Jura Diurachs’ Own

By Barry Bradford on August 30, 2013 • ( Leave a comment )

Jura 16 Year Old Diurachs’ Own (40%, OB, 2012)

Category: Island single malt scotch whisky
Origin: Jura Distillery
Bottling: Emperador – Whyte & Mackay
ABV: 40%
Cost: £44.99

What they say:

Rich & full-bodied with hints of citrus fruit and toffee.

This is one patient customer – biding its time for 14 years in American white oak before spending a final two years in ex-Amoroso Oloroso sherry casks for an unbelievably full-bodied finish. Christmas seems to come early with all sorts of treats – dark chocolate, orange and honey.

Its 16-year odyssey has provided countless flavours for you to explore. The name of this 16-year-old whisky says it all. It’s the dram of choice for the people of Jura. And just like any Diurach, each drop is brimming with character. With such a proud and passionate heritage behind this whisky, it comes as no surprise that the Diurach’s own symbol stamps every bottle with approval.

What I say:

Purchased because I had really enjoyed the Jura Superstition and the 10 year old was very drinkable and at £10 off list price I couldn’t walk away from this bargain. This is nice, even very nice, but not as amazing as I was expecting it to be. This is a bit of a shame as it is a very uncomplicated drinkable dram, but at 16 years old I expected a little more hidden depth and complexity to it. Maybe it should be admired in its delicacy as not all drams should be a complete assault on the senses. This makes a good after-dinner / dessert whisky as it is pleasing and has many sweet flavours. Also good for whisky new-comers as it is hard not to enjoy and the flavours are well-balanced and don’t overwhelm.

Colour:

Gold bronze.

Nose:

Marmalade, toffee and honey.

Taste:

Orange and ginger marmalade, salted caramel.

Finish:

Smoky and oaky in equal measures.

Would I buy it again:

Possibly not, I love the other Jura expressions but I guess I need to seek something more complex or cask strength or the like, this is a little too safe for me. On this note I recently tried and instantly purchased their travel retail exclusive Turas Mara expression which seems to have a lot more going on inside.