Jura renewed its entire core range mid-2018 and came up with new expressions like this Jura 18 Year Old.
It is matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Premier Grand Cru wine casks. Neither the region nor the producer are specified though.
Jura 18 yo (44%, OB 2018)
Nose: spicy notes up front (nutmeg, cinnamon) with dark malty notes, hazelnuts and hints of mulled wine indeed. Then raspberries and strawberry candy. Chocolate truffles and tobacco notes. Hints of musty wood and faint smoke.
Mouth: first a cherry-like sweetness and all kinds of berries and chocolate again. Burnt sugar. Cloves, white pepper, hints of peat in the background. Quite a lot of heavily brewed black tea or Turkish coffee towards the end.
Finish: long, with a slightly acrid / bitter edge, spices and lingering brown sugar.
The wine casks make it sweet and candied, but not too winey as such. Not perfectly balanced but much nicer than some of the other core range expressions. Available from Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange for instance.
Score: 84/100