Jura Prophecy

One can’t help but be intrigued by the Isle of Jura. The deer outnumber its human population (under 200) by a factor of 25 to 1. It has one main road, one hotel, and one distillery that shares its name. The Island also hosts one newly built golf course, Ardfin, which was created by a wealthy Australian hedge fund manager for his own use, and, unfortunately, will not be part of our fall golf trip that covers the Isles of Islay and Arran and the areas of Campbeltown and Glasgow. Jura Prophecy is a good name for this whisky because, frankly, I was totally mystified by this expression. Relatively unimpressed by a bottle of Jura Superstition recently drank, this whisky was a complete surprise. There’s a story behind the moniker, but I will leave that for you to investigate on its box. The distillery is currently owned by whisky producer, Whyte and Mackay, headquartered in Glasgow. This company was under the umbrella of Diageo plc for a brief period, and was sold off to Emperador Distillors and the Alliance Global Group, Inc. in 2014. Jura is another brand you will find everywhere in the UK, but rarely elsewhere for lack of good marketing and ability to grow. Had Diageo not been forced to spin them off over regulatory concerns of their market dominance, I’m sure this distillery would not have been a well kept secret for long. Despite this, production has still grown to 2.2 million liters per year, and Jura whisky is no longer sold as a filler for other blends. Jura Prophecy has been an annual release that only accounts for about 10,000 bottles of this amount. The packaging for this spirit tells you very little about the whisky itself, and their website makes no mention of this product leading one to wonder about its continuation. Prophecy is comprised of four different whiskies aged for up to 23 years and include Jura Superstition, 10 year old Origin, and 16 year old Diurachs’ Own. The latter of these three spends 14 years in American white oak bourbon and 2 years in Oloroso sherry. Now add final aging in French Limousin oak and you end up with a creation so complex it leaves the experts dumbfounded. In 2010 it received the Beverage Testing Institute’s Platinum Metal award. They described it like, “Drinking buried treasure!” The International Wine and Spirits Competition has awarded it Gold and Silvers for “Best in Class,” and it also received “Best in Show” at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Lastly, it has received multiple Silvers from the International Spirits Challenge. When nosing this whisky for the first time it presented a sophisticated elegance I had not previously experienced. I thought it possibly the result of marrying so many disparate parts, but I also wondered about the influence of French Limousin Oak. These casks are the most expensive in the world, and along with Troncais Oak are the only two woods used to age Cognac. The Limousin oak is culled from the section of a century old tree between the heartwood and sapwood. It is then allowed to age for up to three years to oxidize any remaining bitterness, and the wood is known for its rich vanilla properties. Limousin is also more porous than Troncais and Cognac will extract additional tannins from this variety to produce a stronger and better balanced spirit. This characteristic might also account for Prophecy’s rich copper-brown appearance, since there is no color added, according to Jura’s Visitor Center Manager. Additionally, the spirit is non-chill filtered with a healthy 46% ABV. On the box Prophesy simply states, “Heavily Peated, with fresh cinnamon and spicy sea spray”; however, those in the know find this spirit to be mildly peaty and I agree. Some claim this to be a function of the second tallest stills in Scotland, which limits the ability of volatiles to escape their grasp. A drying Glencairn will produce a plush aroma of sawn hardwoods difficult to match. On the nose I find honeyed vanilla, cinnamon, sherry fruitiness, bourbon spiciness, mild peat reek, earthy peat, citrus, maritime saltiness, and other unrecognizable elements. In addition, expert tasters find over 50 other aromas. The taste is medium oily, smooth and dry with everything going on. Buried treasure is a great description because if you are looking for something in this whisky, it’s there. Peppery effervescence, spices, citrus fruits, honeyed vanilla, almonds, subtle smokiness, toasted malts, sea salt, cinnamon, dried fruits, lemon cake and countless others I could quote from the gurus. The finish is enormously satisfying with very little hint of bitterness. This is a tremendous whisky that I rate at 4.25 stars. Its only flaw is a lack of advertised peatiness. Now that the new record is set at 814 words, I promise to cut down on future reviews. Sorry Generously Paul! :)

Apparently this was discontinued in 2018, which made it a rare find when I nabbed a bottle at the end of last year. This is my first experience with Jura, and I understand a heavily-peated malt like this is not their usual style. For better or for worse, this is my introduction to the distillery from the Isle of Jura. Nose: Peat, sea salt, seaweed, brine, rubber, band-aid, ash, and iodine leap out of the glass. Smoke is nonexistent. Honeydew, lime, and orange. Mint chocolate. Sundried tomato. Caramel, nougat, and vanilla. Cranberry and raspberry. Black pepper and other baking spices. Solid nose. Palate: Some bonfire smoke appears, alongside a punch of iodine and rubber. More of the sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Honeydew, cranberry, raspberry, and apple. Milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla. Honeydew. Jelly note that gives this a thick viscosity. Cinnamon and some baking spices. Light black bean, red pepper chili. Solid again. Finish: The rubber returns from the nose alongside some earthy peat. Iodine and band-aid as well. Honeydew. Caramel, milk chocolate, and nougat. Cinnamon, black pepper, and other baking spices. Moderate-long finish. Great stuff. Damn good whisky. My first impression of Jura is a very good one. It's a shame to read that this is discontinued in favor of less-peated malts. The formula they used here produced a unique and quality Scotch. In my opinion, it's one worth keeping around. At $69, this was well worth the price of entry. 4/5 The bottle says "Sipcy Sea Spray." This malt is well-deserving of that title. After this, I'll be giving Jura some more attention. As for this one, consider me a fan. Back just over 4 years later. Virtually the same notes. Same score. Excellent find.

Nose: Sawdust, with an underpinning dusky hint - sandalwood sawdust. A carpet of autumn leaves. Brine and gymnasium sweat (!) Warm earthy sweet spices (cinnamon, aniseed, cardamom, liquorice) and hops. A little tarry smoke, but not much trace of the "profound peat". A very interesting nose that develops some intriguing oily (almost buttery) vegetal notes as it opens. Palate: Gorgeous, smooth honeyed arrival and ... ah ha! .. there's the peat, lurking as a foundation that you almost overlook until it rises to try and overtake the honey ... but meets its match. More herbal than fruity - thyme and lemongrass, mustard cress, sage and rocket (aka arugula). Grassy and fresh in perfect balance with the honey, and with an overall oilyness that contributes very good texture and mouthfeel. Finish: Long and gently lingering, it seamlessly follows the delivery and fades away on sweet and salt vegetal notes, with the honey and peat that have been there throughout the performance echoing into the distance. Lovely. Sweet honey and fragrant dry herbal components are combined very well here in a most accomplished pairing that waltzes over a ground of perfect peat. To be honest I was not expecting much, having been pretty disappointed by the 10 year expression last year, however this is in a totally different league. Congratulations, Jura distillery, on producing an interesting and individual dram that is also quite delicious. This is indeed heavily peated, but absolutely not a "peat monster". Adding a drop of water highlights the sweet side, but I'd recommend taking it neat - so smooth, you'd never guess for a second that this is 46%. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)

It's hard to accept that this is a discontinued product. I was stunned when I found out. Because after about the third sip, I had made up my mind to pick up a bottle. I was zombiefied for a minute, like the crack smoker in the gag, the one that goes: "Why did the crack smoker stare at a carton of orange juice for 20 minutes?..." "Because the word 'Concentrate' was written on it." Onto the review! Odors of peat and brine rise to greet the nose. The peat aroma is well integrated as the brine turns into oily sweetness on the palate. The sweetness segues into bourbon-cask notes, but is quickly overtaken by the peat smoke. Further tipples highlight a sweet citric note that leads to the finish. The finish is delectably spicy at 46% ABV, rather than ethanol-heavy or astringent. The Jura Prophecy lands somewhere in the middle of two of its islander kindred -- the Ardbeg 10 (sans the brute heat) and the Ledaig 10 (sans the savory notes). Heartily recommended. If the reader here is intrigued and thinking about shelling out money for a bottle on secondary, let me just say I'd be an advocate of anything south of $70. Thanks @jonwilkinson7309 for the well done dram. It's time to hunt for a bottle! Cheers!

Wow, what a peat. Earthy, herbal notes immediately appear on nose, which develops with spices (cloves, hints of nutmeg). Given time, a maritime character appears, fresher than before. Waiting longer, and seaside mixes with forest. This is Scotland, this is Jura. Otters or deers may appear anytime from my dram. Mouthfeel is consistent with nose, just adding some bitter oak notes - not the most pleasant I've ever tried, tbh, but not so huge: you can easily ignore them and keep on sipping. Give some time more into your mouth to this dram, TPC comes and kills oak. it's up to you. Alcohol is not perceived, anytime. Not a boozy dram at all. Give me some fresh oysters, please. Out of stock? Oh, steamed mussels are fine as well, thanks.

This is what you look in a whisky. Flavor and aroma that is pleasant and enjoyable. Bottled at 46%, with a russetmuscat color. On the nose: PEAT. BUT THE SWEET, SULPHURIC ONE: Chocolate Peat Fresh morning Coffee Burnt rubber Shoes Tennis balls. Yep. Amazing. On the palate: Very powerful, chewable oranges, Spicy bomb makes you cry in a pleasant rewarding way. Rubber Finish long like tasting ¿tennis balls?. It is a Rambo movie in your tongue. Not complex but delicious. Overall, i give this due to my rating system: 100 over 100!!! (But it feels like a 96) GO GET IT