Last August was my first encounter with the Belgian bottler The Whisky Jury. That was this very nice Williamson (Laphroaig) 2010. And today I’m going back to The Whisky Jury with three of his latest releases: a Bunnahabhain 2013 and two Ledaigs from 2010.
Joeri, the owner of The Whisky Jury, only started his company in 2019. And his bottles have been popular from the very beginning. Not very strange, because he is always looking for the best casks. Whether it’s young or old whisky, it has to be something he would love to drink himself, otherwise, it won’t work out. That he has a good taste is beyond dispute, given the list of whisky he has bottled. They all are top-notch, judging by the reviews, a bottler to keep an eye on!
This Bunnahabhain has matured in an Oloroso sherry cask for 7 years and is bottled at 53.2% ABV. Cask no. 06018.
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 2013 tasting notes:
Nose: peat. A smouldering bonfire smoke. Seaweed and oddly enough nettles. Apricots. Also green apples and acacia honey. A hint of iodine.
Taste: a lovely oily mouthfeel. Peat again, obviously. 🙂 Some ash and smoked ham. The nettles are back. Vanilla and honey. Gooseberries in the background. And there is some white pepper too.
Finish: mid-long, mostly with peat, apricot and spices.
A very enjoyable Bunnahabhain which needs a little time but then it starts to open up rather nicely. Well, that’s a good start!
Score: 87/100
This Ledaig has matured in an Oloroso sherry cask and is bottled at 53.2% ABV. Cask no. 0414-1.
Ledaig 2010 tasting notes:
Nose: a layer of peat and a sour note from lemons mixed with green apples. A little bit of chocolate and butterscotch too. Brine and an earthy note which reminds me of mushrooms. A cheesy note in the background. And a faint hint of mint. Very nice!
Taste: nice and creamy mouthfeel. Peat again and it’s somewhat ashy. Tobacco leaves. A hint of raisins, but also fresh blueberries. Caramel. Honey. Dark Chocolate. An earthy note. Then it goes towards mint. Cinnamon and a pinch of anise. A little bit of liquorice too.
Finish: long! With brine, a handful of spices and a bit of smoke.
Score: 88//100
This Ledaig is just working very well with that oloroso cask! It’s complex, in balance, just really good. I’m a fan!
This Ledaig has also matured in a Oloroso sherry cask for about 10 years and is bottled at 54.1% ABV. (Bottled for Tasttoe). Cask no. 04014-2
Ledaig 2010 tasting notes:
Nose: the nose is rather similar to its sister cask at first. Peated alright, although I do get a bit more of a bbq smoked ham here straight after and slightly sweeter it seems. Strawberries. Sweet honey and milk chocolate. It’s somewhat ashy. Brine. There’s also an earthy note in this one, but less. Lemons. And a latte macchiato.
Taste: rather chocolatey. That’s what I get first. Red berries and lemons giving it a sour touch. There’s some smoke. A little peppery towards the end. Also a hint of cinnamon.
Finish: mid-long with peat, red berries and cinnamon.
You can taste it’s a sister cask as there are quite some similarities. It’s also very nice. But I think I slightly prefer the other cask.
Score 87/100
Overall: Joeri really knows how to select good casks! So far I have tasted only a few of the younger bottlings, which were all really great. I’m really impressed by the quality of these whiskies.
Anyway. I have a few other releases for you coming soon and those might be slightly different in age. And because I wanted to know more about The Whisky Jury, so I asked Joeri some questions, which I will post this Sunday! So stay tuned guys… 🙂
Samples provided by The Whisky Jury.
