The brainchild of Jura’s distillery manager Graham Logan, it marks a hugely significant step for Jura: ‘A new house style of whisky is not for the faint hearted but it tells you where we are now and how committed we are to Jura, the community and our whiskies for the long term. Combining two styles of whisky is a fairly unorthodox approach, but one that we know is right for Jura. We can’t wait for people to try and it and see for themselves.’ Jura wanted to update its brand to get to a new target, and it may be working for them. A fresh brand can get to a new consumer and open their eyes to the whisky world. But, in the process, they forgot about whisky lovers, because the new range is not for them. Jura 18 Year Old should be the icing of the cake, but it doesn’t get to the level of its small brother, Jura Seven Wood (which, for me, is the best whisky in the range). Jura 18 is just another whisky for beginners, despite the upper-middle age statement. Old Isle of Jura whisky needed a change, so they could get to more people and vindicate the capacity of their small island distillery to produce good whisky. That change arrived with its new, revamped range: Signature Series. Jura 18 year old is the top of the range. Full disclosure: I was sent the whiskies featured in this article free of charge. As always I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the drams and the value for money they represent.

Smell: Some honeyed malt to begin with. A little bit woody. Sawdust even. Then apple and citrus comes through. Walnut. Leather. A few gentle wisps of smoke.

The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. In 1810, seeing a clear demand for whisky, local kingpin Archibald Campbell decided to build a distillery on the Island, initially calling it Small Isles Distillery in reference to the numerous small islands in Craighouse Bay where the distillery is located. Not short of a few bob, the largest landowner on the island created an engineering marvel using only gravity to move liquid between the production areas. Small Isles produced a heavy, smoky whisky similar to those made on neighbouring Islay and took its water from the dark, peaty Loch A-Bhaile Mhargaidh, 300m above Craighouse. Our trip took in Lussa Gin and Deer Island Rum but in truth, it was the whisky distillery I was most looking forward to. Sadly, tours aren’t possible yet but we were able to enjoy a few drams in their new tasting room. Which, it has to be said, looks absolutely fantastic. We worked our way through some of the core range and even tasted some of the sherry that had been used to finish them. It was an informative and enjoyable visit that reinforced my belief that Jura is making progress.

The 18-Year-Old is matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Premier Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux barrels. When compared to their old 10-year-old Origins release, there’s more life and vibrancy here, both on the nose and the palate. The addition of that little wisp of smoke and a short sherry finish has added layers of flavour that simply weren’t there before. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. B and B-: Good and above average. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. A B- is three stars.

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On the palate, it shows a more sherried side. This is a Scotch that starts with a sweet blow to slowly fade to bitter and spicier notes. Chocolate and charcoal notes blend with a touch of raisins and dry fruits. Some soft notes of candied lemon. The finish is a bit lengthy, with chocolate notes and a light touch of smoke. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us.We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Taste: Creamy vanilla followed by chocolate orange creams. A little bit of oak. Subtle pepper and a hint of peat on the finish. With time in the glass, a little more of that sherry finish comes through. It’s not huge, but there’s a definite dried fruits note.