Chapter 7 Jura 21yo...

Chapter 7 Jura 21yo (55.1%): There are a couple distilleries I always felt sympathy for despite of their somehow poor reputation... Jura is definitely number one in that list. Whenever someone starts badmouthing their whiskies I am that guy in the room who drops the line: "They don't make bad whisky, you just didn't find the one you like..." although I admit that I cannot list five bottlings off the top of my head to prove that when asked. I don't remember exactly when and how I started to feel this way... Maybe after I visited the distillery years ago and fell in love with the island, maybe because I remember quite a few very good times where I enjoyed a glass of Jura in a pub with great company or maybe it's just a simple reaction. I really don't know... But it was the very reason why I got so excited when I saw this sample bottle among all the other Chapter 7 samples. What if this is the one..? This can be the good Jura bottling I can start using as an example from now on when asked.

Although the history of the distillery goes back all the way to early 19th century the distillery we know of is built in 1960 on the same grounds where the old one used to be. That's actually the time where they installed their famously tall stills. They are currently owned by Whyte & Mackay and they operate under the supervision of distillery manager Graham Logan. The whisky in the sample bottle is a 21yo whisky, distilled in 1998 and aged in an ex-Bourbon hogshead. The cask carrying the inventory number #2144 yielded 284 bottles at cask strength when bottled.

Color: Very pale, hay like. Unoaked white wine color with stationary teardrops all around the glass simply refusing to turn into legs no matter how long you wait. 

Nose: Typical Jura... Very vegetal, grassy and chalky. Bitter greens, dandelion leaves and fresh sage. Fresh cut grass and cue chalk. Sourdough bread crust, sea weed and ocean breeze. After adding a few drops water: Faint gasoline smell, more like a bunsen burner actually and fresh tarragon leaves. The whole thing pictures me a rainy, cold, serene and lazy Sunday afternoon spent in front of the TV at a pub counter: Damp old carpet smell, drying rain soaked overcoats on the coat rack right next to the counter and steamed glass windows. Enjoying it so much right now...

Palate: Such a beautiful entry... Exactly what I was hoping for. Lime juice, wet cardboard and more greens: Brussel sprouts, salad greens and endives. Water adds more fruits and also a little bitterness. Gooseberries, tart table grapes and white cranberry juice. Mineral water, cucumber and bergamot peels.

Finish: Very long and mouth tingling but I wish it was even longer. Ground coriander, ground ginger and white pepper. Grilled green bell peppers, wet sand and rock salt. 

Overall: Yes..!!! This is the Jura to restore everyone's lost faith in the distillery... Every single note I got from this whisky triggered memories from our trips to Scottish islands: Lush greens, drizzling rain, gray skies and restless sea... By the way I actually also remembered what my favorite Jura bottling before I tasted this one was: It was again a 21yo whisky aged in an ex-bourbon cask but distilled in 1992 and bottled by another independent bottler Hunter Laing under their The First Editions label. Maybe there is a pattern there I should be following from now on... I know at this point I am very late in the game but can I still find a bottle of this..? Might be worth trying, I might get lucky... Many many thanks to Chapter 7 and Selim Evin for providing all these samples by the way. This whisky is definitely for you Jura haters..!

Price: £160

91/100