The Isle of Jura distillery was rebuilt in 1963 under the stewardship of Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith, who commissioned tall stills from Delme Evans in an attempt to coax a lighter, Highland-style spirit from an island otherwise associated with peat. For most of its modern life Jura has produced an unpeated make, and Seven Wood sits squarely in that camp.
Launched in 2018 as part of a reshuffled core range under Whyte & Mackay, the whisky takes its name from the seven cask types used in its maturation. The bulk is aged in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, then parcels are finished in six different French oaks sourced from Limousin, Troncais, Allier, Vosges, Jupilles and Les Bertranges, each contributing a slightly different tannin and spice profile.
The nose is sweet and orchard-fruited, with toffee apple, orange oil and a cinnamon dusting. The palate is lightly honeyed, offering baked pear, milk chocolate and a rolling wave of clove and nutmeg. At 42% it feels a little reined-in, and the finish tails off sooner than the cask bill promises.
Seven Wood is a pleasant, approachable dram, though those seven oaks rather blur into one in the glass.
