We’ve had a few Juras on More Drams and until now, it was kind of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Well, to be honest, it was The Good, The A-bit-less-Good, and still The Ugly. But I’ve read that old early-90s Jura were quite often quite good, and several friends really adore them, so let’s keep an open mind and review this Jura 1990 Thompson Brothers that was behind the fourth window of my whisky and malternative advent calendar.
Jura 1990 Thompson Brothers Review
This Isle of Jura was distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2020 at the age of 30. Matured in a refill American oak hogshead, it gave 186 bottles at the kind of low but not too low ABV of, precisely, 46.33%. The bottles, filled without chill filtration nor addition of colouring, were released in 2020 at about €300 each. Long gone obviously, Thomson Bros’ releases tend not to gather dust on their shelves.
Colour:
Amber. Large beads form on the crown, changing to medium speed descending fat legs.
Nose:
Not very intense. Citrus’s sourness brings balance to herbal and vegetal notes. There is some funk with mango and Saint-Nectaire cheese. I’m getting very light whiffs of peat smoke. After quite some aeration, traces of exotic fruits, chalk and crushed seashells.
Palate:
The arrival is citrusy and a bit woody, with some faint wood spices. Chocolatey malt, nutmeg, salted almonds and light peat again. Passion fruits, grapefruit and pineapple bring sour and sweet notes that balance out quite well. Then chalk and granite provide a mineral side whilst pine wood, needle and resin bring an herbal freshness. This works very well. Good oily mouthfeel.
Finish:
Citrusy, with pine needles, those exotic fruits and the light aerial peat lingering on and on and on. Nice sourness of lemon and grapefruit peel.
Comments:
Well, even the old Juras I’ve had until now were good but not great, but this time I’ve finally found a really very good Jura! For once, no off-note, even the cheese funk on the nose integrated well. The palate is ‘different’ from other whiskies, but this sourness and the herbaceous notes work well together, in good balance. This Jura is really excellent, and I never thought I’d say that one day. Thanks Benjamin for sharing this one!
