Unget-at-able? Not this beauty

40% ABV

RRP £44 for a one-litre bottle

THE Isle of Jura – a remote, almost desolate place, sat between the mainland and that whisky Shangri-La, Islay.

The population is tiny – barely 200 – and there’s only one road of any note.

George Orwell lived there, and completed Nineteen Eighty-Four there. He described it as an “extremely unget-at-able place”.

However, one special treasure it does have is a whisky distillery – named after the island and famed for its lovely coastal, slightly smoky dram.

And just this week, the latest addition to the range was launched – the Jura Red Wine Cask Finish.

It’s the first in a new series called Cask Editions, each of which will celebrate the role of different cask finishes in whisky maturation, and on tasting it, it’s a real beauty.

It’s a fruity, full-bodied dram, and something different beyond the usual charming, silky flavours that Jura fans know and love.

Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, it has been finished in hand-selected European red wine casks.

The result is a whisky that’s delicate and refined, balancing rich strawberry and raspberry flavours with creamy vanilla and cinnamon spice. It’s enticing in its aroma, fragrant of sultanas, caramel and more berries, with a hint of sweet honey.

Gregg Glass, whisky maker and blender at Whyte & Mackay, said the Red Wine Cask Finish had “lifted Jura to a new level”.

“We’ve built beautiful balanced layers of richer fruit notes yet stayed true to the heart of our distillery character with its fresher fruit, honeyed and citrussy characteristics.” Amen to that!

And the final treat? The price – £44 for a litre of whisky of this quality is, frankly, a steal.

So if your eyes are wandering to the west and wishing lockdown would end and you could be in Jura, don’t bother.

Just head down to your supermarket and pick up a bottle of Red Wine Cask Finish. It’s definitely a dram worth writing home about.

jurawhisky.com