Jura Diurachs' Own 16 Year (43%)

Rating: 11/23 Since my sample of Jura Superstition was bad, I guess this is the only peated Jura that I'm going to get to taste. N: Rich and fruity (red fruits and tangerine). Also a bit of raw meat... but how at this age? Some smokiness, but I'm not really getting peat here. Is this actually unpeated and I'm misremembering? There's a fullness here, but it really lacks complexity. A little sulphur. P: Sweet, rich, full. Lots of alcohol and it definitely burns. But I get cherry, apricot, toffee. A zest of lemon. Some nice sweetness from the malt. Nothing has much depth to it though. There is a little earthiness that might suggest peat, but it's not that strong and it's not that enjoyable either. There's also a little sulphur. This lacks the mellow nuance of Compass Box Artist's Blend. This has an earthy, herbal, vegetal range with some sort of funky off notes that I don't like. That sample of Jura 10 (not Origen) that I tried was more complex with more nuanced flavors, though the youthful alcohol certainly did show through there more. I like the richness and fullness here better, but the alcohol actually burns a bit more and it's slightly harsh. Additionally, the flavors are just flat. And it has that sulphur. This really doesn't taste good. It's kind of like less complex, less sweet, less balanced, more sulphuric, and more bad Highland Park 16 Wings Of The Eagle. The sulphur here is about as obtrusive as it is in Highland Park 12, but there isn't the same smoke and sea spray to help cover for it. Instead, this has sharp alcohol and raw meat. F: The more bitter side of the malt and toffee with a little more spice flavor (white pepper, ginger, and clove, surprisingly) than the palate had. Then just a muddled ball of stuff from the palate that I really can't distinguish. - Conclusion - Nothing about this is enjoyable. I figured it would be at least as good as one of the 10 year old Jura Origins I tried, but is it? I think an 11 is a tough sell here. I think I'd prorbaly take this over that mystery Jura Origin 10, but I think that's really just putting it at a 10. Actually, coming back to this, I find it to be a little more actively challenging than that mystery Jura 10 was. I'm not sure that this is better anymore. Compass Box Artist's Blend (13/23) is far better than this with its sweet vanilla and clean profile. Highland Park 12 (12/23) also definitely beats this. Three Scottish Brothers 20 (12/23) may not be as complex as this is and it does have some alcohol bite, but it does have some nicer vanilla sweetness and mellowness. This also suffers from those really challenging flavors. I think I'd put this above my Girvan 24 (1994) Carn Mor independent bottling, but I need to re-rate that, so it doesn't help with rating this. Going briefly cross-category to Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star (11/23), this is more complex with less alcohol showing, but more bite to it and all sorts of wrong flavors. They're actually pretty close though. I'm going with a 9 to 12 for this. I'm going to land on an 11. It annoys me to try two drams side by side and give them the same rating because it makes me doubt the condition of my palate, but since I was able to try others side by side with them and consistently maintain an order of preference, I feel like this is a solid rating. Oh, I just now realized that the Distiller entry for this is listed at 40% ABV, so this is also a mystery Jura offering. Well, that's confusing.

Fine, just bland