirators in the ‘three blind men’ masterclass held each year at The Whisky Show in London. As it happens, we had a Peated Jura this year that was very close to this one. Not easy to identify blind… In any case, it’s rather magnificent and, in a way, something of a synthesis of the three distilleries on Islay’s south coast. Okay, four. Okay five, very soon, apparently…
SGP:467 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Jura we've tasted