I recently made a whisky-lover's dream trip to Scotland, and had a chance to sample a lot of whiskies that I was previously completely unfamiliar with.
Isle of Jura was one of the single malts that really intrigued me, because it is produced on a small island very near Islay, the home of most of my favourite whiskies. And besides, across the board, the islands off the coast of Scotland tend to produce high quality whisky.
As you might guess from the name of the brand, the island where this whisky is produced is called Jura. The Isle of Jura distillery is the only one on the island, which sort of gave it some additional novelty value, at least in the mind of this taster.
So, when I finally got the whisky under my nose, properly in a tulip glass for optimal tasting, the... smell took me quite by surprise. It was unpleasant and aggressive, in a way that I could not immediately put to words. The bartender must have noticed my expression, as he accurately put my thoughts into words - "Smells a bit like dirty old socks, doesn't it?", he said with a smirk on his face.
Aroma
Straight: Well, I gave this one away already. Dirty old socks, mostly. Sour, and slightly salty, unpleasant. Makes you want to skip the tasting part.
With a drop of water added: Hmm... maybe a hint of artificial apple-flavour too... Slightly less offensive aroma, but the change is almost non-existent.
Flavour
Expecting the worst, I tilted the glass to my lips... *whew!* Fortunately the socks don't carry on into the taste. Much more pleasant than the aroma would have you think, but extremely bland. Feels slightly oily in the mouth, tastes very slightly sweet, very slightly malty, and if you've got a really good imagination, you might detect a hint of peat. Overall, all the flavours are very faint, and the impression is quite watery.
There is virtually no finish - the after-taste is negligible.
Conclusion
If you don't count the odd aroma as an acceptable sign of character, the Isle of Jura is an especially unimpressive whisky among the island produced whiskies.
As for the taste, a very easy-to-drink, cheap single malt. Lacks character, and holds very little appeal. I might not refuse to have a glass if you insist on paying for it, but I would not spend a penny of my own on this one.
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