[Review] Jura - Origin 10 years old 40%

I have always enjoyed island whiskies, whether it be from Islay, Skye or Orkney, but one I have never really managed to take to is Jura. I tried the Prophecy back a few years ago as I properly got into peated whisky and remember not particularly enjoying the taste of it. More recently, I experienced the 16 years old during a tasting session and again, despite not finding it unpleasant, nothing really got me excited either. 

Today my brother came to see me with a bottle of their standard 10 years old that a friend of his gave him and as he is not much of a whisky drinker, he brought it for me to try. 

I know you cannot judge a book by its cover but I have never been a fan of the Jura bottles for a start. I have also found disappointing the fact that, like with other distilleries (who mentioned Dalmore…?), most of their regular bottles are released at 40% or 43% ABV, with chill-filtration and [quite a bit of] colouring. But what I generally find to be the problem with Jura is the overall taste experience, which in my mind lacks a bit of depth. I will give credit to Jura however for keeping an age statement on part of their whisky range. I might not be expecting miracles with this 10 year-old, but as long as I have not actually tried it, who knows…

As mentioned above, Jura 10 is bottled at 40%, chill-filtered and coloured to quite a dark amber. It was aged in ex-Bourbon casks. 

Nose: Sweet and vegetal, honey, pear, hint of citrus, heather, wet hay, caramel (but quite an artificial one).

Palate: Sweet again, nothing too complex with toffee, vanilla and barley notes.

Finish: Not too short, sweet and slightly spicy, but not really memorable.

With water: …and just a drop, the nose gets a bit fresher and fruitier even a bit mineral, the palate and the finish get a little more spice.

Overall, it is an easy drinking single malt for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time focusing on individual flavours but would rather drink something smooth. And as the 10 is the entry malt in the range, it is readily available and will not break the bank. Would I buy a bottle myself, in all honesty, probably not, but I would happily try a Tastival or cask strength bottling...