Jura Origin 10 Year Old

ABV 40%

What the professionals Say:

The nose has a freshness with notes of damp hay and soft, malty cereal notes. A touch of peat with gentle oak and arak with blossom tones. The palate is thick and full with more cereal, this time a barley fudge sweetness creeps in with creamy smoothness and a touch of aniseed. The finish is long with peppy winter spice.

• Gold medal at the Beverage Testing Institute 2012

• Three silver medals at The International Wine and Spirits Awards (2010, 11 and 12)


What I think:

One of my favourite quotes I came across when researching this Whisky was this "There is only 2 ways to drink Jura, with your left hand or with your right" and for this dram, they are quite correct.

The distillery at Jura was built in 1810 by the Campbells, rebuilt in 1884 and dismantled and left to ruin in the early 1900's. Around the 1950's it was decided to rebuild it and this was completed in 1963. The distillery had larger and taller stills allowing it to create a mixture of malts.

As you can imagine, changing the stills so drastically changed the flavour of Jura, pre '63 it was a strong, peaty, bullish whisky, following the new stills and redesign, it has changed massively. Indeed, across the range of Jura there is some massive taste differences, one of my favourites is the 21 year old, however, this is becoming rare and rarer and is now selling at over £150 per bottle. Anyhow, I digress.

Jura Origin (10 Year Old) is a light Whisky, another good first timer, although not as delicate on the palate as some or to everyone's taste, I like this Whisky, which is aged in ex-Bourbon casks. Deep gold in colour, the nose is considerable, it is damp and soft, a bit earthy, some fruit in there as well, but with an underlying saltiness, not one of my favourite noses, but pleasant enough.

On the palate it is soft, a very slight spice to it. It is drying, some hints of fruit, aniseed maybe, and nuts with a slight honey sweetness which rapidly dissapears. You can taste the spirit through it though which is ok, but not my favourite experience.

The finish is quite long, with a salt and pepper dryness which subdue the sweeter notes even further.

6.8 out of 10. Easy drinking, not the most refined, but there is something about it... memories of nights with friends maybe clouding my judgement on this one....

Cragganmore 12 Year old

 Cragganmore 12 year old

ABV 40%

What the professionals Say:

Gold in appearance, a combination of sweet floral fragrances, riverside herbs and flowers with some honey and vanilla. A firm rounded light body with a strong malty taste, hints of sweet wood smoke and sandalwood to the palate with a long, malt-driven finish with light smoke and hints of sweetness.


What I think:

Another Speyside great!

OK, so I am not just going to leave it there lol...

I fell in love with the colour of this Whisky, long before I got to smell it, let alone taste it. Its a rich gold colour, that promises all kinds of delights and dreams, and it does not fail to deliver.
I spent quite a while nosing this one, and enjoying the complex heady aromas, all though, looking pretty silly at the same time, eyes closed, glass swirled and tilted, nose in glass, mouth slightly open.... I was just waiting for Kerry to call the men in white coats.
The aroma is complex, far too complex for me to do it any justice. That being said, there is hay,  almonds,  fruit, a sweetness that's hard to describe, floral notes and yet more fruit. If nothing else it is subtle and very enjoyable.

It tastes REALLY NICE.... no I mean it, try it, you will understand. OK, a bit of a let down, after the colour and that nose, it seems to be lacking in taste. Now I don't mean it is not nice, because it is. It's really nice. There is some flavours there, its rich and honeyed, almonds, hint of berries maybe, slight fruitiness to it. The finish is better than the palate. Its a good length, slight smoke and peppery spice to it.

I want to love this Whisky, and I do love it. It's great, the only thing that lets it down is the taste in my opinion, however, that would seem to be the biggest part of any Whisky surely? Maybe its the filtration process (something I shall blog about another day), maybe its not quite strong enough? But the flavours, some how seem muted. Please don't let me put you off it. Its a classy malt, it is certainly a malt for people with delicate palettes, if you like your Whisky light and delicate then this is a winner by far. If you like peaty, smokey, roll you on the floor and kick you in the back Whisky, your going to wonder what happened to the volume on this one.

The score I am struggling with... I want to score it high I really do, I really did enjoy it, I just wish there was more to it.... OK...

7.10 out of 10. Nice with a meal, as an entrance to Whisky you cant go wrong. If you smoke, your going to struggle with flavours on this one.

The Classic Six

The Classic Malts of Scotland is a selection of six single malt whiskies, launched and marketed together in 1988 by United Distillers and Vintners which is now owned by Diageo. They are often displayed together in bars and liquor stores, and the marketing has proved quite successful. The six malts are:

 

Whisky	Age	Alc. %	Region
Dalwhinnie	15 years	43%	Highland
Talisker	10 years	45.8%	Isle of Skye
Cragganmore	12 years	40%	Speyside
Oban	14 years	43%	West Highland
Lagavulin	16 years	43%	Islay
Glenkinchie	12 years	43%	Lowland

UDV's regions differ from the more conventional categorisations of Highland (and subregion Island), Lowland, Speyside, Campbeltown, and Islay. The region of West Highland was created to separate between Oban and Dalwhinnie. Talisker is the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, which has never been a whisky region unto itself, but would be in the Island subregion; though this categorisation enabled UDV to include both Talisker and Lagavulin, strongly flavoured malts with strong followings. Campbeltown's association with the distillation of whisky has greatly subsided over the years, leaving merely three working distilleries in the region, none owned by UDV. The Lowlands have fared little better, leaving only four, of which only Glenkinchie is UDV owned.

All six of the "Classic Malts" have released limited edition "Distiller's editions", which are finished in special casks selected by the master distiller at each distillery. Dalwhinnie is finished in Oloroso casks, Glenkinchie in Amontillado, Cragganmore in Port, Oban in Fino sherry from Montilla, Talisker in amoroso sherry, and Lagavulin in Pedro Ximénez sherry.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old

Dalwhinnie 15 year old

ABV: 43.5%

What the professionals say:

Delicate yet aromatic on the nose, hints of toffee, fruit salad, lush nectarine, custard. Floral, apple blossom, honeysuckle. Apple peels, pear, touch of smoke.

It tastes malty. Walnuts steeped in manuka honey with vanilla sponge. Gentle smoke weaves its way through the cereal with a touch of spice.

With a long, malty, walnut, almond finish.

What I think:

This is a Speyside Whisky, coming out of the light 'lunchtime' (Please drink responsibly) whiskies camp of Speyside. It is probably the most underrated malt within the classic six. As to why this is, I am not sure. Maybe it is because some people would define it as bland. It certainly does not have the massive flavours of some Whiskies, it has a hint of smoke, yet it does not drown you in peat.

I was surprised when I first tasted this Whisky, described as medium bodied and at 15 years of age, part of the classic six, you expect it to be strong flavoured, to be bold, for want of a better word. Instead it is very light in colour, unassuming on the nose, with delicate hints and a subtleness of flavours that I could not distinguish between. Sweet, definitely, something creamy and hints of vanilla... was about all I could muster.

On the tongue it tastes sharp. I'm not sure where the professionals get there flavours from. The first sip was not the most enjoyable experience I have ever encountered with tasting whisky, sharp, slightly acrid, maybe even woody. Yet it soon settles down, and by the second glass i had begun to enjoy the subtle flavours. Slightly sweet, yet sharp, woody, hint of smoke. Delicate yet sharp and clean tasting, it does have a hidden depth to it, yet is not apparent on first taste.

All in all not a bad Whisky, takes some time to appreciate. Light, delicate, sharp yet sweet and none of these things are necessarily bad!

6.75 out of 10 - Probably deserves higher, but too subtle and gentle for my palette. 

Talisker 10 Year Old

What the professionals say:

Brilliant gold in appearance, a powerful peat smoke with just a hint of sea water saltiness, fresh oysters and a citrus sweetness on the nose. It's full bodied with a palate of rich dried-fruit sweetness with clouds of smoke and strong barley-malt flavours, warming and intense. Peppery at the back of the mouth, It has a long, warming finish with an appetising sweetness.

What I think:

Talisker is another award winning scotch, this is an Island malt, coming from Skye. Unlike some of the other Island Malts, Talisker does not beat you about the head with smoke and peat, it is more refined and subtle.. Please don't get me wrong though, this is a massive Scotch with huge flavours, just they all seem very delicately balanced.

On the nose you do get peat, and smoke, and slight fish and citrus. Sounds awful? well it is not. This Whisky is complex enough for the discerning palate, but not so brutal a first timer will be put off. On the palate you get some intense flavours, peat and smoke, balanced out with sweetness (not quite fruit sweet), a spicy flavour, some pepper and some very subtle citrus notes. Maybe some vanilla? but not sure... The finish is huge, with tastes developing long after your first swallow, along with peat and warmth.

It is obviously a coastal malt, and the flavours arrive as gale force winds do, unexpectedly, yet beautifully in sequence. For the inexperienced Whisky drinker this is not a bad bottle to try, it will certainly let you know if you like 'peaty' Scotch, without blowing your head off and having your mouth tasting like creosote smells...

Easily a daily drinker and again, Whisky drinkers will not be horrified if you produced a bottle, in fact, if you have one, let me know and I will join you! Cost is around £25-40 per bottle with some older packages and limited editions costing over £100...

Personally I like this expression... A good strong 7.25 out of 10.

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old

ABV 40%

What the professionals say:

Carefully matured in the finest American bourbon and Spanish sherry oak casks for at least 12 years. Married and mellowed in oak marrying tuns for complete harmony of aroma and flavour.

A single malt Scotch whisky with distinctive fresh pear, creamy with subtle oak flavours and a long smooth and mellow finish.

The world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky; this is our family’s signature expression.

What I think:

Well, I have read a lot about this Whisky, and I have tried several bottles over the years, this was the first single malt I ever shared with my Dad, and simply the sight of the distinctive green bottle can transfer me back in time to the front room of our old house. Let alone the aroma and taste, but enough about my past…

This Whisky is golden in colour, and a real delight to watch swirl around the glass. It has a slightly fruity, but quite light aroma with a long and smooth finish. It’s a very pleasant Whisky to drink with hints of butterscotch, malt, fruit and subtle Oak. It retails at around about £20-30 per bottle for a 70cl.

It’s a great Whisky to keep in the cupboard for an occasional tipple, the cornerstone of every bar and a great place to start when introducing people to Whisky for the first time!

No Whisky drinker will ever be offended if you offer them a dram of this one.

7 out of 10!

The Whisky Glass

What do you imagine when people mention Whisky glasses? To most people in the world that are not 'into' there Whiskies would imagine a tumbler, probably quite shallow with a wide rim, probably crystal... and to be fair they would not be wrong to. Lots of times on tv and films when people are drinking Whisky it is in this traditional tumbler. There are some down sides to this though, the wide rim and straight sides allow the aroma of the Whisky to escape, meaning you lose a lot of the experience of drinking and some of the flavour.

The tumbler tends to be used typically for Bourbon and to allow the adding of ice. Something I would not recommend to any discerning Whisky drinker.

The truth is up until 2001, Whisky was drunk typically out of any kind of glass, from goblets through sherry glasses to tumblers. However in 2001 a glass was released by Glencairn Crystal designed by a gentlemen called Raymond Davidson who took it upon himself to design/develop the quintessential Whisky glass. He envisaged a glass based upon the sherry nosing copita, this would allow the Whisky drinker to appreciate the aromas as well as the palate, it would also need to be robust enough to survive in a thriving bar environment. Eventually it reached the Master Blenders of the Scotch Whisky Industry and their guidance and expertise helped the glass evolve. It was perfected to accommodate a 35ml pour and allow for the addition of water. The design was revolutionary, the tapering mouth allowed for ease of drinking, something never associated with a copita, however, it still captured the all-important aromas. The wide bowl of the glass allows you to appreciate the colour and viscosity of the Whisky and the solid base feels good in the hand.

The Glencairn glass can now be found at all major Whisky festivals worldwide, in every discerning Whisky drinkers bar and in nearly every distillery in the world! The best thing about these glasses, they are crystal, but they are also not overly priced, it is available from about £4.00 each for the 'normal' glass up to about £60 for a cut crystal pair.