Juraj Dobrila Single Barrel Viski with Dan

Putting a new country on the board is always fun – Juraj Dobrila Single Barrel Malt Viski from Croatia! Thanks to Steph for checking a bag to bring this home.

There’s not a lot online about this distillery or whisky – they have a Facebook page that suggests maybe it’s an offshoot from a winery. It does say “the spirit of wine” on the label, but the spirit of wine is brandy, and it also says “malt”, and i don’t think you can malt a grape?

The name is an homage/identity theft of the priest Juraj Dobrila (George Goodsomething), a 19th century Croatian nationalist who encouraged Slavic speakers to keep using their languages. And now he’s a viski, here’s what we thought:

nose
Dan – warm, mashy, hints of wood, jasmine
Simon – young, mashy, vegetable

neat
Dan – soft on the tongue, mild, corn
Simon – thin & hot, a little noisy

finish
Dan – slightly licorice, subtle
Simon – slight spice but clean & gone

splash
Dan – sweeter, slightly irish
Simon – much better, balanced & sweet

overall
Dan – 8.2/10
Simon – 7.6/10

Juraj Dobrila Single Barrel Viski – 40% 750ml – $ – Croatia

Try it? Yes. Buy it? Yes.