23/03/2026 Jura

Jura 30yo 1990/2020 (46.33%, Thompson Bros., Refill American Oak Hogshead, 186b): we had this one five years ago and again two years later. cavalier66 brought it again to DWequinox, but I prioritised other things on the night. Nose: it is fairly subtle and subdued, yet elegant and classy. Old lacquered pencil cases, dried plums in a wooden bowl on the buffet, oiled mahogany. Nothing shouts, nothing stands out. Shaking the glass suddenly takes us to the forest on an autumn morning (even though spring just started), with its scents of wild mushrooms and humus. It adds candied red apples peppered with ginger powder and sawdust, and follows up with bone-dry citrus zest and pink peppercorns. There remains a sweetness too that hints at marmalade slathered on a woodworm-riddled chair. The second nose is drier yet oilier. We spot oily Virginia tobacco, wood panels not dripping with oil, and even a spoonful of ash taken from the fireplace's tray. Green grapes tag along, eventually, as discreet as the dried plums were, earlier. As one tilts the glass, one may find a carpet roll as well. Mouth: the late-found sweetness is clear on the tongue, even if it comes with a certain bitterness; Seville-orange marmalade, honey and wooden planks precede a pinch of ginger powder. Chewing causes the marmalade to explode. In the fallout, we have satsuma, kumquat, pink-grapefruit peel and prickle-pear jelly augmented with a drop of plant sap. It has a juicy texture, slightly sticky, and more horsepower than one would have anticipated. The second sip feels a tad thinner. That is not a complaint; it is merely less sticky. Orange juice served in wooden goblets, augmented with a pinch of confectionary sugar and another of wood dust. Soon, it recovers its ginger powder and adds ground orange pips. The longer one keeps it in the mouth, the more intensely fruity it becomes. At the same time, it brings back the bitterness too. Perhaps we catch something more synthetic, in the long run, something akin to rubbery underlay. That gives another dimension to this. Finish: the marmalade ride continues; the oranges turn bitterer, though there is enough sweetness on display to make that palatable. Ginger powder, asafoetida, mango powder, sawdust (yes, it has its share of wood spices) rub elbows with honey and marmalade. This has a dash of wood oil to boot. The second gulp is in line: citrus-y jams and marmalades are elevated by tingling wood spices. The tongue and, especially, the roof of the mouth are left throbbing, as if hit by a decilitre of paper paste, or a sort of wood paste made of birch. That all comes back towards chewy citrus peels upon repeated quaffing, bitter, fruity and delicious. A strong 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, cavalier66)