Jura Origin 10 Year Old

• Category: Island single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Isle of Jura Distillery
• Bottling: Emperador
• ABV: 40%
• Cost: £28.27
• Score 65/100

What they say:

This is where it all started. It’s the whisky that signifies the rebuilding of our community and rebirth of the Jura distillery. On the front of the bottle is a Celtic symbol for birth, beginnings and the forces of nature. It’s something that we added to our unique bottle because we thought it symbolised our unique story, and the whisky that is at the heart of everything we do.

Origin is the whisky that began our story, so we think it’s best sipped at the start of the evening. Pair it with scallops au gratin, lemon sultana pudding, Scottish brie and white chocolate.

Light and delicate with a warming honey finish

Now comes the techie part: this is aged in ex-Bourbon casks for 10 years. Some say it tastes of oak with hints of honey, caramel and soft liquorice, but then again everyone is different. What do you taste?

Gold Winner in the BTI 2012 Awards

What I say:

Entry level expression from the Jura [prev. Isle of Jura] distillery, producing Island but not quite Islay single malt whisky. You should be able to pick up a bottle or Origin for £20 especially when the supermarkets run their festive offers. This is a very easy, slightly sweet and oaky whisky, I don’t favour it as much as the Jura Superstition perhaps as there are one or two elements of youth still in this dram. Nevertheless it is well rounded and has a reasonable level of complexity to prevent it being bland.

Colour:

Rich gold

Nose:

Sweet pears and oranges

Taste:

Muskovado sugar, honey, a little maple syrup but overall this reminds me of stewed [perhaps even over-stewed] apples

Finish:

The finish is slightly drying with a little coffee bitterness and oak wood lingers for reasonable length

Would I buy it again:

I’d say perhaps not but it is hard to pass-by when on offer. Of the four whiskies in the current Jura stable, each attempts to sit in opposition to the other three in their flavour map with differing elements of light/richness, peatiness and complexity. Of the four, Prophecy is the only Jura whisky I haven’t tried yet. Jura Origin attempts to be light, delicate and is unpeated, Origin achieves the delicacy with ease, but sadly not a whole lot more. In general most of the Jura whisky I have tried is on the sweet caramel side which is pleasant but perhaps almost a little sickly in the Origin without too many other flavours.