Isle of Jura Superstition

This is my first encounter with any Jura which, when I think about it, is a bit surprising: As kids we had quite a few holidays on the west coast of Scotland and my Dad was a keen fisherman back then, so we used to spend lots of time on the coast or Island hopping. One of the Islands I remember visiting was Jura and a memory of seagulls stealing my fish and chips looms heavy still (the bugger!). That aside, that whole area has fond memories for me and so it seems odd I've never been drawn towards their whisky. Perhaps there's a good reason? We shall see . . .

This is from a bottle about half full and been open around a month. I've added a few drops of water to this 30 ml pour (qtr tsp)

Nose: A very heady creamy malt note that that carries a distinct peatyness. More earthy peat than coastal per se but there is some salt present also. A tangible sherry influence; raisins, very dry figs. There's something sweet like marzipan and, along with the creamy note, an unusual nuttyness - like roasted hazelnuts or a ground nut paste made from them. Unusual in that I've not come across this particular smell before.

There's also a faint but detectable alcohol nip, which could be from the younger juice that's most definitely in here. This is where the water helps a lot to tone this aspect down.

Taste: Nut paste, more fresh red fruits than dry like on the nose but some of the latter, salty peat. Bit of a let down after the nose but OK. This may sound odd but if you ever smell a bag of dry pearl barley, there's a taste of that in here. Quite unusual. It develops quite nicely actually and a hint of that creamy malt comes in.

Finish: Slightly over 'tannined' if I can say that. Makes me think of old tired casks (a similar experience to my last Bushmills Black Bush); the water helps this also, and time. Short to medium with a general sour/bitterness.

So, not mind-blowing but not a complete disaster either. I feel there's a good and unique malt in here somewhere but it needs a better presentation and some better casks imo to really shine. In summary, lots to like but a bit too much’ meh’. Not one I’d be seeking out but would happily drink it or have as another gift!

Ok. Origin finished, Superstition opened. This may change some as the opens in coming weeks. This whisky is much different from the Origin. Parts refined age, parts harsh youth, parts honey, parts smoke and peat.... but none of the parts seem to play well together. It's like a Frankenstein monster, sewn together. It's drinkable, and affordable, but too strange to knock the 10 year old origin off my Jura shelf space competition.

Last review before I leave for Islay, how about a young floozy (no disrespect intended) from the neighboring Isle of Jura?

Nose: young, soft and slightly salty: faint hints apple wood smoke, scents of linseed, porridge and hint of pine. (Nose less strong than the last bottle that I tried)

Mouth: strong on the palate, porridge with a spoonful of white pepper. Underlying sweetness with hints of caramel and butter are spiced up with a dash of salt and pepper, further notes of peat and a teaspoon of honey.

Finish: Medium long with hints of caramel, honey, butter, soft smoke, hints banana, vanilla and a bit of rough grind pepper in the finishing touch.

Jura is a unique beast. The nose and taste - you can pick it straight away. And this is something that has earned this malt many fans and detractors.

Nose: Unmistakable Jura. Honey, vanilla, brown sugar, dark chocolate, oily, oranges.

Taste: Honey, toffee, grassy, salty, subdued peat.

Finish: Dry, toffee, bitter honeycomb in the mid-finish then peat surfaces at the back of the tongue dominating the finish.

A pleasant dram and certainly enjoyable. I wouldn’t suggest it as an introduction to peat for the uninitiated. I feel the nose and after taste can be conflating to each other. Once I adapted to it, I really enjoyed this contrast.

By the time I finished the bottle it had been open for seven weeks. I really wish I'd finished it within the first four weeks. Certainly anything distinct or of character is now a faded memory. What remains is subdued, having lost what makes it a Jura, and by no coincidence my mind is instantly drawn to Dalmore... but a flat Dalmore.

Epilogue - I like the shape of this bottle and the print directly made on the glass during manufacturing. When I first broadened my exploration of whisky to branch out into expressions I’d never tried the bottles by Jura and Dalmore stood out on the shelf. In hindsight I realise they caught my eye for the wrong reason. I suspect this packaging has been over developed by a marketing team. I can envision a bunch of guys with pony tails sitting around a table knocking back Pepsi Max when they came up with the use of the Ankh on this bottle. A lot of back hand shaking and wine bottles popped to celebrate a contract fulfilled (note: they didn't celebrate with whisky). What relevance does the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic for "life" have to do with whisky?

An interesting bottle of malt, that comes at a cheap. No age statement, which is a shame, but represents a common practice of more than just one distillery these days. A very smart dedication words are put into the leaflet. Overall, a touching and promising introduction to the main course: the malt itself.

Medium legs and a good color in the glass, although there's some artificial coloring present, so this counts to nothing really.

Nose: grapes and a bunch of sweet, thick malt, toffee, minced meat (!). Grape must. Lily of the valley and carnation. Exquisite oak. Some smoke. Very interesting, strong and honest nose.

Palate: more malt, vanilla and honey cereal. Hints of mint, cinnamon and, yes, some very faint peat. Lightly peated, eh? The lightest of hints of peat I would say. But a good one. A great kick of toffee sweets. Very slight burn. Sweet and pleasant, very smooth. A reasonably medium body.

Finish: shortish. Delivers more of what has been on the palate: honey cereal, cinnamon, some phenols and a great deal of toffee. There is an unexpected sourness an bitterness, though. Some soapiness that repulsed me in a way.

I'd say aeration does a great disservice to this malt. If opened, try finishing it in a week. 10 days in a half empty bottle has robbed it from half of its' virtues, that I noticed at the beginning, although it drives down the soapiness in the finish as well.

That's why it's good for an everyday dram: simple, but not mediocre. Honest, far from complex, but with no great disadvantages and, for its' price, Isle Of Jura Superstition sports the high fun BFYB factor that everyone craves sometimes!

This seems to be a “love it or hate it” whisky. More than half the reviews for the Superstition on this website have it either in the 90’s or in the 70’s or lower. I don’t know why that is, nor do I care to speculate. I liked it when I first opened it, and it’s only gotten better over the last 5 months. So for me; this sits right at home in the 80’s.

Nose: A good, salty maritime character. Big toffee, honey, cream, caramelized apples, pine, mineral-rich peat, and faint smoke. The honey and barley notes are both light and bright. The Master of Malt chaps mention that there’s a new-make-ish character to the nose. Quite right. I’m enjoying nosing this.

Palate: Creamy and soft on arrival, with a very gradual development. Peat comes in and steadily builds on itself, with salt and pepper also creeping in. The honey and barley characters remain light and bright. This tastes quite young, but there’s zero sharpness or bite. This is a very smooth and paced sipping experience.

Finish: Butter, light honey, minerals, pine, banana, faint vanilla, mild oak, soft smoke, and black peppercorns. Short-to-medium length.

I like the youthful, grassy, honey-rich flavours that seem to be infused into the overall character of the barley in Jura offerings. For me both the 10 and the Superstition have a very young and vibrant appeal. However if I had to choose a favorite; the Superstition boasts a bit more balance, finesse, and complexity. Like HP, this is an island dram that uses peat as a complimentary flavour, not a defining one.

Alternatively, if you’re just coming into single malts from the world of Johnnie Walkers you might be at home with this smooth and gently smoky character. It has enough complexity to distinguish itself but it is still very much an easy sipper. I’m liking this more and more every time I revisit it. Very recommended.

after going for smooth whisky's, I dared to take it to the next level by trying some smokier one! I guess the Jura Superstition isn't a bad choice for the purpose. Certainly a whiskey with more character than what I was used to, slightly smokey but still somewhat smooth enough. I can recommend this one to people, trying to break out of their usual choices. For me it might be a start to new spheres in terms of taste!

This is a lightly peated Jura, which i would say is pretty similarly aged to the 10, and it tasted very much like that. But its an improvement.

• Nose: reasonably phenolic peat, pepper, quite an oily nose, bit of floral and a bit of bread dough, yeasty beer the next day and if the Origin has tequila, then this has mezcal. After maybe 10 minutes the phenols disappear, it’s still peaty but loses its pungent-ness. With water honey, floral and bread dough, complexity gone.

• Pallet: toffee, honey, very clean smooth liquid, little bit of smoke, some cocoa and milk chocolate, delicate floral notes as well. With water thin, still has good body milk chocolate hangs around and the bread dough comes through in the back end. It’s ever so slightly spicy as well.

• Finish: nothing in particular really perhaps the honey hangs around a bit longer. With water ever so slightly floral perhaps, very gentle, there just isn’t much there.

• Mark neat -7.8, with water – 7.8.

Nose. Salted caramel, apples, pears, dry with hint of aniseed .

The nose was full and alive with promise. The palate delivers oak, caramel, peat, sultanas and fairly smooth. That said, I find it disappointing. The nose promises more than the palate delivers. The finish is short.

Nose#1: At first, lovely thick dark honey and flowers over lightly smoldering hay. Nose#2: Gets much lighter, the peat almost imperceptible; therefore quite similar to the unpeated Original/10yo expression-- including that "agave/beer" Jura aroma, which eventually dissipates.
Nose#3: Lightly salted grass, just delicately sweet with honey; maybe accents of orange pith and macadamia, if you're looking for them.

Palate: Sour grass to light salty hay on the entrance. The only sweetness is very thin caramel. Midpalate transitions to earthy (brazil) nuts and coffee grounds. Follow-up spices are like pine or white pepper.

Finish: Sweet hay, slight peppermint and anise at back of tongue.

This most begs for comparison with the Jura Original/10yo, especially since peat is nearly absent in the Superstition. They have similarities in character: they are both quite delicate and the both have that indescribable Jura scent. However, there are notable differences. At first, the Superstition's aroma is somehow richer and sweeter; but long breathing time (>15 min.) reverses this, making the 10yo sweeter (like a macaroon), whereas the Superstition dries (to chalk and hay). Meanwhile, the Superstition's palate is also a little drier and paler-- more "hay", rather than the 10yo's apricot. For my palate, the Original wins out, if it has had adequate breathing time. To best enjoy the Superstition though, I suggest instead enjoying it upfront, without substantial oxidation.

If you want more peat plus some richness beyond this delicate grassiness, the Prophecy expression provides more depth- and a little more 'bite'.

Sampled neat, after caesar salad and balsamic chicken poutine and lager as well as white wine.

Nose: Very sharp smell to the dram. Strongest smell I got was a crisp oak, but there was a very small "something" near the end that I noticed each time I went in for more. At first it smelled of cinnamon, by the next smell it was pepper, then it was honey. It was very faint but it smelled delicious. At first I was frustrated that I couldn't put a name on it, but in time I noticed that I was really smelling it, and appreciated the way it made me enjoy each sniff on it's own merit. I don't think I've ever spent nearly as much time smelling a whisky as with this one!

Taste: Again, a smoky oak throughout. Based on the way it smelled I was a little worried that the alcohol would have been too strong but that wasn't the case. That smell I couldn't put my finger on was there too, and it was equally puzzling on the tongue as it was on the nose. Just like smelling it, each mouthful was subtly different, and I enjoyed each for it's own reasons.

Finish: The flavours peaked very soon. Normally I think this would be a bad thing, but in this case it was a just a case of front-loading the flavour rather than being deficient. After that it tapered off very consistently and evenly, and just long enough to give you time to contemplate the flavours. It was a very warm finish.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable whisky. The bottle was very stylish (for what that's worth), the colour was very pleasing, the nose and the flavours strong enough to be worthy of a Island, and all a price range that was far from excessive. I have to say I'll be having more of this when available, either buying a bottle or ordering it when available. There is, after all, that one mystery flavour that I have to identify...

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning" said Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore played by Robert Duvall. This line would go well with Jura Superstition. Smoke is very subtle in this one and the spiciness takes over in taste and finish. That's why it was pure napalm in my mouth, in a good way. I'm not a big fan of spicy food and this was in fact, the first spicy whisky that I had tasted. I guess that's why it felt very spicy for me. The distillers say, it has "hints of smoke and spice". For me those spice hints were more like a bunch. But I'm not complaining. This was exciting and it gave me a whirlpool of taste and spice in my mouth. And a heavy kick in the throat. Just like I want my whisky to kick!

I could almost hear Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and the cavalry coming in to fuel my mouth with fire. And in this case, not with smoke, with pure fire! I can surely recommend this one for people who like spicy food. But I'll also recommend it to everyone because of its complex flavor rollercoaster. This was the first taste of Jura for me and it got me thirsting for more of their whisky range.

Nose: Sweet with hints of cream, I guess there was smoke too

Taste: White and black pepper mixed in with hints of smoke and fruits and nuts

Finish: Long aftertaste because of the spices, there's a little bit of honey as well but the spiciness takes over very much.

Balance: Sweet and peppery with honey and wee smoke very nicely combined together.

A good dram with a nice balance of peat and sweet flavours. With water the nose develops with fruit, salted cheese, toffee, caramel, tobacco and increased sweetness. The taste with water becomes toffee, salt, light peat, burnt flavours, and ends with a long mild smokey finish. After an hour in the glass tobacco notes begin to surface.

It was the one who opened my eyes with regards to malt drinks. I was quite entusiasthic back then. It has a bit of a spicy flavour wich opens up quite nice. Depending on the batch is lightly sweet or not.:))) overral it taste nice and the way it gets you drunk remembers you the reason you started drinking-it makes you feel energic and enjoyable....:)the finish is the best of it wich quite lasts for a while.

The coming two weeks I will be concentrating on Isle of Jura, the favorite distillery of my friend Glenn. Will he convert me? We will see. Let us start with the Superstion, that is somewhere between Islay (it is peated) and the sweeter Highland style. Superstion refers to the many weird customs, myths and legends on the island.

The nose reveals a slight fruitiness (think apple and peach), mild peat, but is primarily malty with wet stones. While there is something of a honey sweetness and a hint of marzipan, I am left with the distinct feeling that this is a lightweight with little complexity. After leaving it to breath for fifteen minutes, I get the unmistakable traits of Oxo, the soup broth.

The attack is rather weak. Malt, licquorice, a lot of oak (slightly bitter) and herbs like nutmeg and cloves. The sweetness is now far away.

On the rather short finish, the sweetness re-emerges, but alas it is already too late to save the day.

This Superstion is something of a let down. It is slightly better than their 10 Year Old, though, which in my opinion is the weakling of the family.

I had the Isle of Jura Superstition at a tasting with Richard Paterson lately and so I wasn't sure whether it was his infectious energy or the actual malt that actually had an impact on me.

The nose was quite pleasant if not a bit too sugary sweet. Instantly reminded me of a Def Leppard classic 'Pour Some Sugar On Me!'. Rolling in the heavy honey were tangerines and dry nuts after which a few vanilla pods came dancing along. Finally there was the faintest wisp of spicy peat. The nose is actually quite pleasant but belies what is in store for you.

The delivery is surprisingly light. I was expecting a thick creamy liquid instead I was greeted with quite a silky texture (and I don't mean that in a good way). The palate is very light and quite dry. First there is a mixture of grass and hay followed by a drop of lemon. But a very mild lemon at that! Some where along the way you feel the presence of milk chocolates which quickly give way to cinnamony spices.

I want to really like this dram but I can't get my head around it. Would I specially take it out and share it with my friends? Maybe some not so special friends.

Another of my Christmas gifts, this one was from my eldest daughter, and number 31 of my journey

The packaging, although only a simple box, really is quite eye catching, with it's black and white rocky shoreline, low hills in the background and with the silver printing. The bottle is another work of art with minimal labelling, but the silver 'ankh' taking central stage on the front of the bottle.

Subtly sweet yet smokey, on the small label under the ankh, and despite having the HM Revenue and Customs logo on the back, the fact that the colour of this whisky has been 'standardised' by the addition of caramel colouring, has been carefully hidden on the bottom of the box, in German. Why do distillers hide the fact that they have added caramel colouring? Sometimes it's in French, other times in German, never in English !

I asked the distillery how the expression came about, and what whiskies were used in it's bottling. Jura immediately came back to me with the following:

As you are probably aware when the Distillery re-opened in 1963 Jura started producing very soft highland style malt, and this in the main, is what they are known for. In 1999 Jura started spending four weeks out of every year producing a heavily peated version using barley that was up to 60ppm or parts per million peat based as opposed to their normal 2ppm.

The Superstition is actually a marriage of both of these styles of whisky together. There is an old superstition on Jura that it is unlucky to cut peat before the beginning of May, and so the name was born

Within it are:

7 Year Old heavily peated (7 year itch; 7 years bad luck if you break a mirror) 13 Year Old Highland style (unlucky 13) 21 Year Old Highland style (coming of age when you get the keys to the door)

The ankh is the Egyptian symbol of eternal life; the Gaelic for whisky translates as - the water of life, and on Jura there are graves that house the bodies of people that were reported to have lived more than 130 years.

In order to drink the Superstition properly you must hold the bottle so that the ankh touches the palm of your hand when you pour - that way you get the full benefit of our best wishes for a long healthy and prosperous life.

And so I carefully poured a healthy dram into my nosing glass, making sure the ankh was in the palm of my hand. The colour of autumn leaves, a rich almost orange gold.

Body: an oil like coating the inside of the glass with long legs trailing back into the liquid

Nose: lightly peated, fresh, orange blossom, floral, butterscotch, white pepper, definitely white pepper.

Palate: salty or briny, the white pepper again, butterscotch and vanilla, smooth and quite light in the mouth.

Finish: long spicy with a little smoke, but not a heavy Islay peaty smoke, and the saltiness remains

My Jura Origin 10 Year Old took time to grow on me, I really loved it by the end of the bottle. I think this has taken off where the Origin left me and have really enjoyed starting this bottle. Reading Jim Murray's bible, I understand it's not to everyone's liking, but I'm enjoying it.

Now lads and ladies you'll have to be patient with me here, I'm only 18 and so my experiences with the finer side of whiskys have been somewhat sparse, and those encounters that I have had usually included a cheap blend, followed by a very hazy night and later a sore head. I recently finished my 2011 uni exams and so to celebrate I deceided to treat myself to a nice bottle of whisky to enjoy and appreciate for a change. Being a skint student I perused the shelves of my local mega-asda to find a shiny box containing a very attractive bottle of Jura superstition. Now as its nearing crimbo and it was at an amazing price of £20 i decided to buy one. Got back to my student digs, no distractions and popped open the bottle and poured a dram.

Nose: Fudgy vanilla, slight smoke peat and tree bark with a little orange peel coming in with time.

Taste: Sweet sweet honey, vanilla, pine resin, treacle, light bonfire smoke, touch of brine towards the end and sherbert, further orange influence.

Finish: Mellow honey though to a dry finish with a slight smoke influence, vanilla just whispering away. Leaves you with creamy smoke.

I'm going to be honest I was very very pleased with this whisky, I know it may not be to everyones taste and I realise there are a heap of reviews but maybe I could give a different insight into this butiful whisky, and what a steal for 20 quid. If you have an asda near you I highly suggest you get there and try a bottle of this. Thumbs up from a drunken student. :)

Nose: Ham, salt, marmite, furniture polish, soya sauce, leather, vanilla Taste: Sugar coated bacon chops, peppermint, oak Finish: Drying mint develops into charcoal, mint jelly

Colour: for what is worth this dram shows a beautiful golden colour, but I think it's at least partly due to our friend E150.

Nose: this whisky welcomes you with one of the most nice noses I've met: it's crisp, very expressive with earthy moss, salty water and beautiful coastal notes, plus something like stale beer. And peat obviously.

Taste: it's here that the double nature of this whisky has struck me most. It starts with those beautiful earthy and mossy peaty notes, edged by coastal undertones and built on a solid layer of malty sweetness and something that reminds me of pop corn. Again stale beer. Unusual and very very good. But. But at this point something unexpected happens and you feel that the whisky has lost his way on a coffeish path that it's not completely unpleasant but not very coherent with all the rest in my opinion, probably due to its young age. Nonetheless, it remains a pretty nice taste(as far as the score is concerned, for me it's 24 at the beginning and 18 for how it ends, 21 on the whole).

Finish: again, it shows a little harshness coming from the young age and not too long, on the same notes described above.

Overall: it seems like the master blender left his place half work, and it's a shame since this shows great potential, but it remains a pretty good dram, and an enjoyable one.

Rich amber-gold, almost tending to orange. The aroma is richly peaty with a nice heathery component as well. Floral and a little but spicy as well. There is a light bite of alcohol lending a long peppery finish to the dram. A lingering smokiness with a heavy peat footprint as well. A little bit oily on the palate with a beefy sort of savoury character through the middle. Lots of smoke retronasally along with a lighter, grassy note underneath. The whisky is well integrated up front with a sort of rough transition to the long peaty finish.

Im very new to single malts but this one is interesting, smokey & peaty very noticable, bit of a kick in the mouth but not harsh at all, I find it quite smooth, It's one to try & draw your own opinions, I will buy again but only if it's on offer (again!!)

First of all I would like to refer you to my Whiskypod video reviewing this fine dram at Whisky Live earlier this year! It can be found here www.connosr.com/whiskypod/video/wll031/

I’ve only tried one Jura whisky before, and needed to expand my knowledge/range without a doubt! So I went for the lightly peated Jura Superstition, which to be honest caught my eye purely because of the name, and at the time of tasting Richard Paterson had just been entertaining the crowd with tales of Jura!

On the nose you get the peat coming through, but it’s also quite sweet and soft. When sampling it you pick up some honey, nuts, and fruit as well as it smoothly glides down! Extremely easy to drink, one that I could get through quite quickly (although I am at present doing my best to savour the bottle!). I found it had a short finish, but I am always quick to say that a quick finish to a dram is not always a bad thing!

I would agree with some opinions that it is certainly one of a kind, Jura have put out an affordable, all round blinder here which is a great malt to come back to time and time again

I realise that this a well reviewed Whisky, but I hope to add fresh insight. I am 21 years old and this was the first whisky I have purchased with the full intent of enjoying it.

This has opened my eyes so to speak to the complexities of good whisky. The Nose: Citrus, with a lingering smokiness. Others have differentiated between the smell of biscuits and the smokiness. I say specifically, that it reminds me of caramellised bicuits, sweet but with a smoky afterthought.

Palate:I found it creamy , yet sweet and smoky, with floral hints, also an undertone of rich caramel.

Finish: Long lasting! Warm, lingering creaminess, with a slow dying smokiness and a sweetness that lingers well beyond the other flavours.

This has really encouraged me to expand my horizons. I realise that i may not compare to some of the whiskys preferred by older readers, but to me, this is a special one.

Color: Rich Gold (not sure it’s not artificially colored).

Nose: Quite peaty. Not Islay peaty, and medicinal but the peat is there. Smoke can also be detected.On second sniff, I am getting some orange notes as well. i hope that my nose is not off due to the cold I've had a few days ago… .

Palate: Peat is here to stay. Again, it’s not Islay peat, it’s more earthy, without the coastal stuff. There is something else besides the peat, i guess i can describe it as shortbread with nuts…

Finish: The finish is smokey and quite long. The fruit is also there (remember the oranges?). Not bad at all!

Summing up:

A very different sort of peaty style. a nice drift from the big medicinal tarry Islays, into Jura land. If you like some subtle peat, than this one is up your alley. It’s not Over complex, but it’s not just about peat in your face.

I do think i will have more of this in the future. a Good dram, not excellent, but has quite a unique character to it. Jura style.

Price wise, i think it’s logically priced, and is certainly offers a good ROI.

The first thing that hits you about the nose is an orange blossom fragrance combined with a underlying smokey peatiness. Its aromatic with subtle floural qualities to it, not overpowering though.

I'm getting nutty biscuits and the lingering air of a continental sweet shop.

I take a sip and it bites a little on my lips with a hint of spice.

A proper taste now, hold it in... its feathery and light on the palate, then the complex flavours come in with a richness like toasted nuts.

The finish is long and smooth as a sweetness hits you with touches of orange peel. Hints of a French dessert wine and then back to the smoke, like a campfire dying down.

This is a flamboyant whisky - most enjoyable - though its not something I'd go to every day.

It really stands out, I don't think I've tasted anything like it before - an interesting contrast to its honest, more rugged Island cousins.