Jura The Road Review


“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
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 RocksGood

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

Tipperary The Rising Review




“It’s Still a Long Way For Tipperary”

Whisky Review # 820

Country: Ireland
Brand: Tipperary The Rising - Boutique Selection - Small Batch - 1916 Bottles
Distilled at: Undisclosed - Bottled in 2016 at Tipperary Boutique Distillery
Type: Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Age: 11 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 47%
Maturation: First Fill and Refill Bourbon casks
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 170-220 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😒 It's really expensive at the moment for what it offers!

Colour:

Golden (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Light and Fresh but not unpleasant. The main drivers are slightly unripe Fruit, Floral notes and Grass. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not really interfere with the Nosing procedures.

Main Aromas:

Toasted Grains, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Straw, Grass, Nectarine, Pineapple, Papaya, Green Apple, Pear and Milk Chocolate.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Melon, Banana, Lemon, Ginger Bread and a touch of White Pepper.

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Palate:

Bitter-Sweet, Spicy and slightly Sour. Its relative Youth is noticeable and so is the Alcohol. There are some indifferent casks in the mix.

Main Flavours:

Toasted Grains, Roasted Nuts, Vanilla, Nectarine, Pineapple, Green Apple, Pear, Grass, Hay, Milk Chocolate, Pepper and Toasted Oak.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Sour Grapes, Lemon, Unripe Banana, Wet Rocks, Herbal Tea, Menthol and Ginger.

Finish:

Short/Middle-Long. A mix of Sweet, Sour and some really Bitter notes that are slightly overdone. The Alcohol stings a little. This is certainly the weakest part of this Tipperary. I find Toasted Grains, Vanilla, Roasted Nuts, Toasted Oak, Sour Apples and Grapes, Pear, Grass, Honey, Pepper, Menthol and Ginger.

Drinking Advice:

The Tipperary does not improve with added Water.

Rating: 84

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5  - Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion:

The Tipperary Boutique Distillery Project in Clonmel started in 2016. The idea is to distill a Single Malt Whiskey with their own Barley grown on the Ballindoney farm in the Tipperary County. As long as their own whiskey is not available, the distillery bottles Small Batch Whiskey that was produced at undisclosed Irish distilleries. These batches accurately reflect the type of Whiskey that Tipperary wants to produce in the future.

The Tipperary The Rising is not really a bad Irish Single Malt but I have to admit I'm totally indifferent to it. It's a rather Young and Edgy Whiskey that carries a Bitterness that is frankly unpleasant, especially in the Finish. The Fruit Aromas and Flavours are quite unripe and the Alcohol is noticeable throughout. This Tipperary could have done with a few extra years in good casks. If this is the desired future Whiskey of the new distillery I would advise to carefully look at the Wood Management. Good Spirit without good casks will lead to nothing. I do wish the distillery all the best for the future and I'm looking forward to review their first own Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 15 , 2019
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Moon Harbour Pier 1 Review



“Das Blend”
Whisky Review # 819

Country: France/Scotland
Brand: Moon Harbour Pier 1
Type: Blended Scottish Whisky
Age: NAS
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 45.8%
Maturation: Refill Bourbon. Perhaps some Sherry. Finished in Sauternes Casks.
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 45-55 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😏Interesting story. Price Quality ratio: A bit too expensive.

Colour:

Golden Amber(Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Young, Sweet and a little Edgy. The Grain Alcohol is noticeable. There's a bit of Fruit but I can't find a significant influence of the Sauternes finish. The Nose is rather closed at first so give it enough time in the glass.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Grains, Buttered Toast, Alcohol, Apricot, Nectarine, Papaya, Pepper and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Vanilla, Demerara Sugar, Caramel, Toasted Oak, Herbal Tea, Bounty Bars, Orange Marmalade, Lemon Curd and Cinnamon.

Palate:


Sweet, Young, Edgy, Spicy and a little Hot. The Alcohol really starts to irritate a little.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Grains, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Apricot, Nectarine, Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger and Cloves.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toasted Oak, Bounty Bars, Menthol and Orange.

Finish:

Middle-Long, Sweet and quite Spicy. A few Sour Wine notes as well. The Alcohol stings a little. I find Sweet Grains, Vanilla, Caramel, Refill Oak, Apricot filled Puff Pastry, Nectarine, Orange, Herbal Tea, Pepper, Cloves, Ginger and Menthol.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and I get a little Peach and Vanilla custard on the Nose. The Alcohol retreats and that's a good thing. Palate and Finish become more Spicy. It's a a matter of Taste but you can carefully add a few drops of Water.

Rating: 79

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 19.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion:

Moon Harbour is a project initiated in 2014 by Yves Medina & Philippe Ballanger from Bordeaux, France. In 2016 they started to build a distillery in a bunker in Bordeaux that hosted a German submarine base in World War II. To realise this ambitious project the local craftsman Jean Louis Stupfler, a stills designer, was hired and cooperation was achieved with various Chateaux and barrel suppliers that will provide the casks. In the future the cereals used by the distillery will come from the Bordeaux region. No less than 250 hectares of Barley have already been planted.

In order to promote the project (and to get a little cash) the partners decided to launch a few Blended Whiskies in cooperation with the famous Scotch Master-Distiller John McDougall who worked for quite a large number of Scottish Malt distilleries. John procures the Malt - and Grain Whiskies in Scotland. These are shipped to Bordeaux and finished there for 3-6 months in Ex-Sauternes casks. The Pier 1 is part of a series of 2 Blends. The Pier 2 is a lightly peated Blend that is finished in Red Wine casks. The Moon Harbour distillery is already operative and also sells Gin, Rum and Moon Spirit. I'm really curious to taste the first Single Malt produced there but unfortunately we will have to wait until 2020 for that to happen.

Moon Harbour is named after the famous crescent moon outlined by the river Garonne at the entrance of Bordeaux.

Pier 1 is an interesting experiment although it's not new. Scotch Whisky is often shipped in bulk to France where it is further elaborated and bottled. France is a huge Whisky Market of course. I can't get excited about the Pier 1 though. The Grain Alcohol really dominates and the Malt content suffers from indifferent cask management. The Sauternes finish is hardly noticeable, if at all. It's just one of those reasonable Blended Whiskies that you will find all over the place. This one differs in so far that it's got an interesting story to tell. Packaging and Bottle are nice as well. But it's not interesting enough as a sipping Whisky and it's merely okay over ice. I wish the project the best of luck though and look forward to their 1st homemade Single Malt.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                      July 12, 2019

Jameson Caskmates IPA Review



“Back from Holidays”

Whisky Review # 818

Country: Ireland
Brand: Jameson Caskmates - IPA Edition
Distilled at: Midleton Distillery, Cork
Type: Irish Blended Whiskey
Age: NAS (Probably 3-5 Years)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 40%
Maturation: Refill Bourbon. Perhaps some Sherry. Finished in Beer Barrels.
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 25-35 (July 2019)
Buying Advice: 😐Neutral. It's basically a standard Jameson. P/Q ratio: Okay

Colour:

Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

Young, Light and Sweet. This is quite close to the Standard Jameson. I don't think it was finished for more than a few months in the Beer Barrels. I only get a few extra floral notes and perhaps a bit of Lemon. The Alcohol is noticeable.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Grain, Sugar-Coated Roasted Nuts, Vanilla, Toffee, Resin, Straw, Orange Marmalade, Lemon, Grapefruit Juice, Wood Pellets and Cinnamon.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Honey, Wild Flowers, Green Apple, Pear, Dried Herbs, Mint and Ginger.

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Palate:

Young and mostly Sugary Sweet. A few slightly Bitter and Sour notes as well.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Grains, Sugar-Coated Nuts, Resin, Vanilla, Toffee, Green Apple, Lemon, Grapefruit, Straw, Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper and Milk Chocolate.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Toast, Orange, Pear, Wood Pellets, Cocoa Powder, Herbal Tea, Alcohol and Mint.

Finish:

On the Short side. Basically very Sweet but with a light Bitter note towards the end that seems to be somewhat out of place. I find Sweet Grain, Vanilla, Toffee/Butterscotch, Sugar-Coated Almonds, Green Apple, Grapefruit, Lemon,  Pear, Alcohol, Dusty Track, Toasted Refill Oak, Cocoa Powder, Cinnamon, Mint, Pepper and Herbal Tea.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and I actually got a few Beer/Yeast notes on the Nose. The Palate does not improve and the Finish becomes almost non-existing. No need to add Water therefore.

Rating: 78.5

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19.5  - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Okay

Conclusion:

On a regular basis, Jameson provides local craft beer brewers with some casks to mature beer. In 2013 the idea was born to try finishing Jameson Whiskey in barrels that were used to produce Stout Beer. The Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition went to the market in 2014 with good results. The Jameson Caskmates IPA is the second edition in these series and has been released in 2017. The distillery used casks of the Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork that were used to make Irish India Pale Ale. As of 2019, barrels from Eight Degrees Brewing, Cork were (also) used  to produce the IPA Edition.

The Jameson IPA disappoints me in so far that I can't find any significant Beer Barrel influence. It's actually dangerously close to a standard Jameson Whiskey. It might be of interest to investigate if a longer Finish would bring significant additional Aromas and Flavours to the the table but as it stands I can't see a bright future for this IPA Edition. Jameson fans can safely stick to the standard expression.

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                              July 9, 2019

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Amrut Naarangi Batch 03 Review



“Orange Blossom Special”

Whisky Review # 817

Country: India
Region: Karnataka (Southern India)
Brand: Amrut Naarangi - Batch # 03 - Bottled: June 2017
Type: Single Malt Indian Whisky
Age: NAS (Around 6 Years)
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 50%
Maturation: Bourbon Casks w. Orange Flavoured Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 110-130 (May 2019)
Buying Advice: 😔Nice but weird experiment. Expensive given its Youth.

Colour:

Copper with shades of Orange (Natural Colour)

Nose:

The first impression is Virgin Oak and a little Varnish. This fades away somewhat with time and both the Sherry casks and the Orange Peel come to play. Please give this Amrut sufficient time in the glass. It smells Young and Mature at the same time funny enough. The Nose is Soft and Sweet with Spices & Dried Fruits.

Main Aromas:

Butterkekse (German Butter Biscuits), Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Orange, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Plums, Pizza Dough, Dusty Track, Charred Wood, Nutmeg and Ginger.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Sweet Barley, Golden Syrup, Butterscotch, Fruit Cake, Mandarin, Lemon, Wet Paper, Pepper and hints of Tobacco, Chocolate, Leather and Rubber.


Palate:

It's certainly different! A mix of Whisky, Bourbon and Orange Liqueur. It's not quite as soft as the Nose. The Alcohol is certainly noticeable at this point. On the Palate, the Amrut is Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour notes. Quite Dry. When you get used to the taste it's not too bad actually. Just a little bit Artificial and, well, ...different.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Caramel, Orange, Dusty Wood, Dried Fruit like Raisins & Plums, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves, Menthol and Espresso.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Butterscotch, Vanilla, Golden Syrup, Boiled Candies, Dark Chocolate, Leather, Tobacco, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Syrup, Dried Herbs and a little Rubber.

Finish:

Middle Long, Bitter-Sweet, a bit Hot and quite Dry. The Alcohol is noticeable by now. I find Sweet Barley, Caramel, Golden Syrup, Orange, Dusty Oak, Forrest Floor, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Syrup, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Cloves, Menthol, Cardamom and hints of Varnish, Leather, Tobacco and Hazelnut Chocolate.

Drinking Advice:

I added a bit of Water and that helps to balance the Nose. A very nice laid-back Orange Aroma. You would easily forget this is a Single Malt Whisky. A mix of Orange and Spices actually. On the Palate it looses a bit of the boldness and the Finish becomes a little Shorter. Still, in this case I prefer it with a little Water.

Rating: 81

Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion:

The first Amrut Distillery was founded in 1948 in Bangalore, South India by the Jagdale family. They only started to distill Whisky for Blends in the 1980's. Their main products are Rum, Gin and Vodka. The first Single Malt was launched in 2004. As the climate in Southern India is very hot and humid, the spirit matures much faster than in Scotland. Most Amrut Malts are bottled after 4-6 Years. The oldest one is the recently released Greedy Angels 12 Years. The name of course refers to the high Angels Share that is lost each year to evaporation on account of the climatic conditions.

Naarangi is Hindi for Orange. Amrut bought Oloroso Sherry in Spain and infused the Sherry with fresh Orange Peels for over two years. Subsequently, the Sherry and Orange were removed and the casks were then filled with 3 Year Old Amrut Whisky that matured in Ex-Bourbon casks. This Whisky then matured in the Sherry/Orange casks for another 3 Years.

As you know I'm usually in favour of interesting experiments with Whisky. Sometimes it works and at times it doesn't but its always good to test the limits of maturing Whisky. The Naarangi is a bit of a puzzle to me. It's not bad as an Alcoholic beverage but it probably steers away a little too much from what is generally accepted to be a Single Malt Whisky. It smells very nice but Palate and Finish don't have the same quality. Nice to try as a sample but I would not go for a full bottle. It's quite expensive as well. Still, if you got an "Orange Crush" go for it!

Cheers!

Jan van den Ende                                                                       May 13, 2019