Jura Tastival Feis Ile 2015

Info: Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2015, i.e. 18 years old. Matured in sparkling wine casks sourced from the House of Bouvet Ladubay in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France, and bottled at cask strength. Natural colour, non chill-filtered. 52% abv. 3970 bottles.
Colour: A medium to full gold with hints of orange.
Nose: Light and oaky, sweet and fruity. Sweet stewed early autumn apples with a dollop of vanilla custard, redcurrants on top. Undertones of satsumas. Hints of milk chocolate and toffee (Cadbury Eclairs). Lots of great flavours, give it some time and keep on nosing it, it gets better and better.
Palate: Nice and thick on the palate, fairly oily. At first really easy with spices slowly building. The toffee chocolate notes are at the fore, maybe because of the thickness. Behind is the stewed fruits and oaks with Jura character underlying it all.
Finish: Sweet, long and somewhat fizzy, maybe that’s down to the higher abv, or just the suggestion in my head of the sparkling wine cask. Either way, it goes on for a good while and is pleasing, hints of ripe citrus fruits and a touch of cask char.
Water: This works really well without water. With a drop however the spices are lowered a tiny bit, and some of the Jura character comes out more easily along with more tannins.
Thoughts: One of the nicest noses of a Jura I’ve had in a long time, the same goes for the palate, and finish! This one’s a winner, and in my mind much less muddled than last years release. It’s great, and even those who aren’t keen on Jura should have a try, you’ll like it.
Available: At Jura’s festival open day. Soon enough online and in specialist shops too I’d imagine if last year was anything to go by.

Thanks to Jura for the sample.