Jura Brooklyn Scotch Review

By Kurt Maitland

Rating: B

Jura Brooklyn was premiered in an event showcasing the results of a collaboration between the Isle of Jura distillery and Brooklyn’s now world famous craft food movement. The turnout was impressive, with the line to get into Villain (the warehouse where the event was being held) was bigger than the estimated 200 people living on the Scottish island.

With Brooklyn celebrities and Whyte & Mackay’s Richard Paterson in attendance, Jura’s ambassador Willie Tait formally unveiled his newest release.

Jura Brooklyn was created in cooperation between Jura and 12 Brooklyn institutions, including BAM, Brooklyn Cheese Shop, Norman’s Kil, and Brooklyn Winery. In 2013 Willie Tait brought six cask samples of Jura and the consensus pick is what constitutes the current release. I actually had the pleasure of tasting one of the finalists during Tait’s visit (he told me it was an experiment with a wink when I tasted it), but that version was 50% abv, much stronger than the official version, bottled at 42% abv, discussed here.

The Scotch
Color: Reddish Gold
Nose: Coffee, smoke, raisins and fruit
Palate: Jura Brooklyn is a very full whisky. In some respects it reminds me of a whisky version of Guinness, where, yes, it is a beer, but it somehow feels fuller than its brethren. More than a drink and approaching a meal, and it’s a meal full of fruit and honey and flavor with some of the “Christmas cake feel” at that. This makes it somewhat more akin to The Dalmore. A very even mouthfeel from beginning to end, and although it gets a little dry at the end, the taste does not drop off.
Finish: A little peaty (not peaty enough to scare off those of you would don’t like smoke but just enough to tell you that it’s there as do the Amoroso Sherry and Pinot Noir casks

I think this a great collaboration between two sensibilities. This release fits well into Jura’s already excellent US lineup, but it stands on its own merits.

The Price
The nationwide release will be out in autumn, but if you can find it at this particular juncture, Jura Brooklyn should run you around $59 dollars US. Watch out, thought, because I’ve seen it as high as $79 US in some places. As of yet, this release is not available in the UK but that may change come the Fall’s broader release.