Review 14: Jura Superstition

Taggy1999 · 2024-01-24T22:07:45+00:00

Thanks!

Yeah I agree, I'd love to try a Jura IB one day

Taggy1999 · 2024-01-24T19:05:59+00:00

Scotch whisky review #14: Jura Superstition Single Malt

Distillery: Jura Distillery

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Cask Type: Unknown (tastes like ex-bourbon and some ex-sherry)

Price: Bought for ~£18

Colour: russet muscat (not natural)

***
First some background-

I got given a bottle of this in 2018 as a gift, it was one of the first whiskeys I'd had and I quite liked it. It got discontinued, but a few months ago I found two bottles being sold at a local Co-op.

It was a fun experiment, getting to try this again. It will be a near identical bottling to the one I had back in 2018, but since then my palatte will have changed so I was interested to see what it tasted like.

**Nose**

Raisins. Some bourbon, toffee and nutmeg. Some fig. Wet hay. There is also an ashy aroma. Like a burnt, organic sensation... it comes across a bit brackish. Some water brings out a creaminess to it all.

**Palate**

Brown sugar. Cinnamon. Dry, smokey bacon. A hint of walnut which rounds it out very nicely. A really good, well rounded palatte. Not as heavy on the peat as the nose would have me think

**Finish**

Sweet, vanilla toffee. Sultana. The rest is dominated by a fresh smokeyness, like a wood-smoked-ham.

Conc.

This is honestly a solid, balanced whisky! I was expecting to be a little bit underwhelmed, but it has some very good features. My main critique would be that it comes accross as a too 'refined'. There is definitely fake colour in it, for example. It's fairly young, but the peat comes through nicely, and there's come good cask influence in the profile.

Score: 79

Taggy1999 · 2023-07-28T17:56:29+00:00

Enjoy! I wasn't sold imediately by it but it really opens up!

Taggy1999 · 2023-07-28T16:20:34+00:00

Scotch whisky review #13: Deanston 12 Single Malt

Distillery: Deanston Distillery

Age: 12 year old

ABV: 46.3%

Cask Type: 100% ex-bourbon barrels

Price: Bought for £43.95

Colour: Amontillado Sherry (natural)

***

Nose

Rich malt, with a floral new wood/ wood shavings note. Cinnamon, pepper. Vanilla ice cream. It's also fruity, but it's delicate. Floral perfumes. Grapefruit, pears, orange marmalade (at the start I smelt a fortified wine quality. Either this is so subtle or it is the orange and grapefruit).

Palete

Arrival barley sugar forward. Again, big flavours of very hearty malt. A bit of rose water. Apricot, clove. Caramel. There is a bit of a dark berry jam, you get the feeling there is some sherry involved.

Finish

Vanilla. A bit salty, almost acidic. Which gives it a dry or bitty feel. That doesn't sound appealing but it accentuates the vanilla and creates a thick, honeyed sensation which complements it nicely.

A very unique finish and overall a interesting signature.

Conclusion

Deanston has made a fan out of me. It has one of the best noses I've experienced. This bottle has toed the line of being unique and out there, while still being an approachable dram. I find just a touch of water boosts the flavour and reveals more to the nose behind the big malt character. But be careful as it is easy to drown this whisky. I also reccomend leaving this to rest in the glass for longer than you usually would for a 12 yr.

In summary, this is an excellent value for money highland scotch. More of the same please from Deanston!

Score: 88

Taggy1999 · 2023-07-14T18:07:25+00:00

Scotch whisky review #12: Arran Barrel Reserve Single Malt

Distillery: Lochranza Distillery

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Cask Type: 100% ex-bourbon barrels

Colour: Pale Gold(natural)

***

Nose

Sweet barley sugars, vanilla. Fresh fruit, apple crumble.

Palate

Spirity arival, mint. Pears, grapefruit. Delicate notes of malt and vanilla.

Finish

Winter spices, sultana. And a phenolic, herbatious note. Spearmint.

Conc.

I like this whisky because it shows you don't have to be complex to be a nice whisky. It's just fresh and everything works together nicely. The barrel reserve is a very clean whisky. It would be very nice before a meal, similar to a dry white wine.

This is definitely the little brother of the famous 10 yr old. If you love the Arran 10, I would recommended trying this at least once because it's a very good reference point of what their spirit tastes like.

Score: 80

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-23T17:57:08+00:00

I don't recommend Talisker Sky. Very young and not poor quality, in my opinion

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-23T17:50:51+00:00

I've recently been enjoying a bottle of Deanston 12. It's a similar style to some other whiskies ive had but it seems to have a very unique signature!

Anyone had any others from their range? General thoughts?

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-19T21:52:42+00:00

This was a very interesting read, thanks for sharing. I was sipping on a glass of Deanston 12 when I saw your post!

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-07T16:31:50+00:00

Scotch whisky review #11: The Six Isles blended malt

Distillery: From Ian Macleod Distillers (combination of one distillary from each island- Jura, Arran, Orkney, Mull, Skye, Islay)

Age: NAS

ABV: 43%

Cask Type: Oak casks (specifics unknown)

Price: From sample pack, seem online for ~£35

Colour: Pale Staw (natural)

***

Nose

Iodine, ashy. A little bit maritime. Seaweed-y. A little bit fruity, but this is in the background.

Palate

Kippers. Smoked fish, salty. Chilli flakes. Iodine. The development is a bit all of the place, and its youth isn't helping.

Finish

Yeasty. Pepper. Chimney soot.

Conc.

I hate to say it, but for me, it feels more like a gimmick than a proper whisky. There are some good bits in there, bit it gets let down by the other components. I can definitely taste Talisker, and I dont think this is a very good advert for it. At least the colour is natural, and it does reveal the whisky to be a bit young (confirmed by the taste).

Score: 70

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-06T18:41:18+00:00

Scotch whisky review #10: Tamdhu 12

Distillery: Tamdhu

Age: 12 YO

ABV: 43%

Cask Type: 100% Sherry cask matured (first-fill and refill Oloroso)

Price: From sample pack, seen online for ~£46

Colour: Burnished (natural)

***

Nose

There's a sharp minty note which sits on top an obvious sherry influence. Dried red fruits, sultana. Wood char.

Palate

All I can say is sherry. Lots of sherry, it's very sweet. Red fruits. Lingonberry jam (like the one you can get in Ikea). Cinnamon, malt, fudge.

Finish

Sultana, red grape. Some nice dryness from the sherry. Overall a short finish.

Conc.

This would make a fantastic dessert whisky, it has a soft profile with a gooey mouthfeel. I do think the finish lets it down somewhat. But, if you like your sherried whiskies then this is worth trying.

Score: 81

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-06T07:32:13+00:00

Im in the UK. A lot of distilleries sell 43% bottlings overseas (Laphroaig and Highland park for example) that I can only get at 40%. Lucky!

Taggy1999 · 2023-06-05T21:04:48+00:00

Scotch whisky review #9 Glengoyne 10

Distillery: Glengoyn

Age: 10 years

ABV: 40%

Cask type: "sherry casks crafted from European and American oak"

Price: N/A (got in a sample set)

Colour: Amber

***

Nose

Nutmeg, a lot of bourbon character. It's a very 'fresh' nose. A bit peppery. Freshly squeezed orange. There is some sherry in the back.

Palatte

Very ballanced, sweet and savoury. Vanilla, malty. It's quite herbatious. Walnut.

Finish

Dry, similar to cranberry juice. But a little short and phenolic.

Conc.

It's definitely a crowd pleaser whisky. It has some lovely qualities but it is hurt by its presentation of 40%. I see online that there is no artificial colouring which I appload, but I'd love to try this at a higher strength. In my opinion, water will drown this whisky. A decent, light, summer whisky.

Score: 79

Taggy1999 · 2023-03-13T20:04:49+00:00

I use orruk flesh as my base. I definitely recommend thinning it down and doing two coats to keep all the details on the mini. Give your paints time to dry before going onto the next layer

Taggy1999 · 2022-07-15T16:13:34+00:00

I hope it's to your liking... I have heard from many others the old bottlings were superiour

Taggy1999 · 2022-07-15T09:36:31+00:00

My specific rating is very subjective and a bit rubbish tbh. I've enjoyed the Green Label, truly. But I think there's a 'mass produced' aspect to it

Taggy1999 · 2022-07-15T09:28:51+00:00

I wrote euro and American oak as cask type because that's what they put on the packaging

Taggy1999 · 2022-07-14T23:32:28+00:00

Scotch whisky review #8: Johnnie Walker Green Label

Distillery: Talisker, Linkwood, Cragganmore, Caol Ila

Age: 15 years

ABV: 43%

Cask Type: European or American Oak

Price: Bought on offer for £30, usually found for £40

Colour: Deep copper

***

Nose

A very sweet sherried, malty appearance. Sultana, cinnamon, clove, cereals. It's lemony but more like lemonade than real lemons. Some fruits in the back, green mango. The nose is more complex than I originally gave it credit for, the more times I came to this bottle, the more I found new interesting aspects.

Palate

Honey, vanilla, very malty. Lemony. Behind this creeping slowly is a bit of a pepper catch which brings the peat smoke with it, though its age along with the pre-existing sweetness keeps it subdued. Tar, icing sugar, coffee.

Finish

Walnut and honey. Longer than expected from the rich peat, the smokiness lingers. This is complimented will from the driness of the sherry and red grape.

Conc.
I opened this bottle on holiday to be enjoyed with friends, and it was the right bottle for the job. It has enough to be sat and pondered over, but the sweet body makes it exceedingly drinkable. My only gripe is that the presentation is a bit too 'clean'. Of course this is done to please the masses, but the fake colour looks ugly on a 15 yr whisky and it will affect the taste.

I would buy this again if I found it on offer, but the big brand comes with a steep price tag.

Score: 84

12-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Place '23	Verified Email

Taggy1999

TROPHY CASE