Scotch Review

(Un) Balanced Single Malt for the Adventurer with Dessert

Photo: Courtesy of Whyte & Mackay

Whisky Reviewed: Jura Seven Wood
Distiller: Jura
Region:  Islay/Island
Suggested Retail Price $80
ABV: 42%
USC Rating: 94
The Whisky Reviewer: B-

Mark’s Review

The guys at Scotch 4 Dummies put it well: “People are of two minds about all Jura Offerings.” Seven Wood is no different. Note the huge gap in ratings.

We lead with the sea’s gentle mist, a wisp of peat and bourbon’s stout sweetness. Your nose dives deep in the glass because you need to make sure it’s malt. As time passes, a nasal singe bursts forth and at last shouts, “Barley!”

The Kentucky whisky theme persists as vanilla cinnamon swirl pound cake with maple icing greets your taste buds. These flavors last through the mid-palate as your impatience channels your inner Clara Peller (Where’s the Scotch?).

At last, white pepper heat rises in the back of your mouth. (Yay!) But where are all those promised wood barrel traits? The finish answers your question with a noticed increase in smoke.

My colleague, Kurt Maitland, at the Whiskey Reviewer was spot on as to how water brought out more oak flavors. Think of each barrel that held this spirit. Imagine them taking in the liquid like a sponge. Then as the temps fall, they squeeze out all the wood qualities to, at the end, create the final product.

The real question though is: How to decide if this bottling is for you? Some drinkers crave an unbalanced drink and until we add water, Jura Seven Wood fits the bill. That’s how diverse views form. Think of this as a feature not a bug.

It’s a voyage of discovery fit for the Adventurer willing to take risks. I suggest you try a dram with pecan or apple pie a la mode. Then follow with coffee or earl gray tea. The sweet sharp combination will demystify the experience and bring a smile to your face.

Mark Garbin’s Evaluation

USC review: A classic maritime malt with telltale aromas of iodine, citrus zest, baked barley, and a kiss of leathery smoke. The palate has layers fruit and more decadent flavors such as milk chocolate and café con leche. Well rounded and balanced.

Whiskey Reviewer review: An interesting rollercoaster of a whisky here. The taste is candy sweet at first blush, quickly turning lemon polish spicy before one gets to the slightly bitter end. I got hints of the wine casks that this release has been paired with, but you can tell it was a brief affair with each of the non-bourbon casks. The body of this is a bit short and I’d be curious to taste this with few more years in any or all of the casks mentioned above. The mouthfeel was semi-dry turning spicy and floral. Water pulls out some of the sweetness but the spiciness remains.

Balanced Single Malt for Enthusiasts Neat Before or After Dinner

Photo: Courtesy of Highland Park

Whisky Reviewed: Highland Park 18 Viking Pride
Distiller: Highland Park (Edrington)
Region:  Islands (Orkney)
Suggested Retail Price $150
ABV: 43%
USC Rating: 97
The Dramble Rating: 89

Mark’s Review

You had your time; you had the power
You’ve yet to have your finest hour – Queen

Edinburgh, a long time ago in a memory far, far away. The Charlotte Square hotel had an open bar and I spotted Highland Park 18. With no guilt, I took a wee pour (ok, more than a wee…). One of best value for rating single malts, HP18 is an icon. Maybe the inn felt proud to share such top class whisky with a free heart.

You might guess the tale ends here, but it’s only the start. Over the years, this Scotch kept a constant place in my glass. A sweet smooth sherried Island nose bursts from the crystal with a promise of what’s coming. That image stayed with me through many of life’s stages.

Then in the past few weeks, through some magic, it once more showed up in my Glencairn.

They changed the bottle and, like the twelve-year, called it something or other Viking-esque. Sometimes, brands over think this label thing. In my mind, I saw nothing wrong with either the old 12 or 18. We all get the idea though: life moves on and breaks with custom are trades made by the suits.

But lucky for me, the product I inhale and taste is the same balanced spirit I knew. Neat pre or post dinner, it never fails. But, I found out this Orkney gem has a secret. Add a few drops of water and wait for the flavors to explode in your mouth with a final tinge of leather smoke on the finish. For some, that’s sacrilege. For me and others, we enjoy waking new traits from their slumber.

Relish a prized dram any way you want. The Enthusiast finds their classic benchmark at a price point that won’t put you on Poor Street. You’ll find Queen’s finest hour when you do.

ps: BTW, there’s a travel version at 46% ABV. I didn’t try it yet but I’m sure the high proof gives you the same joy with perhaps more heat.

Mark Garbin’s Evaluation

USC Rating: Bold and impressive nose of heather honey, nougat, cocoa nibs, smoke and stewed cherry. Malted chocolate titillates the tongue, with a kick of peat smoke pleasantly drying out the palate before hints of salted almond butter and coffee liqueur come forward.

The Dramble Rating: Highland Park 18 is commonly regarded as a classic–for good reason–it’s refined, complex and with plenty of HP distillery character. The balance of fruit with heathery peat is both enticing on the nose and palate and exceptionally accomplished throughout the whole development. It’s a whisky, which every single enthusiast should try, and just as delicious as the day I tried it.