Hidden Spirits Jura 1998 Aged 21 Years

Style: Fruity and Spicy

Rating: ☆ [Recommended]

Nose:

Robust aroma, viscous, almost new make like at the beginning, there is a mix of raw malt syrup, almonds, baked tropical fruits, green chilli and spearmint here. Soft whiff of mineralic sulphur, gasoline as well. Underlying fruits gathering and forming a semi-solid sweetness. Botrytis and golden raisins scattered generously on thick vanilla cream. Panna cotta, white oak with just a pinch of pepper towards the end.

Palate:

Similar theme continues, still a shadow of young make, or the profile disguises and resembles it. A bit weird, but in a good way. Raw almonds more prominent now, malt cake, white chalk, funky yeast touches and baked fruits. Grassy undertone. Quick burst of apple pie, lime tart and lemon candy from the core, thee sweetness did not last long as peppered oak and herbs diffuse into the mid palate. Assorted fruit candies, more on peaches and papayas. Barley tail.

Finish:

Oak-ridden white fruits struggling massively to break free, all eventually subsides and give way to a nice assorted baked fruits finish.

Thoughts:

A surprisingly advanced dram which is highly entertaining for me. Interesting combination and balance of fruits, malts and herbs that form a curious profile that most malts do not share. While it is a bit hard to get, also I could not shake the feeling that this can still mature for another 20 years, but now there are already plenty of side notes and unexpected avenues to explore and discover. Not that I have much (positive) experiences with modern Jura, but this sweet, herbaceous and funky one is pretty decent.

[51.3% | Independent Bottling | 1998 Distilled | 2019 Bottled | Single Cask | Cask Strength | Cask Reference: JU9819 | Refill Bourbon Cask | 267 Bottles | *]

Originally published on Instagram