Whisky Neighbour

Recently I have seen a bit of chatter about Jura and most of it has been negative. I know in the past I have tried a few of their different bottlings and enjoyed them. That prompted me to pull out a couple of unopened bottles and give them a more serious taste review. I looked at three of the four core offerings from this small distillery from the island of Jura. Jura Origin is a ten-year-old Scotch aged only in ex-bourbon casks. It is chill filtered and coloured, but released at a pleasant 43% ABV. The nose is sweet and full of orchard young orchard fruits. I pick up green apple and pear mostly. The first taste is pronounced with alcohol, but as that fades, I find Jura lightly creamy or coating and the sweetness of vanilla and honey begins to shine through. The finish is short, except for a lingering bitterness. I enjoy the light sweetness here, but it is a bit of work to get past the alcohol and bitter notes. Jura Superstition is a NAS Scotch also aged only in ex-bourbon casks....

I felt like trying Irish Whiskey tonight. My friend recently traveled to Ireland and that got me thinking. I picked two for review and ended up liking one and not so much the other! Irish Whisky is known for it’s smoother character. That comes from the tradition most distilleries follow in Ireland of double or Triple Distilling their product. This generally removes more offensive compounds from the distillate, but it also can remove some rewarding flavours too. I think when they take their time with it and age it for 12 or more years in quality oak this can create some of the best whiskeys I’ve had. However, if it’s rushed or the oak is too old the result is a little flat or one dimensional. Looking at Black Bush first. Black Bush is a blended Irish Whiskey. It is made from about 20% grain whisky and 80% malt whisky. In Ireland that means that 20% is an undisclosed blend of grains run through a column distill, while 80% is moved through a pot still. With Black Bush this 80 % is t...

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! This is a wonderful time of year. The harvest is coming in and we are gearing up for winter. The smell of baking and fall fruits fill the air. Maybe it's the Canadian in me, but I love the turn of the seasons. This is also a time of year I start to spend a few more evenings at home near a fire. Walks or time outside tends to end earlier in the night and we have a little more time visiting. This is a great time to explore Scotch. Reflecting on my comments from my last review, I thought I would chose two bottles that are reasonably affordable and approachable; Highland Park 12 and Bowmore 12. These are both peated Scotches but are around the 20 - 25 ppm and would be a good introduction to the style. Highland park distillery is on the island of Orkney, just north of the Scotish mainland. I have not had the pleasure of a visit, but I've read it is a beautiful island with few tall trees. This gives it's peat bogs a distinct make up and flavour th...

I woke of this morning and it was cold, really cold for October. There was a dusting of snow on the ground and the wind was blowing through the trees and making the day feel almost like winter. Of course, I immediately though of pouring a wonderful glass of peated Scotch. I tend to like peated Scotches in winter and for my second episode I decided this would be a good direction to talk the show. Laphroaig Quarter Cask is an excellent example of an Islay whisky. Traditionally these distillers heat their malted barley with fires fed by peat to stop the germination. This imparts smoke and peat smell the resulting whisky. The Quarter cask is a young whisky, I would guess between 6 and 8 years. What helps bring out the wood notes and bring it together is they finish the spirit in casks that are about 1/4 the size of regular bourbon barrels. This gives the Scotch a great exposure to the wood. I love this Scotch. It is a bit young, and the smoke is strong up front, but give it a bit of ...