“Road To Nowhere”
Whisky Review # 821
Country: Scotland
Region: Islands - Jura
Brand: Jura The Road (Sherry Cask Collection)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: NAS
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43.6%
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with PX 20 Sherry Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 55-75 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😞 Simple mainstream Barley Juice. P/Q ratio: 👎
Colour:
Old Gold (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
There's the Baby-Vomit again. There's no denying this is Jura. Be sure to give The Road enough time in the glass as this off-note fades away with time. It's a simple nose again just like The Sound. Young and basically Sweet with a few Sour notes as well. This is as mainstream as it gets. I do get a little more Sherry influence this time. The Alcohol is noticeable as well.
Main Aromas:
Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Yeast, Dough, Salted Caramel, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts, Orange, Mandarin, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte and Cinnamon.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Pancakes with Simple Syrup, Cooked Vegetables, Grapefruit, Sour Berries, Dry Earth, Wood Shavings, Tobacco and the tiniest bit of Smoke.
Palate:
Young, Light, Thin and a little Dusty. Bitter-Sweet. Some Sour notes as well.
Main Flavours:
Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, Mandarin, Orange, Wood Shavings, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Sour Berries, Wet Cardboard, Dry and Dirty Earth, Dried Herbs, Tobacco, Cooked Vegetables and a tiny hint of Smoke.
Finish:
Short to Medium Long. Sweet with Bitter and Sour notes as well. Medium Dry. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Hazelnuts and Walnuts, Wood Shavings, Orange, Mandarin, Maraschino Cherries, Caffe Latte, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Wet Cardboard, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Pepper.
Drinking Advice:
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes quite Malty. Almost like Barley Juice. I get some Tinned Pineapple as well. The Smoke is a bit more noticeable now. Dried Apricot appears. The Palate becomes spicier with White Pepper & Ginger in the lead. The Finish becomes dangerously Short though. You can certainly try out a few drops here.
Rating: 80
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay
Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good
Conclusion:
Jura means Deer Island. The Distillery is located in the small village of Craighouse the island's "capital". Craighouse lies on the A 846, some eight miles from the Ferry Terminal to Islay. It was founded in 1810 and since 1993 it belongs to Whyte & Mackay Ltd. Jura is mostly known as a Single Malt but it's also a very important part of the Whyte & Mackay Special Blend. The Distillery possesses 1 Stainless Steel Semi Lauter Mash Tun, six stainless steel Wash Backs and two Pairs of Stills. In 2018 their total production amounted to around 2,33 million litres.
The Road is part of the new Jura Travel Retail Range called the Sherry Cask Collection. All of these matured in Bourbon casks before being finished in casks that previously held Pedro Ximenez Sherry of various ages. Fifteen Year old PX for The Sound, 20 Year old PX for The Road, 30 Year old for The Loch and 40 Year old for the 19 Years old The Paps. The name refers of course to the one road that exists on the isle of Jura. It all sounds very interesting but so do most stories related to Travel Retail expressions. As always I merely concentrated on the quality and taste of the Whisky.
Will Jura ever truly conquer my Whisky heart? I really hope so but The Road won't do that Trick. It's Young and presents a complete lack of personality. Mainstream Malt Juice! It's a little Dirty and Unfinished as well. It's only slightly better than The Sound and I gave it a few more points as it's actually quite smooth over Ice. But it doesn't at all convince as a sipping Malt. I wish there were other roads on Jura!
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende July 24, 2019
Maturation: Ex-Bourbon Casks with PX 20 Sherry Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 55-75 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😞 Simple mainstream Barley Juice. P/Q ratio: 👎
Colour:
Old Gold (Artificially Coloured)
Nose:
There's the Baby-Vomit again. There's no denying this is Jura. Be sure to give The Road enough time in the glass as this off-note fades away with time. It's a simple nose again just like The Sound. Young and basically Sweet with a few Sour notes as well. This is as mainstream as it gets. I do get a little more Sherry influence this time. The Alcohol is noticeable as well.
Main Aromas:
Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Yeast, Dough, Salted Caramel, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruit and Nuts, Orange, Mandarin, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte and Cinnamon.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Pancakes with Simple Syrup, Cooked Vegetables, Grapefruit, Sour Berries, Dry Earth, Wood Shavings, Tobacco and the tiniest bit of Smoke.
Young, Light, Thin and a little Dusty. Bitter-Sweet. Some Sour notes as well.
Main Flavours:
Malted Barley, slightly Burnt Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Grass and Straw, Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Caffe Latte, Mandarin, Orange, Wood Shavings, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Sour Berries, Wet Cardboard, Dry and Dirty Earth, Dried Herbs, Tobacco, Cooked Vegetables and a tiny hint of Smoke.
Finish:
Short to Medium Long. Sweet with Bitter and Sour notes as well. Medium Dry. I find Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Salted Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Hazelnuts and Walnuts, Wood Shavings, Orange, Mandarin, Maraschino Cherries, Caffe Latte, Milk and Milk Chocolate, Wet Cardboard, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and Pepper.
Drinking Advice:
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes quite Malty. Almost like Barley Juice. I get some Tinned Pineapple as well. The Smoke is a bit more noticeable now. Dried Apricot appears. The Palate becomes spicier with White Pepper & Ginger in the lead. The Finish becomes dangerously Short though. You can certainly try out a few drops here.
Rating: 80
Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20
Drinking Experience Neat: Okay
Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good
Conclusion:
Jura means Deer Island. The Distillery is located in the small village of Craighouse the island's "capital". Craighouse lies on the A 846, some eight miles from the Ferry Terminal to Islay. It was founded in 1810 and since 1993 it belongs to Whyte & Mackay Ltd. Jura is mostly known as a Single Malt but it's also a very important part of the Whyte & Mackay Special Blend. The Distillery possesses 1 Stainless Steel Semi Lauter Mash Tun, six stainless steel Wash Backs and two Pairs of Stills. In 2018 their total production amounted to around 2,33 million litres.
The Road is part of the new Jura Travel Retail Range called the Sherry Cask Collection. All of these matured in Bourbon casks before being finished in casks that previously held Pedro Ximenez Sherry of various ages. Fifteen Year old PX for The Sound, 20 Year old PX for The Road, 30 Year old for The Loch and 40 Year old for the 19 Years old The Paps. The name refers of course to the one road that exists on the isle of Jura. It all sounds very interesting but so do most stories related to Travel Retail expressions. As always I merely concentrated on the quality and taste of the Whisky.
Will Jura ever truly conquer my Whisky heart? I really hope so but The Road won't do that Trick. It's Young and presents a complete lack of personality. Mainstream Malt Juice! It's a little Dirty and Unfinished as well. It's only slightly better than The Sound and I gave it a few more points as it's actually quite smooth over Ice. But it doesn't at all convince as a sipping Malt. I wish there were other roads on Jura!
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende July 24, 2019
