The title of Jura‘s Turas Mara means ‘The Journey’ and was released exclusively to travel retail in 2013 and bottled at 42% ABV.
It doesn’t have an age statement, but the release notes say that it was matured in a variety of casks; ‘ex-Bourbon barrels, ex-Bordeaux wine barriques and ex-port pipes’. An intriguing mix!
Colour
Pale Orange Marmalade.
Nose
Light cereal, barley sugar and bitter orange.
There’s some rich mixed fruit in there and I could detect some plum too.
Tasting
The first thing that struck me about this whisky is how smooth it is. Neat, there is no hint of alcohol burn and it feels very balanced – almost too easy to drink.
The mouth feel is medium and there is a pleasant sweetness consistent with the nose. The bitter orange and some dryness comes through along with a slight spice towards the end.
Finish is slightly peppery with a lovely cherry and orange sweetness. Medium length finish.
I tried adding water, but think it actually ruins the whisky; the sweetness is washed away and the dryness becomes too dominant – perhaps just a bit fragile due to the youth.
Overall
Travel retail expressions remains a bit of a lottery, but Jura has a fair bit of experience in turning out good NAS expressions (Superstition, Prophecy) so I felt Turas Mara was worth a look. As it stands, it’s a perfectly decent dram with an enjoyable fruity smoothness and sweet finish.
Definitely worth a look if you can get hold of a bottle, though don’t bother adding water; it does nothing for the whisky in my opinion.
Take note Dalmore; this is how you do cheaper NAS expressions.
Braw Spirit 