Isle of Jura 10 Year Old

Jura 10. I bought it at a steal (£17) and so I wasn't too worried about how it would turn out. My first tasting led me to believe I had nothing to write about on my hands. If I had been a member here, I'd probably have given it a 60. It was floral, light(ish) but harsh and tinny. That was almost exactly 2 years ago.

Now, however, it looks like the game is changing. I stuck some Jura in a decanter (it's a nice colour for a decanter and, as I said above, I'm not worried about giving it away) and left some in the bottle. I'm reviewing the stuff left in the bottle (which is now almost entirely empty)

Nose: Hint of salt, heather, alcohol and something which I think might be spiced pear. The slightest smell of cellar (in agood way!) Fairly light nose, but not unpleasant. Shall we say 17/25?

Palate: Peppery-sweet and slightly citrussy. Having had bad experiences with the newly-opened bottle, this one has quite a pleasant mouth-feel and rushes round quite cheerfully. On a second taste there's a teasing little hint of honey on the tip of my tongue and a bit more heather. There may perhaps be a lick of salt and a pinch of smoke in there. I think I'll give it 19 for a solid effort.

Finish: Very pleasant actually. I'm not normally a huge fan of spiciness but this is really quite enjoyable. It moves from spiciness quite quickly to a much softer taste, with the phantom of honey hanging around. It's that phantom of honey that encourages another sip, so it clearly does its job in encouraging more drinking! There's a nice lick of pepper to keep the taste on the tongue and it has a solid character to it. It's very smooth now that it's mellowed a little and very pleasant. Another 19, perhaps?

Well this most certainly is not the whisky I once disliked! Perhaps my palate has developed, but it's certainly a lot more pleasant than I remember over various tastings over the last 2 years. It's nicely balanced and that elusive dash of honey has kept me coming back for more as I write.

I'm really quite pleased with how this has turned out! A solid (but not earth-shattering) 74 as its final score.

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