Isle of Jura 22 Year Old 'One for the Road'

Willie Cochrane started working at the Jura Distillery in 1977 as mashman. He soon became stillman to finally become the manager of the distillery. No less than 39 years has Willie worked at Jura, but all good things come to an end. Willie retired in September 2016. To celebrate the occasion, this ‘One for the Road’ was bottled, an Isle of Jura 22 Year Old that got a finish on Pinot Noir wine casks after its regular maturation on bourbon casks.

Its nose is a lovely sweet one on almond paste, juicy raisins and pineapple cake. Freshly baked cookies. A hint of chocolate and coffee. Walnut liqueur. The white creamy filling of an Oreo. Raspberry yoghurt. A hint of jute in the background. Pleasant and creamy.

Good body (could have been a tad more though), honeysweet and mildly sweet and sour, soft on the spices. Reminds me of pastry again, but now more an apricot pie. Nectarine. Raspberry. Fruity and sweet, but with a mild sour edge. Caramelized ginger, pear syrup. With the second sip, the wine becomes very outspoken, but the malt never turns vinous. Good!

The finish is medium long and shows just a tad too much tannins, making me pull a face a bit.

Lovely Jura, no more no less. I’m sure Willie is very proud of this one – and rightfully so. Around 190 EUR, which I find a tad expensive.

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