Jura Diurach's Own 16 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Highlands - Islands - Jura

Brand: Jura Diurachs' Own

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 40%

Date: 17/12/2012 - 08+21/01/2013 - 14/04/2017

Colour: Full Gold/Amber (Artificially coloured)

Nose: I am really puzzled. Do I actually smell Cooked Vegetables (Cabbage) and Cooked Potatoes with Curry Sausages or is there something wrong with my Nosing tonight! An overdose of E-150? Or were a large number of refill Casks used? Or simply a bottle with a defect. I don't believe the latter is the case as the Palate seems so be normal. I also don't think it's Sulphur as the Jura 16 is only finished for 2 years in Ex-Sherry Casks. In any case, I'm not getting much else at first! Luckily, I'm a patient guy and after half an hour or so these off-notes are subdued a bit and I get Caramel, Oak, Honey, Pine, Toffee, Herbs, Malt and hints of Leather, Apricot and Orange. Still, this is not quite sufficient for a 16 Year old Single Malt. It's an unpeated Jura of course and therefore has none of the characteristics of its (mostly) peated Islay neighbours.   

I repeated the Nosing a day later, having avoided to eat or smell anything that could influence the proceedings. But the Cabbage, Potatoes and Curry Sausage were still there albeit slightly more subdued. This could be one of those Malts that actually improve after having been opened. I will taste and nose this dram again in a month or so. (*I nosed it again on January 8 and January 21, 2013 but my opinion stands.). I opened yet another (miniature) bottle today on the 14th of April 2017 and again I got those Aromas but yet again in a more subtle way.

Taste: Light, Watery, Fairly Smooth, Sweet, Slightly Musty and Dry at the same time with Honey, Pepper, Salt, Oak, Vanilla, light Orange, Cloves, Toffee and Custard. Completely drinkable of course but nothing to get excited about.

Finish: Short with Pepper, Salt, Toffee (Werthers Original), Vanilla, Oak and hints of Tobacco and Milk Chocolate.

I added a few drops of Water and won't do that again. It just waters the dram down and the Finish becomes quite bitter with some Licorice appearing towards the end.

Rating: 81  

Nose: 19 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Isle of Jura is located off the West Coast of Scotland. If you're on Islay and the weather is clear you can look across the Sound of Islay, the straight that divides both isles and see the Paps of Jura, the three magnificent peaks that characterise Jura. There only live around 200 people on the island. In the Gaelic language they are called Diurachs, hence the name of this whisky that is said to be the whisky of choice of the inhabitants. At the Isle of Jura, there is only one road, one pub and one distillery that was founded in 1810. Lots of Jura Malt is used by the owners Whyte & MacKay in their range of Blends but lately Jura is more and more promoted as a Single Malt and with some success. The 16 Year is sold at around US$ 60 per bottle (April 2017). It matures for 14 Years in Ex-Bourbon casks before being finished for two years in Ex-Sherry (Amoroso) casks.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good.

Conclusion: This was a bit of a disappointment. Despite the nice packaging and slick bottle, the Jura 16 is not at all an exciting Single Malt in my opinion. At the most it's solid basis material for standard Blends. Even without considering the unpleasant off-notes, the Jura 16 just does not bring enough complexity and finesse to the table. I bought a full bottle of this at the duty free and I'm not too pleased with that. I'm sure the Diurachs should be able to find a better dram on their little island! Maybe in a year or two I will go to Jura myself to help them find it. Paps of Jura, here I come!

PS: I went to Jura in the meantime and visited the distillery on a very rainy day in May 2014. To be honest I didn't become a real fan of the Jura distillery and its Single Malts. 

Jan van den Ende                       December 2012 + January 2013 + April 2017

Tyrconnell Ambassador's Choice 1992 Review

Country: Ireland

Brand: Tyrconnell Ambassador's Choice

Type: Pure Pot Still Whiskey

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 51%

Date: 15/12/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Clean with Malt, Vanilla, Apples and Pears, Caramel, Oak, Raisin and Buttered Toast with Apricot Marmalade. Some Fruity - and (Lemon) Grassy Tones as well. Agreeable but not overly exciting.

Taste: Quite nice but not very complex. It reminded me a bit of a Banana-Liqueur. I also find lots of Malt and Vanilla (Custard), Spices (White Pepper and Cinnamon), Caramel and a tad of Honey.

Finish: Middle Long with Vanilla, Lemon, Pepper, Oak and a hint of Cocoa Powder. Quite Dry in the end.

I added a few drops of Water and I can't find any material changes. The dram softens up even more and I did get some Mint on the Palate as well. I think you should should try this Tyrconnell both ways to find out what suites you best.

Rating:  83.5  (out of 100)

Nose:  21 - Taste:  21.5 - Finish: 20  - Overall: 21

General Remarks: I received a sample of this dram from Glenn Vanbellingen who lives in Belgium. Thanks Glenn! Tyrconnell of course is a Brand of the Cooley Distillery. Tyrconnell is the name of an Irish race horse that won the Irish Derby in 1876 at 100-1 odds. The distillery was founded in 1820 by Alexander Stuart but closed in 1925. The brand name was bought and reintroduced by the Cooley Distillery in 1988.
This specific batch was distilled on November 5, 1992 and bottled on August 26, 2009. 

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is a step up from the Tyrconnell Single Malt. However it's also quite expensive at around US$ 100,- a bottle. The Ambassador' s Choice is a well-crafted whiskey but it's not complex enough to justify its high price in my opinion.  

Jan van den Ende                                                               December 2012

Antiquary 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Antiquary

Type: Blended Scotch Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Light Golden

Nose: Light, Dry and Crisp Nose with Malt, Light Peat, Flowery Perfume, Lemon, Oak, Spices and a hint of Honey.

Taste: Light and not at all complex. Slightly Dry at first but Sweeter later on. Grains, Malt, Butter, Citrus Peels, Oak and a distinctive hint of Rhubarb.

Finish: Short with light Peat, Oak, Caramel, Toffee and Pepper.

I added a couple of drops of Water but the result is a watered version of the original. This Blend is too light to accept additional Water.

Rating: 78.5

Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19 - Overall: 19.5

Cragganmore Distillery

General Remarks: John and William Hardie of Edinburgh first blended the Antiquary in 1888. The name derives from a novel by Sir Walter Scott. Hardie was bought in 1995 by the Tomatin Distillery Co.Ltd. The Blend is very popular in Spain, Portugal and the UK. Packaging and the Diamond-Shaped Bottle are very nice. The Blend contains 55% Malt whisky and that's a high percentage. All in all 30 whiskies are used for the Antiquary. The heart of the Blend is Speyside, represented by a.o. Glenrothes, Mortlach, Linkwood, Benrinnes and Cragganmore. Other Malts are Tomatin, Clynelish, Royal Lochnagar (Highland), Glenkinchie (Lowland) and Bowmore (Islay). The Grain whiskies are from Port Dundas and Camaronbridge . All whiskies are matured for at least 12 years in American White Oak. It's not cheap at around 45 US Dollars per bottle.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: A very light Blend. Uncomplicated and drinkable but not at all challenging. The Nose is clean with basically Lemon and a touch of Peat. The only interesting detail on the Palate is the unusual Rhubarb taste. Never experienced that before. The rest is quite forgettable I'm afraid. 

Jan van den Ende                                                        December 12, 2012

Mortlach 15 Years (Gordon and MacPhail) Review

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside

Brand: Mortlach (Gordon & MacPhail)

Distilled Around 1975 and Bottled around 1990

Type: Single Malt

Age: 15 Years

ABV: 40%

Colour: Full (Dark) Gold

Nose: Wow! This is completely different from everything I have nosed so far. It's a combination of an old book shop and a butchery. Sounds strange? Well my first impressions are Leather, Musty Old Books and Raw Beef. After a while I get Rum soaked Fruitcake with lots of Raisins and Sultanas, Oak, Vanilla, Floral Tones, Peat Smoke and Sugared Orange Zests.

Taste: Unexpected thin delivery. Once again I must state that this whisky should have been bottled at at least 46% ABV. The Leather, Raw Beef and Old Books of the Nose are confirmed, joined by Oak, White Pepper and Dried Fruits. A tad of Salt. Still, this was rather disappointing after the Nose.

Finish: Middle Long and Dry with Raw Beef, White Pepper, Orange Zest, Oak, Peat, a touch of Salt, Leather and Cigar Ash. The latter stays with you for a couple of minutes.

I added a couple of drops of water and the Nose gives away some extras in the form of Malt and Butter. However the intensity of the Nose is gone I'm afraid. Palate and Finish don't really benefit from the additional Water as well. So better nose and sip this one neat. 

Rating: 86 

Nose: 22  - Taste:  21 - Finish: 21.5  - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: The Mortlach Distillery was founded in 1823 and was the first of seven distilleries that were built in and around Dufftown. Today it is part of the Diageo Group. Mortlach distills the spirit 2,5 times. As a result most Mortlach whiskies are complex and age well. The sample I'm tasting today is not the newly released 15 years Mortlach currently marketed by Gordon & MacPhail (Bottle pictured above). This sample comes from a batch distilled around 1975, probably bottled around 1990. Mortlach Single Malts are only available through Independent Bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail. The reason is that Mortlach is a key component of many Johnnie Walker Blends, including Black Label. 

I got this sample from a friend in Holland who obtained it from Rare Whisky Site, an on line whisky shop operating from the Netherlands. I'm not sure if it's still available and at what price.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is my first direct encounter with a Single Malt from the Mortlach Distillery and I must say I'm impressed. A very interesting Nose with an unmistakable smell of Raw Beef. It's like the Pepper in Talisker. Once you have tasted it, it's very unlikely you will forget the experience. Raw Meat, Old Books with a cover of Leather and Rum-Raisin Fruitcake are the main flavours of the Nose. Remarkable stuff. Unfortunately the Palate can't deliver everything the Nose promises and a big part is due to the fact that this dram was bottled at only 40% ABV. That's good enough for Johnnie Walker Red but not for Mortlach 15 for crying out loud! The Finish reconquers a bit of the lost ground and the Cigar Ash is a nice final touch. But once again I'm confronted with a whisky that could have been great but in the end is "merely" good. There should be a law that Single Malts should have a minimum ABV of 46%. As it is, I'm really looking forward to discover more about this distillery. Johnnie Walker Black Label has always been one of my favourite Blends. I never knew it contained a significant amount of Mortlach. But now I do and things start falling into place!

Jan van den Ende                                                             December 9, 2012